An encampment of tents continues to stand outside Abbotsford City Hall, despite the city’s order for residents to vacate by Monday morning.
The city issued a notice of trespass Thursday, stating that anyone not affiliated with the city—employees, agents, or police—must leave and remove their possessions by 11 a.m. or risk arrest.
Many of the tents were first erected on the grounds behind City Hall in June, when residents were made to leave another encampment at Babich Park.
Brittany Maple with Abbotsford Drug War Survivors tells 1130 NewsRadio campers haven’t been forcibly removed, as of Monday afternoon, thanks to advocacy efforts.
“We were able to get [the city] to stand down, and they’re currently hauling away the fencing. We still are encouraging the city to go to court to seek an injunction so that all the appropriate charter rights can be fully laid out and considered by an impartial party, but as of yet, we’re still waiting for that,” said Maple.
She says her group and the residents of the encampment are calling for sustainable and dignified housing solutions, adding that there are “serious human rights at play.”
Without the injunction, the Abbotsford Police Department was unable to intervene, but Maple Maple noted that bylaw officers began attempting to dismantle some tents.
“Some of the campers surrounded the tents and asked them not to take people’s belongings,” she said.
1130 NewsRadio reached out to Mayor Ross Seimens for an interview but instead received a statement attributed to the City of Abbotsford.
The city claims officials have been working with organizers for two and a half months, saying it offered support for people to relocate and pointing to the provincial Department of Housing as the responsible party.
“There are varied and complex circumstances for those sheltering in the encampment at City Hall. The City of Abbotsford will continue to work with BC Housing and our local community outreach workers to ensure that all members of the encampment are provided with shelter options and offered support for relocation as we work to close the encampment,” the statement said.
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It says it’s provided support for CEDAR Outreach, a city-funded frontline intervention society, to “ensure additional staff and outreach workers can be available to support individuals in relocating from City Hall.” It also says it has provided dry bins for the residents’ possessions and offered vehicles and trailers for moving.
The trespass notice says the city plans to fence off the encampment area for remediation and reopen it by Oct. 2 — but not to campers.
“Following remediation, the space will reopen for public use, but as per our bylaws, camping is prohibited, and any protests will be required to apply for a permit,” the statement explained.
Maple says the timing of the trespass notice is “interesting.”
“They do have the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation celebration slotted to happen in this square,” said Maple, referring to events set for Sept. 30 in Civic Plaza.
“So it does appear that they’re clearing up the square to celebrate performative reconciliation, but the square is full of vulnerable indigenous homeless people, and decamping those individuals is a direct opposition to reconciliation measures.”
—With files from Raynaldo Suarez, Renee Bernard, and Jack Morse.