Province moves to evict people living in controversial Penticton camp

The BC government wants to evict the people living in a controversial Penticton homeless encampment.

The Fairview site has become a permanent shelter for roughly two dozen people along Highway 97.

It’s rests on provincial government land and, despite efforts to evict them last year, people have continued to return to the area in an open space between Ellis Creek and the highway.

The province filed in court for an injunction, Feb. 4, alleging the between 15 and 30 people living there have been trespassing on Crown land since the fall of 2024.

The Ministry of Transportation and the BC Attorney General jointly filed the notice of claim, alleging the make-shift shelters, fire pits and propane stoves pose a fire hazard, while the homeless occupants have also dug trenches that make travel in and out of the area difficult.

There have been more than 90 fires at the camp area documented by the province, according to court documents. The province also claims people have tampered with electrical boxes that control traffic lights along Highway 97.

Ministry staff gave notice to the homeless campers multiple times in June that they were trespassing, then again in October before evicting them when they found no one had left voluntarily, according to court documents.

It comes after the City of Penticton turned down a BC Housing project pitched as a project that would pave the way for the province to evict the Fairview encampment. BC Housing later said it would continue funding another shelter, but it’s not clear whether there’s enough shelter space available for those still camping at the Fairview site.

A judge will hear the province’s case, March 23, and consider the ministry’s effort to evict the people living in the encampment after a 48-notice.

The notice of claim names the defendants as John Doe, Jane Doe and other unknown persons.