Whiskey Creek deaths highlight issue of more people sleeping rough in Vancouver Island woods
Area director says number of squatters has increased as pandemic has reduced space in shelters, jails
The deaths this week near Whiskey Creek were a shock to many, but the fact that people are squatting in the woods is unsurprising to an elected representative for the area.
Leanne Salter, area director for the Nanaimo Regional District, was well aware of people living in the forest before this week's killings and says the numbers have increased in recent months.
"There are a few areas out here where we have a significant number of folks who are living rough," Salter said.
RCMP and paramedics were called on Sunday to a remote part of the Melrose Forest Service Road, west of Qualicum Beach, where they discovered three bodies, two of which were inside a burnt-out travel trailer, along with a fourth injured person.
Salter says the pandemic has meant less space in shelters and in jails, leaving many with no place to go.
"The jail system has let a lot of people out, so people are awaiting their sentencing and their hearings and all those things because of COVID," said Salter.
The RCMP investigation into the incident is ongoing, however Cpl. Jesse Foreman did say the individuals who were camping near Whiskey Creek were known to the RCMP, and had been given court-ordered curfews.
"We're very familiar with these people. We do core compliance checks, curfew checks on a nearly nightly basis," said Foreman.
Foreman added the RCMP have not yet confirmed the identity of the bodies found at the site, or established a motive for the crimes.
For her part, Salter says the deaths this week are heartbreaking and says more provincial funding is needed to shelter and support people who don't have a home.