A tent stands in front of the Victoria Courthouse in Victoria, B.C., on June 4 , 2015. Almost half of the homeless people who built a tent village last year on the lawn of the Victoria Law Courts are moving indoors.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
The superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District says he's concerned about students and staff at a middle school as residents of a tent encampment prepare to move to a nearby shelter.
Piet Langstraat said the province and the City of Victoria must pay the estimated $44,000 for extra custodial staff and crossing guards needed to ensure everyone's safety at Central Middle School.
"We certainly didn't budget for this expense," he said Tuesday. "We don't, as a school district, have a lot of additional funds kicking around. In fact, we have none. If this needs to come out of our operations, it will require us to take money out of other services we are providing for students."
"People are always afraid of the unknown," said Our Place executive director Don Evans, in response to the district's concerns about the temporary shelter.
My Place Transitional Home opened Tuesday at the former Boys and Girls Club, not far from the site of a homeless camp.
It can accept 40 of the estimated 110 residents from the tent city, but Mr. Evans said only about six of the new clients were expected to move in Tuesday afternoon.
He said the gradual arrivals will ensure the opening goes smoothly.