Penticton, B.C. encampment residents officially evicted from site
The province is stepping in to shut down an encampment at Highway 97 and Fairview Road in Penticton, B.C.
'We've put a notice out to residents that they have 'til the end of the day to vacate that location,' BC Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said Wednesday.
Outreach workers have been on-site over the past several days, helping connect people with available support services. Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield said the situation appears to be unfolding peacefully.
'I think it's going quite well — fairly quiet,' Bloomfield said. 'I did drop down there at the site and it seemed pretty quiet from a distance.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Eviction notices were handed out about a week ago, but the ministry says those leaving the encampment are not being left without options. Kahlon said 12 shelter spaces have been opened at a local facility, and the province has approved 40 rent supplements to help individuals move into market housing.
Story continues below advertisement
'We have a mix of people — some are just short of money and need a little support to get into housing. We are providing that,' he said.
Longer-term solutions, however, are still in the works. Kahlon noted that discussions are ongoing with local First Nations, as well as with the mayor and city council.
Although the land where the encampment sits is outside of Penticton's jurisdiction, the city remains actively engaged.
'We are monitoring very closely, because it's right next door to our city,' Bloomfield said.
Both the province and the city have described the site as unsafe — not only for the general public but for the people living there. Efforts are being made to prevent the camp from re-establishing in the future.
'We have closed that site off. People will not be able to come back to that area because of the fencing,' Kahlon said. 'There will be remediation work happening — it's a sensitive ecological site — and there will be construction on-site for months into the future.'
While the area is expected to be cleared soon, officials say there will be some flexibility for individuals who still have nowhere to go.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Calgary Herald
4 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
'This is an opportunity': Federal energy minister says world is eying Canada's critical minerals
Article content Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says he constantly hears from other countries that want to buy critical minerals from Canada, and that is presenting the country with an opportunity for economic growth. Article content 'At the G7 (meeting this month in Alberta), all the countries said they wanted to buy Canadian critical minerals,' he said at a Toronto Region Board of Trade event on Wednesday. 'Right now, at the NATO summit, what the prime minister is hearing is that all those countries want to buy our critical minerals. This is an opportunity for us.' Article content Article content Article content Hodgson said Canada needs to ensure it mines critical minerals, but also builds processing facilities so that it can share in some of the wealth created by products made from what it mines. The federal government is focused on ensuring Canada builds major projects quickly and responsibly, he added. Article content Article content Hodgson said Canada is standing at a unique moment in its history that is defined by 'instability.' Supply chains are 'being ripped apart,' climate change is advancing and Canada is in the midst of a 'devastating trade war ' with the United States, its closest trading partner. Article content Last week, the House of Commons passed Bill C-5, which he referred to as the One Canadian Economy Act because he said it would break down interprovincial trade barriers while also ensuring that major nation-building projects, such as mines, pipelines and other infrastructure, are built quickly and with the consent of affected communities. Article content Article content As part of that process, he said Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to hold a summit on July 17 with leaders from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to discuss some of the projects that will be fast-tracked. Article content Article content 'The goal here is to create certainty that catalyzes investment,' Hodgson said. Article content He said Canada also has an opportunity because it is unified in its resolve to grow its economy by working together despite the impending crisis brought on by the trade war. Article content 'This is a trade war we did not ask for, but it is a trade war we must win,' he said. Article content It was similar to the message that Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce delivered when he introduced Hodgson at the event.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Penticton, B.C. encampment residents officially evicted from site
The province is stepping in to shut down an encampment at Highway 97 and Fairview Road in Penticton, B.C. 'We've put a notice out to residents that they have 'til the end of the day to vacate that location,' BC Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said Wednesday. Outreach workers have been on-site over the past several days, helping connect people with available support services. Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield said the situation appears to be unfolding peacefully. 'I think it's going quite well — fairly quiet,' Bloomfield said. 'I did drop down there at the site and it seemed pretty quiet from a distance.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Eviction notices were handed out about a week ago, but the ministry says those leaving the encampment are not being left without options. Kahlon said 12 shelter spaces have been opened at a local facility, and the province has approved 40 rent supplements to help individuals move into market housing. Story continues below advertisement 'We have a mix of people — some are just short of money and need a little support to get into housing. We are providing that,' he said. Longer-term solutions, however, are still in the works. Kahlon noted that discussions are ongoing with local First Nations, as well as with the mayor and city council. Although the land where the encampment sits is outside of Penticton's jurisdiction, the city remains actively engaged. 'We are monitoring very closely, because it's right next door to our city,' Bloomfield said. Both the province and the city have described the site as unsafe — not only for the general public but for the people living there. Efforts are being made to prevent the camp from re-establishing in the future. 'We have closed that site off. People will not be able to come back to that area because of the fencing,' Kahlon said. 'There will be remediation work happening — it's a sensitive ecological site — and there will be construction on-site for months into the future.' While the area is expected to be cleared soon, officials say there will be some flexibility for individuals who still have nowhere to go.
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Rustad faces ‘hot and uncomfortable summer' amid months-long leadership review
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad is staring down a 'very hot and uncomfortable summer' as he undergoes an unusually long leadership review, according to a UBC political scientist. The review, mandated by the party constitution, kicked off over the weekend — and comes amid messy infighting on British Columbia's political right. The process will see party members in each of B.C.'s 93 ridings vote on whether they want Rustad to stay as leader, a process Rustad said should wrap by December. 1:51 Conservative leader accuses political rivals of blackmail 'To go through every riding in a kind of mini-review seems like, in some ways, a worst-case scenario for a leader who is besieged, because it just means that it gives opponents time, space to organize,' UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest told Global News. Story continues below advertisement 'It gives everyone with a grievance (a chance) to air that and to see whether others are feeling the same sort of thing. So it is going to be a very hot and uncomfortable summer, I would think, for Mr. Rustad.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The review comes as the province's political right, which unified behind Rustad and his upstart BC Conservatives ahead of last year's provincial election, faces fragmentation. Rustad is facing pressure over a leaked letter to the BC Conservative caucus accusing a group of former MLAs of 'blackmail.' Meanwhile, two former MLAs — Dallas Brodie, who was kicked out of the party for comments about residential schools, and Tara Armstrong, who quit in solidarity — have formed their own new OneBC party, with social and economic policies challenging Rustad's party's right flank. OneBC is also accusing Rustad of trying to manipulate the party's recent annual general meeting. 2:02 3 former B.C. Conservative MLAs speaking out Jordan Kealy, a third Conservative MLA who quit in solidarity but remains an independent, has also called for Rustad to step down. Story continues below advertisement And on Wednesday, B.C. business leader Ryan Beedie took aim at Rustad's leadership in a LinkedIn post, arguing the party needs to rebrand itself to appeal to centrist voters. At the same time, former BC United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has launched her own party, CentreBC, hoping to attract those centrist voters. 'This isn't just behind-the-scenes backroom politics; it is out in the open, we have a BC Conservative Party that is fragmented,' Prest said. 'As long as the conservative movement is essentially eating its own and dealing with the infighting, the NDP more or less gets to skate through.' Prest said British Columbia's political right tends to only come together and unify around the promise of victory, and to get the party's populist and moderate wings back on the same page Rustad needs to find a way to change the conversation from his own leadership to that of the NDP government. It's a challenge he said will be magnified by the lengthy leadership review process. Rustad is scheduled to speak with the media following a caucus meeting Wednesday evening.
