Security guards, police clear out homeless camp in Chilliwack

Police move in on Chilliwack homeless camp The conflict around Fraser Valley homelessness reached a new level Monday as security guards and policed moved in on a Chilliwack camp.

A homeless camp in Chilliwack that's been the subject of community complaints for years is being demolished, leaving some residents scrambling for a new place to live.

Emotions ran high as security guards accompanied by RCMP officers entered the camp on Monday to evict the roughly 20 people living there.

"You guys never, ever offered help. Ever. Not once," one woman yelled at the guards and Mounties.

The camp is located on private property that's being leased by Sandhu Farms. The company ordered everyone to leave over concerns around safety and pollution, which were shared by at least one of the campers.

"It's getting pretty shabby around here – a lot of garbage and stuff, a lot of pollution," homeless man Dave Wall said.

Most of the residents did not want to leave, however. Marita Herrling, a 72-year-old great grandmother, told CTV News she has been living in the camp with her family for about a year.

Last winter, her daughter died when heavy snow caused her shelter to collapse.

"I lost my daughter out here, and I just won't go," Herrling said.

The senior was eventually taken out of the camp on a stretcher by paramedics and sent to hospital. Once the camp was cleared, heavy machinery was used to begin dismantling the makeshift structures on the property, a process that is expected to take several days.

Prior to Sandhu Farms's eviction, issues with the camp triggered numerous complaints to the city. Nearby business owners said the biggest concern was stolen property.

"I didn't have a problem with them being here if it wasn't for the theft, which was horrendous," said Casey Kerkhoff of Westeck Windows and Doors.

Some of the campers told CTV News they had arranged places to stay, while others planned to move into different homeless camps. Some said they did not know where they would be spending the night.

According to the Salvation Army, there are 220 people without homes in Chilliwack and just 46 shelter beds.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Michele Brunoro