KAMLOOPS — Riverside Park was a ghost town on Friday with the smoke lingering over the park and the Thompson Rivers, keeping many people indoors.
But not everyone has that luxury to seek refuge from the smoke, especially those on the streets.
“People would probably acknowledge the homeless population, there is a certain character about them that’s tough. They’re rough sleepers. Can they handle this? They’ll be all right,” said the head of the the JUMP program for the homeless on the North Shore Glenn Hilke. “But we do have people coming in saying their eyes are burning, their sinuses are all clogged up, and some of these folks already have health problems.”
Hilke is calling for the city and others to do more to help these people. He posted such a rant on Facebook, questioning mayor and council for not responding adequately to the homeless during these smoky conditions.
“The provincial government has declared a state of emergency, which gives local municipalities the power to declare their own local emergency action plan,” noted Hilke. “It would take the mayor alone to proclaim an order that would then put a plan into action.”
However, Kamloops mayor Ken Christian said those powers only apply to evacuations directly related to the wildfires. He noted the city doesn’t run shelters, but outlined some options for people.
“There is certainly the Out of the Heat shelter that’s operated by some of the church groups and those places are available for people to seek short periods of respite,” he said. “But we just have to make sure we’re not exerting ourselves, avoid smoking of course, and try to get through.”
Christian said more housing is needed for people on the streets, something the City of Kamloops is working on.
In the meantime, masks were dropped off at JUMP on Royal Avenue to help the homeless. Hilke, though, said places like New Life Community should be open longer than the current 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. hours.
New Life said if the demand was there, it would accomodate for longer hours. But the shelter said it’s simply not any busier than usual.
“It’s been bad here for about a month, I’d say, and we haven’t seen any bigger numbers,” said New Life outreach supervisor Jeff Arlitt. “At night time, from 5-8 p.m., we don’t have more than nine people that come in our room, and everyone’s aware we’re open until eight, so being open later won’t change that.”
The people who do utilize the shelter at New Life Community like Bill Semeniuk appreciate the food and the short break from the smoke.
“I do come periodically and I wouldn’t say it’s just to escape the smoke, but it definitely is escaping the smoke,” said Semeniuk. “Come for coffee and the camaraderie of the men and women who come here. I’m starting to make friendships and finding out that there is a support system. When you do feel you have trouble with something, such as the smoke, you talk with people about it and you find out you’re not the only one suffering from headaches and anxiety.”
Hilke said handing out masks only goes so far. He hopes more can be done to help people on the streets.
