The B.C. Supreme Court has granted an injunction against a tent city set up at a property owned by the port authority in Vancouver.
The encampment was established in mid-May in a parking lot owned by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority after a tent city at nearby Oppenheimer Park was shut down.
Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled on Wednesday that campers at CRAB Park have three days to pack up their belongings and leave the property, but he did not include an enforcement order.
Hinkson says allowing campers to stay on the port’s land would lead to the same health and safety concerns seen at Oppenheimer.
Chrissy Brett, a defendant in the case, said she’s disappointed with the outcome of the court ruling.
She said she’s unsure what will happen next, but she proposed setting up another encampment outside the B.C. Supreme Court.
“Where will people go? There’s no housing attachment to this order and people will just be sent back out to the streets or alleys,” Brett said in an interview.
The ruling notes that housing was made available to people living at CRAB Park when they were part of the Oppenheimer encampment.
Brett said the housing provided by the provincial government doesn’t work for everyone and called for more housing without restrictions on those it is created for and with greater access to health support.
The port authority is in contact with police to assess its next step, spokeswoman Danielle Jang said in an e-mail.