Laminated eviction notices were distributed Monday to occupants of a tent city that sprang up beside the Nicomekl River several months ago.
For some residents, the move was long overdue.
Others see it as a bit heavy-handed.
Either way, it was pretty much inevitable.
Until the City had a plan in place to house the residents overnight, there was little they could do, by law, to remove the camp.
But earlier this month, the City and B.C. Housing entered an agreement, which included establishing 30 additional beds at the Gateway of Hope shelter.
With those beds scheduled to open on Sept. 27, the wheels were quickly set in motion to clean out the camp, and residents were given just shy of 24 hours鈥� notice to vacate.
With wet weather coming and overnight temperatures dropping, it was clear that action needed to be taken, and quickly.
As several readers have already pointed out, once the heavy winter rains hit, that park will be under water a significant portion of the time.
The City is the first to admit, this is only a temporary solution to an increasingly complex problem 鈥� one that is a difficult situation, all the way around.
Whether it鈥檚 an injury that prevents a person from working and earning an income, an addiction to drugs, mental illness or some combination of factors, it鈥檚 fair to say that the vast majority of people living in the camp would probably prefer to be somewhere safer, warmer and drier.
But that doesn鈥檛 mean the people who reside nearby in homes they鈥檝e purchased or rented and are raising families or trying to simply enjoy their retirement years, should be subject to the activities that reportedly go on nightly at the camp.
Noise and inappropriate behaviour aside, it鈥檚 an eyesore and the City has received hundreds of calls of complaint during the months it鈥檚 been in existence.
An Oct. 12 forum featuring representatives from the RCMP and all three levels of government will attempt to come up with some longer-term solutions to 91原创鈥檚 homeless crisis 鈥� one that is far from unique in southern B.C.
We encourage everyone to attend, and to bring with them ideas to solve the problem, rather than just anger and complaints.
That is the only way such a gathering will have merit. From there, it will be up to the people we鈥檝e elected to follow through and not simply offer more lip service.
