As we close out this year and look back on the past few months, we commend the steadfast, principled advocacy of Oppenheimer Park Tent City residents. We stand in solidarity with the assertion of Indigenous sovereignty in the Park. As long as people must rely on public space, we must respect Tent Cities as the safest option in a list of undesirable alternatives.
We must develop a flexible definition of Social Condition that includes an element of disadvantage and explicitly identifies housing status.
Park residents, neighbours, and advocates will be gathering on the 1 year anniversary of the rent city for a warm meal, music, and legal information about rights for people who rely on public space for survival, and to celebrate resilience in the face of a housing crisis, a drug poisoning crisis, and the ongoing criminalization of homeless people.
The Court did not condone the City’s “priorities and approach” regarding Anita Place, and invited the parties to bring another application regarding the constitutionality of the City’s conduct.
We intend to inform the Court of the City and RCMP’s misconduct over the weekend, which included numerous and egregious contraventions of Justice Grauer’s decision.
We are encouraged by the Court's recognition of life safety concerns and the allowing of solid structures
The City of Maple Ridge filed its third injunction application against Anita Place with concerns about fire safety. #PivotLegal's team advocated for the City to take a harm reduction approach to heating solutions for the tent city's residents. Here are our submissions.
The city has increasingly adopted an "ideology of enforcement" that will harm vulnerable residents.
As the coldest days of the year approach, the City is striving to break apart a community of homeless people living at Anita Place tent city
In May of 2017, around 90 homeless individuals banded together to find safety and security in community by setting up a tent city to survive outdoors. Over the following year, that community grew to nearly 200 people. We have followed them in their journey as they’ve taken a stand against the bigotry and stigma that fuel BC’s homelessness crisis to show their courage and determination in the face of systemic discrimination.