Thread by @Adam_Stirling

Deleted an earlier tweet after reviewing audio.

The mayor of @CityOfVictoria is calling on the 19,000 people who signed the petition to Save Beacon Hill Park to wage a letter writing campaign to the offices of:

@HonAhmedHussen

And parl sec

@TOAdamVaughan

To provide money.

But as was put to the mayor by our own @RyanPriceCFAX, all the money in the world would not house every single person in the park because some are notoriously hard to house and even if they did, new campers could choose to arrive at any time.

She admits this number exists.

The mayor argues that this number is small, which does not address the main issue — the campers are legally in the park because the daytime camping ban was suspended by a decision *the city made.*

I think she’s trying to aim public anger at the federal government wrongly. #yyj

24/7 camping in Beacon Hill Park can only be reasonably expected to end when either:

- covid-19 ends.

- Homelessness is eliminated in Canada with no person ever choosing to tent in the park or coming from elsewhere

- the City reinstates the 7am-7pm daytime camping ban.

There is *nothing* stopping the city from designating Beacon Hill Park to be an area where camping is prohibited.

They could even leave other parks open to 24/7 camping there would be other places in Victoria to go.

Saanich and other municipalities still have daytime bans.

Sooke has allowed a small encampment to operate and the other municipalities do have small encampments that have so far largely avoided enforcement.

Beacon Hill Park should not be held hostage in a fight between Victoria and Ottawa.

Victoria will lose...

This needs to end.