B.C.鈥檚 housing minister has slammed a Vancouver Island city for its 鈥渁ttack鈥� on the unhoused.

The Vancouver Island city of Campbell River is poised to remove tax exemptions from a pair of community service organizations in response to their policies and practices regarding homeless people.

This move against the Campbell River Art Gallery (CRAG) and the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) is not the way to resolve the community鈥檚 homelessness crisis, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in a press conference with provincial media Thursday, Oct. 12.

鈥淲ell, you know, first off, its Homeless Action Week where we recognize the non-profit providers that are actually doing this very difficult work,鈥� the minister said in response to media questions about council鈥檚 declaring the CRAG and Vancouver Island Mental Health Society (operators of the OPS) as 鈥渂ad neighbours鈥� because of their lack of action in dealing with unhoused around their property.

鈥淭his is not easy work to go in and support people who are very vulnerable, who are struggling, and to have a city attack people because they鈥檙e trying to do their best to make sure people are housed is not the way you address this.鈥�

Kahlon was speaking in Kelowna Oct. 12 where he announced an agreement with that city to help house homeless individuals. He also committed that the province would find 120 units for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Campbell River council is expected to pass measures that will remove permissive tax exemptions from the two community organizations at the Thursday, Oct. 12 general council meeting, inflicting a $10,000 financial hit on CRAG. The OPS has been called a 鈥渘uisance property鈥� because it provides programming for the unhoused and is accused of having lenient attitudes towards people sheltering on their property. Threats have also been made to the organizations鈥� much more lucrative grants-in-aid, worth $80,000 in the case of the CRAG, the loss of which is likely to shut the gallery鈥檚 doors.

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Kahlon said he met with Campbell River officials at this year鈥檚 Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention and talked to them about acquiring more supportive housing.

鈥淲hich I said I would work with them to do that. But attacking people who are trying to be good neighbours and trying to address that challenge in the community is not the way to go about it,鈥� the minister said. 鈥淏ecause in the end, Campbell River may get more supportive housing units, but they may not find any willing partners, to staff, or to actually operate them because they feel they鈥檙e being vilified for doing the work that they do.

鈥淎nd so, you know, my recommendation to the Campbell River council: work with your partners. We鈥檙e willing to be at the table, let鈥檚 find solutions. I know it鈥檚 not easy. I know people get frustrated and they鈥檙e tired and they want the problem just (to) be solved. But the only way to address it is by working together.鈥�

City council鈥檚 actions have resulted in a deluge of letters in support of the CRAG and VIMHS being included in the agenda for the Oct. 12 council meeting.

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| editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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