This order comes in response to a fire that engulfed a church on the 100 block of East Hastings street on July 6. The Vancouver Fire Department insists that although they are sensitive to the lack of options for the homeless population there, the tents and tarps are now blocking access to building entrances, obstructing their ability to respond safely.
Furthermore, multiple propane tanks and other flammable objects have been found within some of the resident’s tents.
Advocacy groups are claiming that the tents that have been popping up recently are in response to BC’s current heatwave, and are essential for the safety of the homeless in the area. Many residents now living in this tent encampment have relocated here from Strathcona tent city, which was shut down in the fall of 2021.
