MLA Boultbee says time has come to dismantle Penticton homeless encampment

Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee says it’s time to dismantle the controversial Fairview encampment site before a tragedy takes place.

After the Penticton Fire Department and other first responders confirmed there were two fires Monday morning at the encampment – neither resulting in serious injury according to the Penticton Fire Department – Boultbee said she’s worried someone is going to get seriously hurt, or worse.

Boultbee said information she has received indicated one of the fires caused burns to the hands of a young woman living at the encampment.

“There was, in fact, an injury,” said Boultbee.

Boultbee, who continues to work as an independent after resigning as a member of the BC Conservative Party several months ago following a dispute with former leader John Rustad, said she has voiced her concerns about possible fires at the Fairview encampment more than once to provincial officials, including having a direct meeting with Minister of Housing Christine Boyle and members of her staff.

“I met with her many times, but that one meeting was specifically about fires,” she said. “I have been warning the Ministry for months now about the risk of fires. In particular,  I specifically said that during the winter, survival fires were going to create a safety risk.

“It’s not just me that has flagged this issue. Many other people have. I had one particular meeting about the safety issues in the encampment where we specifically discussed fires as a risk and the fact the people were building structures that were hastily constructed. I voiced my concerns about these catching on fire or issues with other heating devices and carbon monoxide. That’s exactly what’s happened.”

The people living in the encampment have been fortunate this has been a particularly warm winter so far, but temperatures are again dipping below zero overnight and those same residents are left with little choice but to expose themselves to potential harm by lighting fires to try and stay warm, she said.

“The reality is people do light survival fires.”

The Fairview encampment has been allowed to remain in place for more than 18 months and these fires have convinced her it’s time for the provincial government to take decisive action, find these people temporary housing and close the encampment down once and for all, said Boultbee.

“The encampment has always posed a risk to human safety,” she said. “Before portable toilets were installed, it also posed an environmental risk. It has always been a risk to human safety and health.”

The provincial government has been “very inconsistent” in which encampments they move to close and provide emergency shelters across the province and those they allow, said Boultbee.

“There are other communities where they have closed encampments and did so because they said there was a risk,” she said. “I asked how is ours in Penticton not a risk … how are having people with propane tanks in tents not a risk. They’re not applying their own policies consistently.

“It’s my hope that what happened (Monday) is a big wakeup call to them and they can’t allow this to continue. It’s been almost two years now.”

The provincial government announced back in June they were clearing out the Fairview Encampment, giving people living there a short timeline to leave.

The majority did leave, however, many stayed and the encampment continued to grow again and has remained in place.

Putting up fencing and hiring security guards has proven useless as the residents in the encampment have been allowed to come and go as they please since the failed evacuation back in June, she said.

“The evacuation notice was actually nothing more than a stunt.”

Arguing over who is responsible for ownership or control of the parcel of land where the encampment is located is no longer worth arguing over, said Boultbee, stating ultimately the provincial government is responsible for taking action and ensuring the residents living there are moved into temporary emergency shelters and the encampment is shut down for good.

“The province is honestly just trying to make this whole situation complicated by creating a jurisdictional issue when there really isn’t one,” she said. “It is 100 per cent within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation. That’s indisputable.

“The province has tried to muddy the waters and keep it complicated to deflect responsibility, but it’s very clearly provincial land. Housing is also 100 per cent their issue.”

— This story was originally published by the Penticton Herald