Question of whether homeless people should be allowed to camp on city property now in court
Posted July 4, 2014 10:01 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS1130) – The crackdown on homeless in the Fraser Valley goes to court today.
A group of homeless people is trying to strike down a City of Abbotsford bylaw that doesn’t let people sleep in parks overnight.
DJ Larkin with Pivot Legal says the bylaw makes it impossible for some of the homeless to find shelter.
“That means that people get displaced to more dangerous areas. They have trouble living communally. Their property often gets destroyed and it can become very hard for them to stabilize themselves and access the services that they need.”
“There simply is no other case that is going to be advanced that will have so much evidence and so much legal argument so that the court can make a decision that is in keeping with the constitution and the laws of Canada,” she adds.
The City of Abbotsford says there are enough shelter beds for everyone but Pivot argues many facilities don’t let people with pets or who suffer from mental health and addiction access them.
Last year, city staff spread chicken manure on a site used by the homeless, an action that made headlines across the country.
