Feral people

[gutpile]

What do think, are there feral people in BC ?

[jan.wi97]

Head down to East Hastings and take your pick… I’d say there are plenty

[olympia]

Head down to East Hastings and take your pick… I’d say there are plenty

You don't need to go to East Hastings for that anymore. Head a few minutes up any logging road in BC that's just 5 minutes out of town. There are colonies of them living out there. Seen them with my own eyes. I was ripping around outside of squamish up near Paradise Valley and found 3 seperate encampments, 2 of them had makeshift sheds with firewood stacked underneath. Outside Pemberton is another hotspot, one group near my Currie moved into a camping area and refused to leave...one of them lit his car on fire with the reasoning "if I burn it you can't seize it"...this is where we are at now. Thanks to Gordon Campbell closing down all those mental health facilities years ago and no preceding govts reopening them. Those people all ended up in the justice system and on the streets now.

[horseman2]

It is my opinion the process of shutting down the institutions housing was started by the NDP as a followup with Charter Rights.
Regardless of who started it, no one is willing to fix the problem other than with fell good solutions.
Free drugs, safe injection sites, housing and a failing justice system is not a solution and no amount of money will fix the present situation.

[HappyJack]

Money is the biggest reason they don't do anything about it. Too expensive to put them into forced treatment, it's cheaper to give them free drugs till they die. Maybe they just need to give them a dose to end it all?

[Iron Glove]

You don't need to go to East Hastings for that anymore. Head a few minutes up any logging road in BC that's just 5 minutes out of town. There are colonies of them living out there. Seen them with my own eyes. I was ripping around outside of squamish up near Paradise Valley and found 3 seperate encampments, 2 of them had makeshift sheds with firewood stacked underneath. Outside Pemberton is another hotspot, one group near my Currie moved into a camping area and refused to leave...one of them lit his car on fire with the reasoning "if I burn it you can't seize it"...this is where we are at now. Thanks to Gordon Campbell closing down all those mental health facilities years ago and no preceding govts reopening them. Those people all ended up in the justice system and on the streets now.

The shutting down of facilities was done by both Gordon Campbell and Clark. The "blame" can be placed on both. Clark decided, with good intentions no doubt, to remove folks from "Institutional Life" and place them in "better" facilities but those facilities were few and far between. At the time, the Husband of one of my Employees was a Senior Dr. at Riverview and I asked him what he felt about it. Our Family was caught up in the "drug" bit. He said "They will be released, they will head to the DTES as that's the only place that can provide cheap housing. There, as there are virtually no services available, they will become "dual diagnosed", i.e. mentally ill AND drug addicted."
Yup, I guess he nailed it.
Good intentions but not well planned out.
At that time we were told that our young Family Member had maybe a 10% chance of ever leading a normal life. He's one of the 10%.

[britman101]

The homeless problem is right across Canada, as every province has its share of homeless people. As the cost of shelter, food and clothing goes up so will the numbers of people living on the streets and in the bush. What is the solution, that is the million dollar question to be answered. However, I expect the problem to get a lot worse before it gets better.

[Troopster]

I have noticed more and more on the FSRs closer to town (shuswap). Lots of camps with trash and collection of cars, trucks, motorhomes and ORV being torn apart. Seems like they move (or get moved) from one spot, leave all the trash behind then shack up the next road over.

Just sent in a report to RAPP this weekend on their online service for a camp that has been around all winter that has gone through the trash, relocate and trash again system. I'm not optimistic that anything will come of it but maybe reporting it frequently will get some resolve....the squeaky wheel gets greased.

I do see plenty of "camps" that are in the bush as well that seem to be semi permanent, hidden off to the side with no trash or anything around. Some of them have a better firewood pile than I do and they even have been plowing the FSR in winter so they can get out. Legally im sure they're considered the same but I don't care as much when they respect the forest everyone uses, especially when you pass one disaster zone camp before you see theirs.

[Onepunch]

I started seeing camps pop up in large #'s last sprin bear season ( right now). I put this into a few catagories:
* addiction and mentel illness. What looks like the most dire of the catagories. Mostly in cities as opposed to forrests and rural areas. How we got here and how to fix it, no clue. Folks living on the streets, shelters, tent camps. Can be Highly unpredictable and dangerous at times. A very hi chance of mortality from overdose and degrading health.


* professional squatters. Groups who have the means to be functional but chose not to based on level of entitlement and disagreement with societal norms. Thats the ones who like to look intimidating and get in your grilll when you discover them. Sketchy, possibly violent, definatly supported by crime ( theft and drugs?). Once they dig in they act like its going to take a fight to get them out of an area. Organized and capable. Maybe even errecting buildings to live in. There by choice AND circumstance.

* The newly poor by insane inflation and housing costs. Ive seen these increase the most. Retires, living in campers or cars on low fixed incomes. Mostly wanting to blend in and be ignored. This could be students. too. I see new ones popping up when the trades apprentices are in school. This could include the working poor too. Have low income jobs or at least seeking work.

Mistakes have been made by all and some are a blend of all three sometimes. The numbers seem to be going up in every catagory. I dont excpect it to get much better anytime soon.

[horshur]

Jamison fsr in kamloops is a new subdivision..some camps at least two years occupied. I remember forestry burning cabins on public land..So what changed?