FORT ST. JOHN -- Questions are being raised by advocates on whether the province's decision to reverse course on decriminalization will exasperate homelessness and encampments across the province.
"They will be hiding out and more deaths will happen-- it's quite distressing for a lot of reasons," said Harm Reduction Advocate Leslie McBain.
Currently in Fort St. John, the sighting of an encampment compared to the dozens that popped up in the city during the pandemic is rare.
At the time, the encampments raised safety and nuisance concerns for residents and even promoted a proposal by city councillor Trevor Bolin to propose a bylaw that would see the encampments banned on city streets and parks.
The bylaw ended up falling by the wayside, the municipality taking a step back to evaluate the root cause of homelessness under the guidance of province.
Bolin agrees that the encampments are not the issue they once were, but has concerns that a tight rental market could make it a problem once again.
“I do think it's going to become a problem-- I think we've been fortunate right now it's been as minor as it is, but I foresee it getting worse, to be honest," said Bolin.
Fort St. John RCMP Staff Sergeant Scott Watson says if that were to be the case, there is currently nothing the department could do to dismantle encampments on public property.
“Can we remove them from an encampment that they set up, say, in Mathews Park or on civic property? No, we can't, and the courts have said that,” said Watson.
Watson adds that the issue would be something the creation of a new situation table would look into.
The city recently received a $75,000 provincial grant to form the table that will help address public safety issues, reduce long-term demand on emergency services, leverage existing community support, and reduce crime risk.
However, there is currently no timeline as to when the table will be operational.
The Salvation Army Northern Centre of Hope currently works with BC Housing to provide shelter and transitional accommodation for those struggling with homeless and addiction.
The Centre is almost at capacity, according to Salvation Army Director Jared Braun.
“We haven’t had to really turn anybody away through the winter into the spring,” said Braun.
The Centre is only one of the multiple housing programs overseen by the Salvation Army. They also have a supportive housing partnership with Northern Health for complex care housing.
“Between all of our programs at this point, we have small bits of space that we can accommodate and support a few more people,” said Braun.
Braun says he is in constant communication with BC Housing, who are actively working to find an operator that would be willing to oversee additional shelter space in the city.
“Thus far, they haven’t been successful with that, but there definitely is a need,” said Braun.
A Homeless Count by BC Housing saw 102 unhoused people in Fort St. John in 2023-- 65 per cent indentifying as Indigenous.
Mayor Lilia Hansen agrees that more housing is a step in the right direction, but a solution for homelessness is complex and requires compassion.
“It's my understanding that there's some individuals that they don't want to be inside or they don't want to be in a shelter setting because of past trauma or they don't feel secure,” said Hansen.
Earlier this week, the Federal Housing Advocate released their final 2024 report on a review of homelessness across Canada.
The report found that in British Columbia, the risk created by the unsafe drug supply will put those who are unhoused in harms way.
The Human Rights Commission said that forced evictions, unmet basic needs, and a lack of essential supports could lead to communities across the province dealing with more toxic drug deaths.
