Community rallies around homeless Saskatchewan men upon arrival in B.C.

Two young homeless men who were offered one-way bus tickets to British Columbia from Saskatchewan are being greeted with offers of jobs and other help in this province.

Jeremy Hunka, a spokesman for Union Gospel Mission, which received the men, said Charles Neil-Curly, 23, and Jeremy Roy, 21, have received about six direct offers in the 24 hours since they arrived.

"These range from three high-profile employers offering employment opportunities to a doctor offering medical assistance," Mr. Hunka said on Thursday. Others have offered to pay for their transportation costs.

"People seem to be rallying around these guys. They are super appreciative of that – extremely happy."

Mr. Neil-Curly and Mr. Roy arrived in Vancouver aboard a Greyhound bus on Wednesday. The men say the Saskatchewan government denied them funding to stay at a North Battleford shelter and instead offered them the bus tickets.

Once a Saskatchewan newspaper reported on the men's plight, their story made it to B.C. before they did.

They were met at the Greyhound bus terminal not far from downtown Vancouver by local media, city councillor Kerry Jang and Mr. Hunka, who offered them a place to stay at UGM.

The men "got a good sleep and are in relatively good spirits," Mr. Hunka said.

A UGM case worker will now help the men develop care plans to address both immediate and longer-term goals, such as where they may go next.

Mr. Neil-Curly had expressed an interest in going to Victoria, where his best friend lives.

"If our clients want … to move from point A to point B, we will do the best we can to make sure they are as connected as possible before they arrive, so they don't arrive without a place to go," Mr. Hunka said.

Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan government has promised to investigate the circumstances that led to Mr. Neil-Curly and Mr. Roy's send-off, seemingly with no case plans in place upon arrival in B.C.

Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer had already ordered a review of the case to see if the policy was followed correctly but went further in a statement on Thursday, promising to review and update the policy.

Ms. Harpauer said Saskatchewan, as is the case in other provinces, has a long-standing policy to buy bus tickets, but that is usually done when someone needs to return to their home province or needs to reunite with family.

"These recent events illustrate that it is time to review and update this policy to ensure all individuals are treated with compassion when these decisions are made," she said.

In Victoria, the B.C. minister responsible for housing, Rich Coleman, reiterated the need to care for others regardless of where they may have come from.

"If you arrive at a shelter here, we don't judge you on where you come from; we try to help," he said. "This is about humanity, guys. This is about people in need, this is about someone who might have a medical illness, a mental illness and says, 'I'm going to another place because I'm not doing well here.'"

It was a distinctly different tone than the one adopted by B.C. 20 years ago. In 1995, the New Democratic government imposed a three-month residency requirement for welfare benefits in response to a campaign by the Alberta government to give bus passes to welfare recipients to encourage them to move out of the province, with many heading to B.C.

With a report from the Canadian Press