city: Squatters to leave square
Stephen Hui, News Editor

Last week, a tent city erected by squatters and social activists in Victory Square Park should've been history.

At a press conference in the park last Tuesday, representatives of the squat told a crowd of reporters that they intended to pack up and march to an undisclosed location at noon on Saturday. The announcement came less than one half hour before a deadline imposed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for the squatters to remove their tents from the grounds.

"Our plan is to have a rally and march with the intention to move on Saturday," said Nick Dimitri, a squatter and member of the Anti-Poverty Committee. "It will take a few days to get this cleaned up and everybody moved off."

Squatters, who maintained that they respect Canada's war veterans, hope that with the tent city gone, renovations to the park can be completed by Remembrance Day.

Their plans, however, did not satisfy the park board, who let it be known that they would begin preparing the site for construction the following day. The first step - surrounding the park with portable fencing.

"We're hoping they get the hint and leave before Saturday," said Joyce Courtney, manager of communications for the park board.

The tent city was erected on July 2, the day Vancouver was named the host of 2010 Winter Olympic Games. According to Joey Only, another member of the Anti-Poverty Committee, the tent city was established as a protest against the provincial governments' policies on housing and welfare.

"We have a homelessness epidemic about to happen," Only said. "The people who are homeless in Vancouver have shown that the will to fight and win is here in the bottom of the dregs.

"The battle which is going to put an end to the Gordon Campbell regime starts here and now with the most destitute people in BC."

One activist with a group that moved its tents to Crab Park - now dubbed "Eternal Island" by squatters - over a week ago said he believed that mutual respect and support existed between squatters and war veterans.

"This struggle is for social justice," said Chris Livingston, a member of the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society. "Our fight is the same fight that they've been fighting and we're not going to give up this fight."

But Donald, a Canadian army veteran, expressed disgust at the presence of the tent city.

"Bring the army," said Donald, who would not give his last name. "Move them with bayonets and rifles.

"This is for boys who got killed for our freedom, and these guys here are destroying it,"

In an email message, J.G. "Bud" Alcorn, president of the Royal Canadian Legion's British Columbia and Yukon command, said that he did not think that squatters deliberately meant to show disrespect to veterans.

"I would like to believe they were not aware of the significance of the cenotaph and the area in which it is situated until it was identified to them," Alcorn said. "This is evidenced by many who have relocated and I am hoping that the remainder will recognise this and voluntarily relocate."

Ashley Mackie, a registered nurse and member of the Housing Action Committee, said that unless police took action to kick them out earlier, she would join squatters vacating the park on Saturday.

"We have four or five locations, and we haven't decided amongst us which one we're going to choose yet," Mackie said. "We have a few options. Terminal station by Greyhound, camp in front of city hall - we're not sure yet."

Police said they would not move to clear the park without a court injunction.

"The Vancouver Police Department continues to encourage those in the park to leave peacefully," Constable Sarah Bloor, spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, said via email. "There will not be any enforcement action by police unless provisions exist under a civil court order."

Heather Deal, board chair, said the board was seeking an injunction because the squatters had neither spoken collectively or given any one clear message about their plans.

"If they still refuse to leave it will mean that sometime, based on how fast the court works, they will be again asked to leave," Deal said. "If they don't, they will be removed by the police. But, we've really been hoping to avoid that at all costs - it's not what anybody wants to see."

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