A mixture of responses to the injunction to move out of Jubilee Park appeared to be in progress Saturday afternoon as some of those occupying the Drug War Survivors camp were successfully housed in temporary emergency shelters, others had responded to the Salvation Army’s last minute conversion to allow some of Abbotsford’s hardest to house citizens while still others seemed intent on staying.
The City of Abbotsford started off the day by creating an opening in the cement barricades with which it had encircled the parking lot, erecting two public event tents and serving breakfast and coffee while the Abbotsford Police set up a parameter of little orange cones and stood around in a menacing fashion not allowing citizens in to talk to the homeless.
The judge and the City have asked the APD to act as professionally and peacefully as possible in enforcing the 4 pm deadline for the homeless men and women to leave the park.
Judge Gives Abbotsford Homeless Until 4 pm Saturday
UPDATED December 20 – 12:24 – A BC Supreme Court Judge, Friday morning, ruled that protesters must leave Jubilee Park by 4 pm Saturday. As well, the wooden enclosure must be dismantled and removed by 2 pm Monday.
According to DJ Larkin, the Pivot Legal Society lawyer representing the homeless, the decision was based on the city’s assertion that there are shelter beds available.
ddiewert photo
On Tuesday the judge heard testimony from the City of Abbotsford and the Pivot Legal Society on the occupation, by the Abbotsford Chapter of the BC/Yukon Drug War Survivors, of a portion of Jubilee Park since October 20.
The protesters have argued all along that the shelters available in Abbotsford do not allow for homeless people with mental illness or drug or alcohol addictions.
The City of Abbotsford released the following statement this morning:
Mr. Justice William of the BC Supreme Court this morning provided judgment regarding the injunction application by the City of
Abbotsford.
The judge has ordered that:
- Jubilee camp must be vacated by 4:00 pm tomorrow.
- All tents and belongings must be removed from the site by 4:00 pm tomorrow.
- All persons found to be in contravention of this order as of the date and time.
- provided by the Court will be required to vacate the premises immediately or
- deemed to be in violation of a BC Supreme Court order.
- As to enforcement, Justice Williams granted the order to allow Police to intervene
- but expressed his hope that such would not be necessary.
- The Court has also ordered that the plywood structure must be removed by 2pm
- Monday December 23, 2013. If the structure is not removed by that date and
- time, the City may remove it.
The City of Abbotsford will be serving this notice to the protest organizers as well as to
all current residents at the encampment at Jubilee Park today. See attached
Backgrounder A for a copy of the Court Order.
Community service providers will continue to be onsite during this period offering all
persons requiring shelter accommodations.The Salvation Army will also provide
temporary storage for anyone entering a shelter that needs to store belongings.
Persons wishing to provide support or assistance can do so through any of the local
service provider.
Elsie K. Neufeld Says: I feel sick. sick. sick!
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Tomorrow, the city will try to move some of the homeless into shelters…
and when the extreme weather passes, we will be back at square one..
where do the homeless set up the next campsite in the city?
The businesses in and around the old downtown do not want the
homeless campsites in their area, understandably so, but, what
are they doing to ensure the city not just move them out of Jubilee Park, but, address the numerous campsites occupied and abandoned
around the city?
Taxpayers money being used to clean up campsites, pay court costs to
obtain an a court injunction to have them moved will occur, again, unless, the city makes attempts to try to prevent the homeless from
being moved around the city.
The monies spent to keep moving them around would be better spent to find a permanent location in the city for them to live.
The homeless are not asking for much, except for the city to allocate
a permanent location to prevent their being constantly being moved
around the Abbotsford Downtown area.
They would’ve moved out of Jubilee Park, if the city had said, here, you can set up a campsite here while we try to find a better solution to
your homeless problem.
Instead, the city choose to spend 1000’s of dollars and the city is not any further ahead addressing the needs of the homeless, their location
in and around the old downtown.