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I'm just going to highlight something about homelessness in B.C. right now. The following thread is all stories published over the past 48 hours by different CBC reporters in different cities-- not out of some central plan, but because these are the stories happening right now.
Let's start in Metro Vancouver and @MaryseZeidler's story about the growing number of people living in RVs-- and with it, the calls for cities to zone parts of town where they allow them to park https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rv-safe-spaces-1.5370126
Then we'll go to Surrey where crews cleared a 5-acre parcel of land that had housed a homeless camp, some for years. "I've been there five years and they just threw me away like a piece of garbage," said one woman. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sanctuary-tent-city-private-land-campers-moved-1.5371351
Now here's me-- with files from @LiretteDominika and @BradyStrachan-- on issues facing cities in the interior, particularly downtown Prince George and Kelowna where several businesses say they can no longer operate because of the housing & addiction crises https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-interior-kelowna-prince-george-downtown-homelessness-1.5369973
This morning @raffertybaker had another story from Vancouver where there are calls for public washrooms in an East Vancouver where people without homes-- some living in RVs nearby-- have nowhere to go https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-grandview-park-human-waste-1.5370596
Shortly after that, @KathrynMarlow's story about issues of rats, cockroaches and under-resourcing in one of the province's supportive housing units-- the ones the province says should help alleviate homeless camps in places like Prince George and Kelowna https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/844-johnson-concerns-1.5372503
And finally from Vernon and our our friends @BradyStrachan, @pentononcbc and @clare_hennig on a proposal to move a homeless camp in Vernon onto the lawn of city hall-- in part b/c ppl are scared to use the park where folks are living now https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vernon-votes-against-relocating-homeless-camps-1.5373252
Again-- this is 48 hours, six cities, six stories, no coordination or concentrated effort from these reporters to roll out a series on the homeless crisis in B.C. This is just a natural reflection of the top community issues we're hearing and seeing across the province. #bcpoli
I'm relatively new to this job (ten years being relatively new), but I'm not sure I've ever seen the same basic issue bubble up as a top local story in so many different cities simultaneously.
Just going to append this with a weather warning from Environment Canada. We're hitting -25 C this week.
Arctic air will begin flowing into the north Tuesday, with temperatures dropping to the –15 C to –25 C range. Environment Canada said windchill will become a factor in northern and central areas through Tuesday and Wednesday. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cold-windy-weather-bc-environment-canada-alerts-1.5373449
Thread here on the developing situation in Kelowna: https://twitter.com/ChrisWalkerCBC/status/1199377368776921089
