VANCOUVER — BC Housing says 40 people in Vancouver who were living in a Downtown Eastside street encampment being cleared by city workers have accepted offers of accommodation.
The agency’s vice-president of operations, Dale McCann, was speaking at a press conference today at city hall, where Mayor Kennedy Stewart reported “good progress” clearing the street in accordance with a safety order by the city’s fire chief.
Stewart says the clearance operation that began on Aug. 9 was an “extremely challenging situation” that has only become more complex.
City manager Paul Mochrie says workers are removing two tonnes of material per day from the encampment on East Hastings Street.
Mochrie says it’s difficult to provide a precise number of tents and structures that have been removed, but seven out of 10 zones deemed the highest risk have been cleared.
He says about 200 people are estimated to have been living in the encampment, but the situation has been fluid, with new structures being erected even as others were being removed.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2022.
The Canadian Press
