Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society going to court in attempt to get campers out

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WatchThe issue over camping in Beacon Hill Park may be resolved in BC Supreme Court in October. That's when the Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society will be arguing against camping in the park. Mary Griffin reports.

One of the estimated 100 campers in Beacon Hill Park, Shea Smith is grateful he doesn’t have to pack up his belongings every morning.

“The fact [is] that we all want out of the park. Nobody wants to be here,” he said.

Smith said is upset that the Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society are heading to court to clear out the campers.

“My reaction, I guess is one of upset, sad. Because I understand the Friends of Beacon Hill Group, they have their side of the story. They have valid concerns,” Smith said.

In July, the courts granted a temporary injunction to the City of Victoria prohibiting tents in the park’s ecologically sensitive areas. But the society’s lawyer, L. John Alexander, said it’s pushing ahead with legal action to remove all the campers permanently.

“The Friends’ position is if that trust is properly applied, this park, Beacon Hill Park as a unique piece of land cannot be used for any form of camping or sheltering or residential use of any kind,” Alexander said.

A trust established Beacon Hill Park in 1882. It restricts use within the park to strictly pleasure or recreational use. Roy Fletcher, who is with the society, says he’s fighting the encampments to save the park.

“Nobody is in the park. Ordinarily, there would be people everywhere. They are just afraid to enter the park, and feeling totally threatened. The roads are all shut down. The main access road for elderly people is shut down,” Fletcher said.

Those who work with the campers say the issue is not simple.  Rev. Allen Tysick, executive director of the Dandelion Society, said the shelters are full and the campers can’t afford the rent in one of Canada’s most expensive cities.

“The campers won’t disappear. That’s for sure. They are going to be with us. And we’re going to either deal with it humanely and find them a place to stay. Or we’re going to be watching them on the street,” Tysick said.

The Friends of Beacon Hill Park Society is scheduled to appear in BC Supreme Court on Oct. 4.

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Mary GriffinMary Griffin

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