Local businesses sour on Sugar Mountain tent city
Residents of Vancouver’s newest tent city vow to be good neighbours as local businesses doublelock their doors.
Nicknamed Sugar Mountain because of its proximity to the B.C. Sugar Refinery, the encampment was erected Tuesday on an empty, city-owned lot in the Strathcona neighbourhood at 1131 Franklin St.
Homeless people ousted from a tent city at 950 Main St. — where the Lu’ma Native Housing Society was recently granted an injunction to evict them ahead of work to develop social housing on the site — cut a lock to access the site surrounded by chain-link fence, according to the city.
Concern is already being raised by businesses in the area, several of which said they have already been battling property crime and worry what may come if the site isn’t properly managed.
Tent city resident Amanda McKay said she doesn’t expect her neighbours to cause any problems.
“If anybody does, it would be outsiders,” said McKay, adding those who cause problems will be asked to leave.
“Providing the businesses don’t mind us and the city doesn’t sell it, then we can stay as long as we want. That’s our understanding,” McKay said.
Resident Joyce Jackson said they chose the new site because it’s large, open, grassy, away from dense population and isn’t slated for development.
Jackson said the encampment would be capped at a “manageable” 33 tents and would be kept cleaner than 950 Main St., which was abandoned in haste Tuesday morning when city staff arrived and ordered campers to clean up before the injunction’s deadline of noon Wednesday.
Jackson said residents still need help finding proper housing, but for now she hopes the city lets them stay.
Samson Lang, owner of Rising Sun Motorcycles, located across from the encampment, said most local businesses “are up in arms” about their new neighbours, but he feels the encampment came as a result of the city’s failure to help the displaced residents find adequate housing.
“It’s not ideal for us or any of the businesses around here,” Lang said. “But on the other hand, I really don’t think that anybody here had much of a choice.”
Lang said the tent city’s residents have been respectful so far. Organizers spoke with him about mitigating garbage, drug use, theft and vandalism.
He believes they want to be good neighbours, but he’s concerned about a lack of bathrooms, security, and the potential for garbage to accumulate if they don’t find housing soon.
Postmedia News spoke with six other local business operators who declined to comment, but expressed worry about the tent city’s arrival. Vancouver police have already received one complaint about the encampment, a spokesman said.
“It is a priority of the VPD to continually assess the needs of the vulnerable, especially those who live on the streets,” Sgt. Jason Robillard said in an email. “However, we also have to balance the needs of businesses in the area. We will continue to monitor and we encourage anyone who feels unsafe or that they have been the victim of a crime to call police.”
City spokeswoman Lauren Stasila said in an email that city staff will work with businesses to address their concerns. She said there are “no formal plans at this point” to develop the property, which records show was assessed at $1.7 million in 2017, up from $855,000 in 2016.
Stasila reiterated a recent statement by Mayor Gregor Robertson that the city is offering 20 sites of city-owned land, worth $250 million, to the provincial and federal governments for the development of social housing.
She said all residents of the 950 Main St. encampment were offered shelter space through B.C. Housing, which is still available to them, and said city staff will continue conversations with them to find permanent housing.
“The city also respects individuals’ right to protest, but continues to have serious concerns regarding encampments as a form of protest given the history of serious health and safety issues associated with these events,” she said.