I just got this bit of local news from my Senior Correspondent in the Victoria Bureau, Myron. The headline is "
Homeless Allowed To Pitch Tents In Parks," in Victoria.
The city's homeless can now camp in Victoria parks, according to a B.C. Supreme Court decision Tuesday.
"Yesterday it was illegal to set up my tent. Today it isn't," said David Johnston, one of the homeless activists who argued they have a right to sleep outdoors on public property.
Lawyer Catherine Boies Parker, who acted on behalf of the homeless campers in their court challenge of the city's anti-camping bylaw, confirmed the 108-page judgment upheld their argument that a City of Victoria bylaw that prohibits using "temporary abodes" like tents and large tarpaulins for shelter in parks and public spaces violates the rights of the homeless.
She said the judgment noted that in the absence of sufficient safe and secure beds for the homeless, it was unconstitutional for the city to prevent them from erecting some form of shelter to protect themselves from the elements.
The decision came three years after a group was arrested in October 2005 for setting up a "tent city" in a Victoria park. The eviction sparked the court challenge.
"We don't have to search every morning and night for a place to sleep," Johnston said.
He predicted that tent cities will spring up in other municipalities once the decision becomes widely known.
Such encampments "might be the thing which saves us from the economic crush," he said.
At a city hall news conference, Mayor Alan Lowe predicted the impact of the decision will be felt throughout Canada.
"This judgment demonstrates what years of cuts to social programming and housing programs has done. Municipal governments were never in the business of providing housing and social support services to individuals in need," Lowe said, calling on higher levels of government to respond to the court decision.
The judgment does not bode well for city parks, Lowe warned. "Our city parks are not equipped to support camping of any kind.
"We've seen first hand the ill effects of tent cities. In 2005 . . . we saw a tent city that had become a hub of illegal activity, health concerns and vandalism," he said.
I find myself conflicted over the issue. On one hand, tent cities in our parks doesn't seem like such a good idea. I think they'll be eyesores in scenic places like Beacon Hill Park for example. Unfortunately aesthetics do matter in a tourist town such as Victoria. On top of that, parks are supposed to be safe places for kids to freely frolic in the fields, but I don't think tent cities will exactly reinforce the notions of safe places.
On the other hand, creating affordable housing is not exact an easy issue. With obscenely high housing prices right now, people are going to be economically left behind. I mean, speaking with young couples and young families, they're finding it hard enough to find and afford proper housing as it is. I also doubt affordable housing is sustainable in the long run as we're in the middle of an economic downturn.
