‘Festering for a while’: Homeless camp shut down as concerns remain about other B.C. rest stops

The mayor of Abbotsford says it's about time after the provincial government dismantled a homeless camp at the Cole Road rest stop.

The homeless encampment at the Cole Road rest stop is no more.

Fencing now surrounds the Abbotsford, B.C., site where crews have been cleaning up since Wednesday.

One worker told CTV News that dozens of 40-yard bins with garbage have been hauled out along with many old RVs.

“We’re frustrated that it didn’t happen sooner,” said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens.

“This has been festering for a while.”

Two weeks ago, when CTV News was at the encampment, there were still about 20 people living there, despite the Transportation Ministry closing the provincially-owned site last November. Water had been shut off and bathrooms locked after vandalism and concerns for public safety.

“(The encampment) was in a manageable state about three years ago, but then other encampments got shut down. Some bad apples moved in and it turned bad for everybody,” said Jim Van Dongen, who lives near the site.

“You feel sorry for people… but you can only let it go so far,” he said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said that all campers had left the site by Wednesday and that over the last month, 20 of the approximately 30 people living there were reconnected with family and friends, had accepted help and were relocated.

“My ministry has been working very closely with the Ministry of Housing, as well as Abbotsford, to find appropriate accommodation services for people who were there,” said Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth.

A little further west alongside Highway 1 is the Whatcom Road homeless camp, where one man was killed last month. That camp remains a concern for residents and the mayor.

“We’re thankful again that they’re cleaning up Cole Road, and we are anticipating action on Whatcom as well. We’re advocating for that,” Siemens said, adding that the city wants the province to maintain the encampments if they allow them.

There are several homeless camps on provincial land in Abbotsford, but the president of the B.C. Trucking Association said the same situation exists at rest stops across the province.

“We have issues in Kamloops. We have issues in Revelstoke. We have issues all across the province where individuals are using these facilities not just for commercial rest purposes, but are actually using them to live,” said Dave Earle.

He said this puts commercial drivers at risk when they don’t have areas to safely stop and rest.

“There’s been incidents and confrontations. There’s been incidents in washrooms. There’s been property damage. There’s been theft. There’s been vandalism,” Earle said.

“This is an ongoing issue that we really need to get a handle on.”

Back at Cole Road, the Province says the site will have a locked gate, security and reactivated lighting.

The province said the site was needed to support highway maintenance and future improvements.

Last year, there were more than 650 homeless people in Abbotsford.

The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said that in Abbotsford, there are currently more than 300 supportive homes open or underway.