Order to remove tents, shelters will leave Downtown Eastside residents with nowhere to go: advocates

Residents and advocates say an order from Vancouver's fire chief to remove tents from a stretch of East Hastings Street will displace the people living there, leaving them with nowhere else to go.

Chief Karen Fry issued the order late Monday following an inspection of the area the previous Thursday. The inspection found there is an “accumulation of combustible materials against buildings,” restricted access for fire crews to and from buildings and fire department connections, and open flames and fire hazards.

As a result, the order calls for the removal of tarps, tents and other structures from the sidewalk where they could “prevent firefighters from engaging in firefighting operations,” in addition to the removal of propane tanks and other flammable heat sources. Fry said the order was necessary in order to prevent a potentially "catastrophic" situation.

At a news conference Tuesday where fire officials were supposed to answer questions about the order, advocates spoke up and said the people who have been sheltering in the area were not given any warning.

“I just saw the order for the first time today, so there’s no respect. Shame on the fire department, and don’t say you’re working with the community when you’re not,” said Meenakshi Mannoe with Pivot Legal Society.

The group voiced its concerns about requiring residents to remove tents and shelters with no offer of an alternative.

“We’re in the midst of a week-long heatwave and now we’re being told people have to get rid of the only shelter that they have, the only shade that they have. How is that a life-saving intervention?” Mannoe added.

A resident who goes by the name Blue said she is a trained fire warden for a section of Hastings Street but there is panic among residents of how to stay sheltered.

“I want them (the fire department) to tell me what we’re supposed to do,” Blue said.

It’s estimated more than 150 tents line both sides of East Hastings between Main and Carrall streets, a number that has grown significantly since the Vancouver Police Department and City of Vancouver staff stopped so-called street sweeps.

The practice ended on July 1 after protests from residents and organizations advocating for the Downtown Eastside.

(https://bc.ctvnews.ca/dehumanizing-and-disruptive-calls-to-end-street-sweeps-in-vancouver-s-downtown-eastside-1.5950017)

The motion to end the practice was presented to council by Jean Swanson, but the councillor said staff didn’t implement the part of her motion calling for more “street care.”

“What's happened is the city implemented one part of that, they didn’t implement the other two parts and that's why we have all this huge congestion and all these tents,” Swanson said. “The only thing the city could do is find a parking lot, maybe close off some streets.”

QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT THE ORDER

The order to remove tarps and other shelters comes into effect Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Chief Fry wasn’t available to answer questions Tuesday. Instead, Capt. Matthew Trudeau, public information officer with Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, fielded inquiries.

“The chief’s order does not involve removing persons, or unhoused people, it is about mitigating dangerous conditions and risks so we don’t lose people, we don’t lose SROs,” Capt. Trudeau said. “If a fire happens this weekend in a tent, spreads up into another building and it destroys another SRO and it displaces 200 people, obviously that’s not a good situation.”

No details were provided on how the order would be enforced, or by whom. Trudeau said there would be daily safety inspections and meetings to determine what actions, if any, need to be taken moving forward.

A spokesperson for the city said it has increased public washrooms, misting stations, handwashing stations and water fountains in the area, and will also be offering temporary day storage of personal belongings.

“Planning for personal storage was already underway and will be implemented as a part of this process,” the spokesperson said.

In his own statement, Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he supported the chief's order but is aware of "the stress and difficulty this order will cause those living in the affected area."

He went on to tout the progress the city has made on housing since he was elected, while saying he is advocating to senior levels of government for help finding housing for those who will be displaced when this order is carried out.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Lisa Steacy