Submitted. The City of Abbotsford has issued a notice today asking those camping at Jubilee Park to remove their tents and belongings for reasons of safety, announced Deputy City Manager, Jake Rudolph.
“We’re asking for the tents and the structures to be removed within 48 hours for safety reasons,” said Rudolph. “This is not about removing people and we have no intention to disrupt the BC-Yukon Drug War Survivors right to protest.”
The City has posted and provided notice to those onsite today requesting the removal of the tents and structures by Wednesday this week.
“After reviewing numerous documented occurrences of fire safety violations including the use of propane barbeques within the tents as heat sources, criminal activity, drug use, and the additional concerns raised by the recent arrival of sub-zero temperatures, Council felt it was imperative we act now before someone gets hurt,” said Mayor Bruce Banman. “The last thing we want is to have a tragedy like what happened in Vancouver 2 years ago during the Occupy Vancouver protest where a young woman died.”
Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services and Abbotsford Police Department members have been conducting regular, routine safety checks at the tent site for the past several weeks.
“I personally spoke with protest-organizer, Barry Shantz last week and relayed this message to him, and the people at the site were also informed in person by staff conducting the safety checks,” said Rudolph. “This is not a surprise to anyone involved.”
City of Abbotsford lawyers will apply to the B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday and seeking an expedited injunction application if the tents are not removed within the 48 hour time-frame.
“We are moving into the extreme weather season which just escalates the risks,” said Rudolph. “For the safety of everyone, it’s time for the encampment to come to a peaceful conclusion.”
Picture courtesy of Bas Stevens
City of Abbotsford Notice. Bas Stevens Photo
From Facebook: Gnarly Carly Says: “concerned for the safety because of the weather”…..so you are going to take the only half decent shelter they have from them? ….this city makes ZERO sense. I understand the concerns for fire hazards and so on but to claim they actually give a f*** and getting them out of there is for “their own safety” is horseshit.
IMO the fact that the City of Abbotsford has waited 30 plus days to invoke eviction notices does not bode well for them. It should have been done within the first week or so of the encampment starting.
Still, the City of Abbotsford refuses to assist the homeless and addicted. This is one more reason why it behooves the City to put the ACS Assisted Housing proposal before Council – the sooner the better, and stop dragging their heels!
There truly are common threads being woven here between PM Harper, Mayor Rob Ford and Mayor Banman — DENY, DENY and DENY – it will all go away!
Fire Safety and Criminal activity…so, exactly, where does Mayor
Banman think they’ll locate to, within the city, where this will NOT happen?
So, is he saying, as long as it NOT in Jubilee Park, out of sight, out of mind, when it comes to fire safety and criminal activity..so it’s O.K. to tent under the overpass, squat in our neighborhoods in empty rental properties, treeed areas, along the railway tracks in ADBA area?
Concerns for safety in extreme weather conditions..how about a barbecue in a house ready to be demolished in a neighborhood!
It has happened before, homeless using barbecue in a house to
keep warm!
Absolutely ludicrous!
There’s no one in the park, except the homeless, anyway,
due to weather conditions.
Find a solution and stop wasting our tax $$ moving these people around!.
Tim Felger Says: Someone will die in the cold if the tents come down.
Is the city insane or just have a cold heart.