Important Things To Know About The Supreme Court Tent Ruling

by David Arthur Johnston

The city has taken a few liberties in their interpretation of the new Supreme Court ruling that now allows tents to be set up in Victoria city parks.

Firstly, the idea that the ruling only goes into effect when there are not enough shelter beds is completely wrong. Our lawyers had always said that the Charter Challenge would have been made harder, if not impossible, if there were enough shelter beds. That being said, now that the Challenge has been 'successful' the only stipulation it proposes is that only homeless people are allowed to set up temporary shelters and legally it would not matter if there were 2000 empty shelter beds.

Secondly, yes, it was generally accepted that once the anti-tent bylaws were struck that the city could still make new bylaws to better work with the judge's ruling.

 

 

 

 

In this case, the city just adopted another constitutionally violating bylaw that restricts people's ability to sleep in a tent after 7:00 AM. It would not be a violation if there was somewhere tents COULD go up 24/7... within walking distance to downtown and with provisions for growth.

As it stands now, though, I feel I more jail time in my future, as it can still take years to have another Supreme Court ruling to say you can protect yourself from the weather, with a tent, at any time.

 

We have the hardest times we will ever face coming and have no doubt that the government's 'management' of 'homelessness' does not include tent-cities.

 

George W. Bush was right, at least about one thing - you are either with us or against us. There is no neutral.

David Arthur Johnston
Victoria, BC, Canada
Hatrackman@Gmail.com

Home page-

http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman

Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, BC, Canada)-
http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/welcome.htm

Crimes of Necessity-

http://www.loveandfearlessness.com

(from filmmaker Andrew Ainsley. Very comprehensive.)