Fraser Valley residents call on province to help as trash piles up along Chilliwack River
Residents say discarded batteries, luggage, clothing and needles pose environmental risk as river rises
The Chilliwack River used to be an escape for Sterling Haglund, a tranquil area in the mountains just outside the city where the angler and his collie, Jetta, fish for chum salmon.
These days, the lifelong Fraser Valley resident has to step over discarded car batteries, luggage, furniture, and clothes on the shore before casting his line downstream.
In Sweltzer Creek near the Vedder Bridge, garbage is piling up as more temporary and long term campsites appear in the bushes. The trash is polluting the pristine natural area, but Haglund says it's also a symptom of a larger issue of homelessness in the Fraser Valley community.
"It was never this bad, ever. It's out of control," he said.
"We can clean up these homeless camps but they're just going to come back. We've got to help the homeless people find homes. It's a crisis for sure."
Haglund is one of several residents in Chilliwack, an hour's drive east of Vancouver, who are concerned about the rising rate of homeless encampments near Sweltzer Creek and the impact of the garbage left by them.
They say the garbage that could be swept downstream into the Fraser River is an environmental hazard that is not being taken seriously enough by the province. Advocates for the homeless say the issue comes down to affordable housing and without it, the problem will persist.
'It's going to get a lot worse'
Chilliwack, a city of over 90,000 people, has been hit hard by the affordable housing crisis affecting much of B.C., said Patti MacAhonic, executive director for the Ann Davis Transition Society, a shelter for women experiencing violence.
In 2017, there were more than 220 people experiencing homelessness in Chilliwack.
People are drawn to the Fraser Valley by its temperate climate and a perception of more affordable housing, MacAhonic said. In response, around 120 supportive housing units have been built in recent years, she said.
But the cost of living remains high and for people struggling with trauma and mental health issues, MacAhonic said affordable permanent housing can be even harder to find, forcing some to live in makeshift camps like the one near Sweltzer Creek.
"Unless something drastic is done, there's a lot of dollars frankly poured into affordable housing quickly, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better," MacAhonic said.
In 2017, a helicopter from the from the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resources Operations was used to remove thousands of pounds of garbage from the riverbank. Volunteers have been removing garbage from the area since, but the high volumes are proving unmanageable.
Orion Engar, regional director for the Fraser Valley Regional District, wants the province to step in. Engar said items like needles and drugs have been found among the garbage, making removal dangerous work for volunteers.
Residents are also concerned about the pollution being carried downstream. The river can rise up to two metres in the winter, and carries garbage into the Fraser River and out to the ocean, Engar said.
"We really need the province to step up and provide more oversight," he said.
"Struggling people ... need full time attention and the province needs to step up and create the solution."
Need help from province
The province will clean up the riverbank once the encampments are vacated and the water recedes to a level that allows for the safe removal of garbage, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said in an email.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development will determine when that process will begin within the next few days.
As for anglers like Haglund, not only does he want to see more support for the community's homeless residents, but wants to see the river kept clean for future generations of anglers and nature lovers.
That's got to start with cleaning up the trash, he said.
"Our local groups are trying to do stuff. We have cleanups on weekends, we try to resolve the problem ourselves. But it needs to go higher.
"All of us who fish this river, we all feel the same way."
