Mayoral candidates weigh in on people living in vehicles along Vancouver beach
Living in vans and RVs is far from ideal, but it's a reality for dozens of people in Vancouver.
Scattered along Spanish Banks, people camped out in their vehicles are calling the shoreline parking lots home – at least for the time being.
That's despite signage warning any vehicles left overnight will be towed at the owners' expense. The city is now clamping down, sending parking enforcement staff and park rangers to speak with the occupants.
"In situations where individuals do not engage, all education options have been exhausted and general warnings/towing notices have been ignored, vehicles may be towed," a city spokesperson told CTV News.
It's no secret rent is sky-high in Vancouver. That’s what’s drove many into this situation.
"It's a hell of a lot cheaper than paying rent in this city,” said Matthew Rogers, who has been living in his van for more than two years.
He moved to Vancouver from New Zealand in 2019 and bought his van to tour around Canada. COVID-19 changed those plans, but his van ended up being his permanent home because rent is so expensive.
Rogers says parks staff gave campers notice earlier this week, warning that tickets were coming – though none have been issued so far. He was told the city would be towing everyone who hasn't left by next Tuesday.
“Maybe we've overstayed our welcome a little, bit but at the same time the parking lot's going to be empty at night,” said Rogers, who is employed and not living in his van strictly out of necessity.
There’s a lot of finger-pointing for who is to blame and varying ideas about what the solution is, but it all boils down to one thing: the lack of affordable housing.
“The only answer here is more supply of housing, but not luxury condos – rentals, social housing," said mayoral candidate Kennedy Stewart.
“As long as we continue inflating land values we’re going to make it so people cannot afford to live here and are forced to live in tents or their RVs at the beach,” said mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick.
B.C.’s housing minister says the province is on board to help, but that parking lot living, even as a possible short-term solution, is up to the city, not the province.
“It’s a symptom of the bigger problem that I think we need to address as a society head on – lack of housing at every level,” said Murray Rankin.
“I absolutely understand their plight – help is on the way. We are trying to address this and deal with this as a crisis because that is what it is.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.