Judge says Vancouver can dismantle homeless camp where feces, garbage piling up
VANCOUVER — A judge has granted the City of Vancouver an injunction to dismantle a homeless camp, allowing police to arrest occupants who do not leave or who try to obstruct the removal of shelters.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Loryl Russell said Thursday that feces and used needles are littered around the site while open flames and propane tanks in tents create severe risks for residents and first responders.
Campers have defied three orders from the fire department to stop using equipment that could cause explosions, creating safety concerns that may also affect neighbours in the Downtown Eastside, Russell said in granting an injunction involving a city-owned lot.
“There have been drug overdoses and the assault of a police officer,” she said, adding residents were using extension cords to draw electricity from an adjacent building until the fire department ordered the power cut.