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VICTORIA – The British Columbia government says it has filed an application in the province’s Supreme Court to evict the remaining homeless campers at the courthouse in Victoria.

In a statement late Monday, the housing ministry didn’t provide a date for a court hearing or an eviction deadline in the injunction application, but it says the campers will have ample time to leave the site.

Last week the campers staged a block party at the tent city in defiance of a Feb. 25 deadline to leave the area.

The camp has grown from a few tents last spring to more than 100 people as many moved from alleyways and parks to the highly visible manicured grounds of the downtown courthouse.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman says the government and Victoria social service agencies have provided shelter homes to the residents of the camp, but while about 60 people have accepted the government’s offer, others remain.

The ministry statement says public health and safety risks require the government to apply for the injunction.

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