Fire department orders removal of tents, structures from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

Vancouver's fire department has ordered the immediate removal of tents and structures along East Hastings Street in the city's Downtown Eastside due to "numerous urgent safety concerns."

In a bulletin issued Monday afternoon, the city said the order, issued by Vancouver Fire Rescue Services (VFRS) Chief Karen Fry, emphasizes the increased fire risk associated with the shelters currently set up along the road. 

There have been several fires in the area in recent weeks, including one that destroyed a community church and another, farther east on Hastings Street, that reduced a Value Village store to rubble.

"We are seeing a large amount of fires in that area," Fry told CBC's The Early Edition on Tuesday. "We have an increase since 2018 of over 103 per cent, so we're sitting at about 840 fires in that downtown area this year alone."

She said they have also seen an increase in tents in the downtown area since July.

"They are becoming more crowded ... and we are getting reports from occupants of buildings that they can't leave through the emergency fire escape," she said.

The city said plans were already underway to remove structures in the area, but Monday's order which will take effect on Thursday afternoon will expedite the process and involve working with non-profit organizations and other stakeholders.

"Outreach has been working along with the occupants of the tent to date. We want, in the best case scenario, people to have their possessions stored and be able to remove the structures," she said.

The dismantling of structures comes as Vancouver, and much of the province, remains under a heat warning. Temperatures in the Vancouver area are expected to reach up to 33 C inland.

The bulletin says there will be extra support for people living outdoors, including storage for belongings, more public washrooms and increasing access to misting stations, handwashing and water fountains. 

Mayor supports move

Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he was informed late last week that VFRS was going to take action, and said he supported the move. 

"The situation has become unsafe for the folks that are both in the buildings and also on the sidewalks," he said.

"Although, I do know it is going to be difficult for those who are currently living along Hastings Street, because some of them will have to move."

Stewart said despite the thousands of non-market housing units and modular homes built or purchased across Vancouver in recent years, "it is clear that demand for high quality, supportive housing still outstrips supply," and called for further investment from higher levels of government. 

"I'm reaching out to non-profits to see if they have housing. I have a meeting tomorrow with three of the largest non-profits to see if they have some rooms that they can currently spare. So we're doing everything we can to get all people in housing," he said. 

The release from the city said "since July 1, the situation ... has grown significantly more unsafe," and added that it was also on July 1 when the Vancouver Police Department stopped accompanying city staff during street cleanings. 

When asked about the link, Stewart said he didn't regret how the process had played out. 

"It wasn't a city decision. That was a police operations decision," he said.

"We're trying to co-ordinate as best as possible. I think that all of this changed today with the fire order — it will bring us closer together to try to co-ordinate even more because the situations has become so urgent."

'Another eviction with a plan'

Matthew Trudeau of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said the order is not about displacing unhoused people.

"It is about mitigating dangerous conditions and risks so we don't lose people, we don't lose SROs and we don't endanger people or property," Trudeau said during a press conference Tuesday.

He said the city has had meetings with groups and community members, including public education outreach.

But advocates for residents in the Downtown Eastside are criticizing the city's preparedness, saying their consultation with the community is inadequate. Trudeau was questioned at the conference by advocates who say they were not provided with means of alternative shelter. 

Fiona York, a community advocate and organizer, said she does not know where people will end up once the tents are taken down.

"It's another eviction with a plan," said York. "All these efforts are just about rendering people invisible, pushing people out, and scattering them, which is going to make them feel less safe." 

York said she has not heard of any plans to ensure housing and hotel accommodations for those displaced, which she feels is crucial amidst the heat wave.

"Where is somewhere within this area where people can still have connection and access to services that offers some shade?" she said.