Tents are seen on the sidewalk in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, B.C., Monday, April 3, 2023.The City of Vancouver says it has asked police to help bring a tent encampment in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood to a close.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Vancouver police have dispatched officers to a tent encampment on the city’s Downtown Eastside with the aim of shutting down the site to campers.
The City of Vancouver says it has asked police to help bring a close to the encampment, removing all remaining tents and structures.
It says in a statement that it decided to act due to “the growing public safety risk” posed by the encampment on East Hastings Street.
It says the city has been working on the street daily to address fire, life and safety concerns identified by the fire chief’s safety order issued in July last year.
There have been several recent fires at the camp, and the city says Vancouver police have reported a nine per cent increase in assaults in the area since the encampment began.
It says police have also identified an “alarming trend” of sexual violence in the area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
