The City has partnered with area First Nations to build housing for homeless on their newly purchased property on 4th Avenue.
When the city purchased the lot for $250,000 in February, Mayor Sharie Minions said they had a “strategic intent” but would not elaborate. Today, she said the project specifically targets sheltering people currently living in, and about to be evicted from unsafe trailers on a neighbouring property.
Little homes will be purchased from the SAN Group and other island manufacturers to construct a fully serviced and supervised village to house people currently residing in neighbouring trailers.
Minions said this is part of a lengthy battle to shut down the illegal trailer park as the city launches legal action against owner Randy Brown to remove the trailers and pay the more than $120,000 in outstanding fines.
“I know a lot of members of the public thought we were just standing back, waiting and hoping that something will change, and I think the $120,000 in accrued bylaw tickets lets the public know that was certainly not the case,” she said. “There will now be a legal process to move forward for us to collect those fines and remove the trailers once an alternative is set up.”
Minions said BC Housing has agreed to pay the 1/2-million dollar annual operating budget for the project, and also part of the $300,000 capital start-up costs.
City crews will start clearing and preparing the land within the next few weeks.
We contacted Randy Brown who said he would make a statement soon.
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