B.C. city, homeless campers agree to work together to solve safety concerns
VANCOUVER — Officials in Vancouver suburb say they will work with a group of homeless residents to increase safety at a local tent city.
The City of Maple Ridge issued a news release on Sunday saying staff had come to an agreement with lawyers for the campers and the agreement will see steps taken to address “life safety issues” identified during regular inspections of the site.
The city was scheduled to appear in court on Monday to ask for an injunction to shut down the camp and had said in court documents that the site brought noise, odours, human waste and hypodermic needles to the neighbourhood.
Lawyers representing the camp’s approximately 80 residents had argued in court documents that dismantling the so-called tent city would cause significant harm because there is not enough shelter space or permanent affordable housing in Maple Ridge.