Homeless have right to tent in parks, Victoria lawyer argues
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 | 10:22 AM PT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
A Victoria lawyer has launched a court challenge against a bylaw prohibiting people from sleeping in tents in city parks.
Catherine Boies told CBC News on Tuesday the number of homeless people in the city far exceeds the number of shelter beds available.
"What we're saying is, in circumstances where people don't have the opportunity to have some kind of shelter, they have to be able to put up some form of shelter in the city," said Boies.
The case is a counter-challenge to a permanent injunction granted to the city in the summer of 2005. The injunction permitted municipal authorities to dismantle a homeless encampment that sprung up in a city park because of a shortage of shelter beds.
Boies said she is not arguing that the homeless should be allowed to camp in parks whenever they please.
"What we're saying in this case is certainly not that people can sleep wherever they want, whenever they want," said Boies.
Ken Kelly of the Downtown Victoria Business Association said what's really needed is permanent housing for the city's 1,500 homeless.
Kelly said he is concerned that allowing the homeless to sleep in parks will increase crime and damage the city's image.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
