Vancouver clears tents, structures from section of East Hastings

Some tents and other structures on the sidewalks of East Hastings west of Main Street are being taken down.

The City of Vancouver says in a statement Thursday staff are enforcing a bylaw, “which prohibits the accumulation of structures and personal belongings on sidewalks.”

“As part of that effort, staff continue to make every effort to work with individuals, providing ample notice ahead of enforcement and impoundment of items,” a statement reads.

Citing fire risks, the city notes that staff “enforced the bylaw” along Hastings between Carrall and Columbia streets earlier this week. It has also said the structures were creating “sidewalk and building access concerns, as well as road safety issues.”

Sarah Blyth, the executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society, located between Columbia and Main streets, says she and her volunteers found out that the bylaw was being enforced Thursday after they were told by police they would not be allowed to set up their tent.

“Although I agree that tents are not a great place and they can be very dangerous in a lot of different ways, my main concern is not being able to set up our overdose prevention site on welfare week. It’s also, where are people going to go? I don’t see any signage for the people who come back,” she told CityNews.

As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the south side of Hastings Street between Carrall and Columbia was cleared of tents and other structures. However, some structures remained on the north side of the street.

The City of Vancouver says people “were provided repeated notice” that the bylaw was going to be enforced.

“Following repeated verbal and written notification to have material removed, City Engineering staff were on East Hastings St. impounding material from three structures that were not voluntarily removed,” the statement explains, adding those affected were offered shelter and storage options “prior to impoundment.”

Blyth questions the timing of the enforcement, noting it’s “welfare week” and that many people may come back to nothing, not know where their belongings are.

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She says she wishes the city had a more “coordinated” approach with the community.

“We go to set up our overdose prevention tent on welfare week where we’re seeing overdoses all day long, it’s a really scary situation. And then people coming back and just not knowing where they’re supposed to go,” Blyth explained.

“Where are they going? What’s going on? It’s just depressing, really, when it comes down to it. [Their situation] is obviously not ideal but where else are they going to go?”

The situation once again points to the housing crisis that continues to plague the city, with Blyth pointing out that many people just have no other options, adding shelter spaces are often not a viable option.

“It’s a bit of a whack-a-mole situation unless they’re being put into housing. Where are they going to go? Are they going to go down the street? Are they going to be in a more dangerous situation because at least on Hastings Street, there’s services if people overdose, they’re able to get to services quickly. I’ve got a lot of concerns,” she told CityNews.

“At the end of the day, we all want housing for people. We all want people inside, safe, and warm. I think everyone wants the same thing. It’s just about doing it in a humane way and making sure people know where they’re going … and that people living in a desperate situation aren’t going into a more desperate situation because we want to get rid of tents.”

Last summer, the city, police, and the fire department were blasted by advocates for their actions in decamping parts of East Hastings in the Downtown Eastside.

Advocates have said people are being evicted with no place to go. In August, backed by VPD officers, city crews began clearing sidewalks after an order was issued by Vancouver’s fire chief.

After city crews had finished for the day, a confrontation occurred between VPD and DTES residents and activists.

-With files from Charlie Carey