B.C. judge reserves decision on the fate of homeless encampment in Prince George

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 05, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A B.C. Supreme Court justice has reserved his determination pursuing a three-day proceeding that concluded Friday successful which the metropolis is seeking an bid allowing it to adjacent a downtown stateless encampment and remediate the site.

The city's lawyer, Jeffrey Locke, argued that supportive lodging successful Prince George present exceeds the requirements acceptable retired successful a erstwhile tribunal determination that saw the encampment summation ineligible protection. 

The encampment connected Lower Patricia Boulevard, known arsenic Moccasin Flats, was archetypal established successful the outpouring of 2021 connected city-owned land, on an bare ungraded batch betwixt an concern gait and a steep elevation starring to a residential neighbourhood.

In August of that year, the metropolis asked for an injunction to region implicit 50 campers there, citing nationalist information hazard and the request to enforce metropolis bylaws connected overnight camping. But successful October 2021, the B.C. Supreme Court issued an bid stating that residents could enactment "absent different suitable lodging and daytime facilities."

That ruling was upheld successful a 2022 decision, aft the encampment survived a partial demolition successful November 2021, which the metropolis subsequently apologized for.

Locke says, successful 2023, the metropolis changed its people of enactment and began moving with the state and B.C. Housing to acceptable up a 42-unit impermanent transitional lodging installation successful Atco trailers connected Third Avenue adjacent the encampment. 

"The city, province, and B.C. Housing really doubled down connected creating caller supportive lodging successful Prince George," helium said . 

Locke says the Third Avenue tract serves arsenic a safe, comfy spot to supply unhoused radical with 24-hour entree to unafraid backstage rooms and supportive services portion they await semipermanent lodging solutions. 

Fluctuating fig of occupants 

The metropolis says the remaining semipermanent occupant of the encampment is Belvery Edward Johnny, who was identified successful the city's announcement of civilian claim, and has been surviving astatine Moccasin Flats since it was established. 

"The encampment, since the dismantling of Nov. 2021, has continued to beryllium occupied by a transient colonisation with the objection of Mr. Johnny, who has been determination the full time," said Locke. 

He says the metropolis knows of 11 radical inactive sheltering astatine Moccasin Flats and said 8 rooms are being held astatine the Third Avenue Site for encampment residents successful "various states of readiness". 

Locke said that arsenic the fig of encampment occupants and rooms disposable is perpetually successful flux, the metropolis would not necessitate the residents of the encampment to decamp until 7 days aft they had an connection of housing. 

"Now we person a seamless modulation from homelessness until they person a home."

Suitable lodging for susceptible people 

Lawyers representing the residents of Moccasin Flats, however, argued that the metropolis is premature successful coming to the tribunal seeking an bid to adjacent the encampment without lodging readily disposable for everyone. 

Lawyer Claire Kanigan and co-counsel Casey St. Germain said they recovered determination to beryllium astatine slightest 18 residents remaining astatine the encampment and said determination are lone 3 rooms presently acceptable to beryllium occupied astatine the Third Avenue site. 

Kanigan said there's nary timeline arsenic to erstwhile much beds volition beryllium made disposable and that the city should beryllium capable to beryllium they person capable beds earlier they're fixed support to adjacent the site. 

"The basal calculation of fig of beds to fig of radical is foundational," she said. "It is not an overly onerous load to meet." 

Kanigan said that due to the fact that the metropolis is besides seeking the close to garbage anyone the quality to encamp connected city-owned spot if they garbage to use to B.C. Housing oregon diminution an connection from B.C. Housing, it would permission susceptible radical with analyzable needs with obscurity to go. 

The substance is further analyzable by the city's Parks and Open Space bylaw, which was amended successful 2023 to designate an country of Moccasin Flats arsenic the lone allowable spot for impermanent overnight structure betwixt 7 p.m. and 9 a.m.

"This would beryllium highly problematic," she said. "My eventual submission is that the level of grounds the metropolis has brought to this tribunal has continuously narrowed." 

St. Germain besides argued that the lodging offered whitethorn beryllium suitable for immoderate but is not suitable for all, particularly individuals who are suffering from analyzable intelligence wellness issues and whitethorn not beryllium capable to travel the rules of the Third Avenue site. 

Locke said the Third Avenue tract is intended to beryllium broadly accessible but "cannot beryllium everything, to everyone, each astatine once." 

At the decision of the hearing, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Elwood said helium had a batch to see and that helium hopes to implicit his written determination earlier mid-August.