Volunteers clean up homeless camp outside Chilliwack, amid environmental worries
A large Fraser Valley homeless camp in an environmentally sensitive area has been cleaned-up by volunteers.
But there is growing concern about the impact of similar camps on rivers and creeks, as well as the rising number of homeless people.
Volunteers recently converged on the camp, hauling out around 6,800 kgs. of garbage.
“It was between 15 to 20 people living here in their own temporary made sheds,” explained volunteer Adila Shaukat of Streams Foundation Canada.
But the camp, which sits on Crown land just outside Chilliwack’s boundaries, recently caught fire and all but a couple of squatters abandoned the site, leaving their belongings behind.
Shaukat said the worry is that the camp is located alongside a river. When the spring melt begins, the area is flooded and garbage ends up in the waterways.
“We want to clean up before the water covers the area and takes all the garbage with it," Shaukat explained.
“We will lose all of our salmon if we don’t take care of it.”
Just a few weeks ago, volunteers with the same organization cleaned up a larger encampment along the Chilliwack River. In that case, they pulled out almost 13,000 kg. of garbage and 1.5 metric tonnes of metal.
“It was very close to the Chilliwack River and the water currents were already touching the garbage and all the leftover stuff there,” she said, emphasizing the urgency of that clean-up operation.
In Chilliwack, homelessness is on the rise.
“It’s definitely growing,” said Scott Gaglardi, the executive director of Ruth and Naoimi’s.
“At the last count, in 2017, there was around 300 (homeless people). So we’re anticipating 450 to 500 (during the next count),” he explained.
Tom Snell, 35, spent the past year-and-a-half living on the street in Chilliwack.
“It was definitely cold and dangerous,” he said. “I have a friend who lost a part of their foot from frostbite.”
He said living on the streets in the winter was particularly difficult.
“I’d spend nights outside shivering cold and in the rain. It sucks. It really sucks,” he said.
Snell said after a car accident, he was unable to work and ended up living in his car. Before he knew it, he was on the street.
But he’s grateful to have recently moved into housing.
“It’s really nice knowing when it’s cold, I have a place I can go…my stuff is safe.”
Ruth and Naoimi’s offers 100 beds in two shelters, which are always full. During cold weather, they also run an emergency shelter.
Gaglardi said there continues to be a lack of affordable housing.
“And the more street-entrenched a person is, the harder that journey is to get into housing. So to have people who can walk with them, it’s not just dropping them off at the door of a house, it’s making sure some of the skills and learnings, that you have that relationship,” he explained.
Back at the camp, volunteers continue to work with the remaining campers.
“This environmental issue is the by-product of homelessness,” said Shaukat.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.