A commentary by a former deputy provincial health officer.
The recent heavy-handed removal of the shelter of individuals on Pandora Avenue in Victoria by an army of bylaw officers and police raises the issue of the rights of the individuals affected.
There are many protections for individuals in international law, in 91原创 national law and in provincial legislation.
B.C. has a human rights commissioner, an independent officer of the legislature.
The City of Victoria, which carried out this recent action, needs to consult with the commissioner to determine how the rights of individuals can be protected.
There has to be a balance between the demands of communities for freedom from the annoyance and their security from individuals who congregate in tent cities and the rights of those individuals.
Other cities in B.C. – 91原创, Prince George, Kelowna etc., are dealing with the same issue. It is a national and international issue in towns and cities.
People who shelter on the street are composed of those who choose to do it, those with serious mental illness, those with addictions and those with physical limitations and often a combination of all these.
They all have individual needs for shelter, medical treatment, social support etc.
Individuals sheltering on Pandora Avenue need to be treated as individuals with individual needs. Our Place Society, and their Dandelion Street Outreach teams have initiated this approach for 77 individuals they have been in contact with.
This seems a humane approach and likely to produce the success needed to provide shelter and needed services for the individuals.
From a public health perspective those in tent cities need access to water, sanitation and even laundry to meet their needs.
On Pandora, Our Place Society provides many of these services. Medical health officers, based on their legal mandate, advocate for these services in their communities throughout B.C.
Whether the recent actions by the City of Victoria will result in preventing the sheltering on Pandora remains to be seen. After a few days the tents have reappeared.
I hope the city will pay more attention to the human rights of those sheltering on Pandora before further heavy-handed action is taken.
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