Protesters at Occupy Vancouver light a ceremonial fire at the Vancouver Art Gallery Nov. 8, 2011.JOHN LEHMANN
Activists at the Occupy Vancouver tent encampment have failed to deal with fire-safety concerns raised this week by the city's fire chief, prompting high-level talks among city officials about what do next about the settlement at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Capt. Gabe Roder said Friday that there hasn't been satisfactory progress on ensuring tents are properly spaced, and loose tarps dealt with – issues raised Thursday by Chief John McKearney after he and fire officials toured the site.
"The long and the short of it is that there has been very little progress in the additional 12 hours we were going to grant to the majority of these people to make everything happen the way we wanted it to happen," Capt. Roder said.
He added that fires have been set occasionally at the site, which is in violation of the terms of a fire injunction approved by B.C. Supreme Court this week.
Three days of hearings have been set in B.C. Supreme Court starting next Wednesday on an additional injunction to clear the site.
The city issued a statement later in the day saying it "is very concerned that further progress has not been made since yesterday to comply with Judge MacKenzie's order and we are reviewing all of the options to ensure that there is compliance with the order.
"Discussions are under way," the statement added.
Capt. Roder said fire officials have been challenged in dealing with the activists because there are so many different groups in the community on the north plaza of the art gallery. "Some are co-operative. Some just don't want to co-operate," he said.
Asked about the safety of the site, Capt. Roder noted that it is being regularly monitored, so it is getting better fire and safety coverage than most Vancouver residents.
"We're performing what we call basically 24-hour fire watches because our members are there 24-7 patrolling. We see something. We will react as quickly as possible, but we need to keep that area accessible to get in and out of, not just for fires but also for medical emergencies," he noted.
There have been three key emergencies at the site since it went up in mid-October, including the death of a woman in her late twenties that has yet to be explained despite an autopsy.
"What happens next is the fire chief revisits how to achieve fire and life safety issues on the OV site with senior city officials. It's happening now, and will probably happen tomorrow. It all depends on what they decide," he said.
He said he could not comment on whether the site would have to be shut down.
Ian Bailey