B.C. government says homeless campers must leave Goldstream Provincial Parks on Oct. 2

B.C. government says homeless campers must leave Goldstream Provincial Parks on Oct. 2
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Homeless campers at Goldstream Provincial Park must leave on Oct. 2, 2018. File photo.

Homeless campers at Goldstream Provincial Park must leave on Oct. 2, 2018. File photo.

Homeless campers at the Goldstream Provincial Park campground must leave on the morning of Oct. 2, the provincial government said Wednesday.

In a statement,  Selina Robinson, minister of municipal affairs and housing, said any of the campers who remain past the Oct. 2 deadline with be evicted by BC Parks, in co-ordination with RCMP, other ministries and outreach workers.

“Between now and Monday, BC Housing and outreach staff will continue to work with campers to match them with the right housing for their individual needs. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and assist campers in a respectful transition before the morning of Oct. 2, 2018, which is the expiry of the 14-day maximum stay at provincial parks,” Robinson said.

Robinson said they will work to have all homeless campers at Goldstream park being moving into housing and shelters on Oct. 1, 2018. Transportation to housing and storage for personal belongings will be organized for campers on that date by the province.

BC Parks will notify the public once the campground is ready to reopen. The day-use area and group sites are still open. In the next five days, Pacifica Housing will continue daily outreach and will provide harm reduction supplies and other necessities to the campers.

About 30 homeless campers set up tents at the campground on Sept. 18 after they were removed from provincial land near Ravine Way in Saanich. Prior to that, the group had spent five months in Regina Park before they were evicted.

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