It’s considered by some to be the most dangerous homeless camp in Abbotsford. And now the province said it’s taken the first steps in shutting it down. Yellow fencing has gone up around much of the encampment at Whatcom Road, which used to be a park-and-ride. “The fencing is there for security reasons,” explained Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth. “One of the things the fencing will do is to stop the constant dumping of other materials there and we’re trying to keep it as clean as we can,” he said. The fencing has also been put up to discourage other campers from moving to the site. Farnworth said the fences are part of a move toward closing the camp that sits on provincially owned land. “(Encampments) are not suitable. They’re not safe. They’re not the right place for people to be living and we want to find the right place for them to be living,” said Farnworth. The camp is notorious for problems. “Vandalism, feces, urination on doors, garbage…things being stolen,” said Abbotsford-South MLA Bruce Banman, describing complaints he’s received. “It’s well over time to shut down Whatcom. How about they (the provincial government) do their job and find these people somewhere to live?”. “I think it should have been…shut down, quite awhile ago,” said Ildiko Preckel, who works near the encampment. “You are just a little wary, especially if you have to work at night,” she said, adding that the camp “seems to get more derelict with each passing month.” Farnworth said both construction on Highway 1 and the need to find suitable housing for campers are factors in the decision to clear the camp. One camper, who did not want to be identified, said a ministry official told him the camp would be shut down by mid-July. However, the minister said no timeline has been set. “We want to work as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Farnworth said, adding that his government has been investing in resources and housing for the homeless. Last month, the transportation ministry shut down the encampment at the Cole Road Rest Area, which is also in Abbotsford. Meanwhile, at Whatcom, police said they continue to patrol the camp where some outreach workers will no longer attend without a police escort. Banman said police have been “handcuffed” when it comes to enforcing no-camping signs on provincial land. He also said that for those struggling with addiction, there should be mandatory and involuntary care. “This is not compassion allowing someone to slowly destroy their brain,” he said.
