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Province applies for second injunction to evict Victoria's tent city campers

The province has applied for a second injunction to evict campers from Victoria's tent city, but won't be back in court until June 27, 28.
Tent City Jun3 2
Workers install electric power for planned showers for Tent City

The province has applied for a second injunction to evict campers from Victoria's tent city, but won't be back in court until the end of the month.

The application comes in response to a safety inspection last month by the Office of the Fire Commissioner who deemed the site on the lawns of the Victoria courthouse to be unsafe.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman said the province has filed 69 affidavits for everything from safety to crime. He believes the deterioration of the site, police statistics and the increase in crime and assaults in the area has allowed lawyers to compile a much stronger case.

“I think we have a stronger set of information with regards to this particular situation, simply because we've tallied our statistics and information. We have criminal statistics from the City of Victoria police department as well as we have non-compliance with a significant order with regards to fire protection on the site,” Coleman said.

“It is now time, in my opinion, that hopefully we'll get what we need from the courts to move this file forward and clear this site.”

In April, the province applied for its first injunction, but that request was denied by Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson, the same judge who ruled homeless people are allowed to erect shelters in parks between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. because of a lack of accessible shelter space in the City of Abbotsford last year.

Hinkson has assigned himself to hear the application and set hearing dates for June 27 and 28.

On Friday, crews began installing electrical boxes for shower trailers that will be put on the site.