28106 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

The count suggests the informal work might include "bottle collecting and panhandling", but yes, some/many also steal stuff.  Then somebody buys it.  I think you rarely hear of anyone arrested for being a fence, or for merch-for-drugs schemes.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 February 2026 - 08:41 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The medical health officer for Cowichan and local community health partners are calling on North Cowichan’s mayor and council to find safer sheltering conditions for unhoused individuals, saying it’s leading to increased risks of preventable health issues to the community and the surrounding area.

 

On Wednesday night’s agenda, North Cowichan’s mayor and council will discuss two letters regarding the current sheltering conditions for unhoused individuals since the municipality closed a homeless encampment on Lewis Street back in November 2025.

 

“Within a week of the displacement, a record number of toxic drug poisoning events were reported by health and community partners,” says Dr. Melissa Wan, interim medical health officer for the Cowichan area.

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...ncerns-1303602/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 February 2026 - 10:46 AM.

[mbjj]

Lordie, I know Lewis St. well. All three of the schools I went to are within spitting distance of it. When we graduated from high school one of my good friends lived in an apartment, which I think was the one eventually demolished to make way for the homeless shelter. Hard to image how safe and carefree my childhood was in that area. We'd ride up to various corner stores on our bikes and never give a second thought to leaning them up outside unattended. 

[Victoria Watcher]

‘Not a lot of good choices’: Talks continue with no solution in sight for North Cowichan’s unhoused

 

https://cheknews.ca/...housed-1303991/

[Victoria Watcher]

The City of Victoria will look into developing a program to free up space in supportive housing by helping people move up the housing ladder, so those living on the streets or in shelters can take their place.

 

Council has voted to have its staff work with other levels of government and housing partners to develop a program that would mirror Vancouver’s STEP program — Supporting Tenants, Enabling Pathways — which provides rent supplements and transitional support for people ready to move on from supportive housing.

 

Supportive housing refers to subsidized housing that provides on-site support for people with disabilities or who are at risk of experiencing homelessness.

 

Sarah Webb, the city’s assistant director of corporate planning, told council that Vancouver’s STEP program has transitioned 167 people since the program started in 2017.

 

Webb said a similar program co-ordinated by the CRD between 2020 and 2023 helped 260 people move through the supportive housing system.

 

Coun. Krista Loughton said the city needs to get cracking on getting more people indoors, given what she called a “crisis on our streets.”

 

“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel here. We’ve done it before, and we need to do it again,” she said.

 

Loughton said more than 100 people are estimated to be stuck in supportive housing in the city because they can’t afford to move on to market housing.

 

If one segment can’t move on, those striving to get into supportive housing are left living in shelters or on the street because there’s no room.

 

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...ousing-11847877

 

It's all a big sham.   I recently showed you, the only reason people are on the street is the can't, or they refuse - to work.

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Webb, the city’s assistant director of corporate planning, told council that Vancouver’s STEP program has transitioned 167 people since the program started in 2017.

 

 

Big deal.  That's 20 people per year.  20 people die on the streets in 3 days in BC.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 February 2026 - 05:20 AM.

[dasmo]

It is pretty brutal on pandora right now. They both need help and should not be allowed to take over multiple city blocks. If our rulers can control the climate to within 1.5 degrees surely they can figure this out?

[Mike K.]

It has gotten worse since the big clean up in mid-2025?

[Victoria Watcher]

I already solved homelessness.  Sleep in the allowed parks overnight, or go to a shelter.  No exceptions.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 February 2026 - 08:06 AM.

[lanforod]

I already solved homelessness.  Sleep in the allowed parks overnight, or go to a shelter.  No exceptions.

 

No, you've only pitched a proposal. That's the easy work. Convincing the powers that be to impliment and enforce it is the mountain you have to scale to claim you solved homelessness.

[LJ]

VW is running for city council so he will get it all fixed then.

[Victoria Watcher]

Comment: It’s time to ban sheltering at Gonzales Park

In Gonzales Park, some of the people sheltering have been there for months or even years.

 

 

 

It is far from the support services required by the homeless community and, as one of the city’s busiest and smallest parks, every potential camp spot is within a few metres of heavily used pathways, picnic tables, or the public washroom.

Many residents have informed us that they are concerned for their physical safety at and near the park and that the situation is taking a toll on their mental health.

However, no one is more affected than those people who live in homes bordering the park, and this problem is greater at Gonzales Park than at other parks because of the lack of space between the park and neighbouring homes.

For six years, these residents have lived with people in tents (some with weapons) only a few metres from their back doors and windows, resulting in noise disturbances, people knocking on their doors at all hours, thefts and threats.

This situation might not be obvious to daytime park users, but at night, as unhoused people return to the park, it becomes a different place.

The city’s website states that sheltering in parks is only allowed in select parks on a “temporary” basis.

However, in Gonzales Park, some of the people sheltering have been there for months or even years. One person has camped in the park for nearly five years, and two others have been there for at least 10 months.

 

 

https://www.timescol...s-park-11851936

[Victoria Watcher]

No tents are allowed in parks in the daytime, why are they not removed?

 

 

 

Our understanding is that these people have either never sought housing, or have declined housing offers because they prefer to be living where there are few or no rules.

 

 

These people do not have a right to camp in parks.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 February 2026 - 07:54 AM.

[Mike K.]

125% more homelessness in Capital than Metro Van, VicPD says:

During remarks to the Vitoria Chamber of Commerce on Monday, February 10, Chief Wilson incorrectly quoted the Point-in-Time homelessness count.

The most reliable and publicly verifiable data are the regional results of the 2025 Point-in-Time counts, which present an accurate comparison between Greater Victoria and Greater Vancouver.

The 2025 Point-in-Time Count found that 1,749 people were experiencing homelessness across Greater Victoria, and 5,232 people were experiencing homelessness across Greater Vancouver.

On a per-capita basis, this equates to:

Approximately 3.8 people experiencing homelessness per 1,000 residents in Greater Victoria, and
Approximately 1.7 people experiencing homelessness per 1,000 residents in Greater Vancouver.
Based on these figures, Greater Victoria’s per-capita homelessness rate is approximately 2.2 times higher than Greater Vancouver’s when using the populations and regional geographies applied in the 2025 Point-in-Time counts.

Chief Wilson emphasized that, while Greater Victoria continues to experience a disproportionately high per-capita rate, there are signs of progress locally.

“VicPD believes strongly in working collaboratively with the City of Victoria and our community partners through the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan,” said Chief Wilson. “Those coordinated efforts are positively impacting outcomes in the city, even as we continue to face a high regional proportion of homelessness. Addressing this issue requires sustained partnership across housing, health, social services, and public safety, and we remain committed to that work.”

[Victoria Watcher]

For the second time in the first five months in her time as Victoria’s police chief, Fiona Wilson is issuing a correction after she publicly presented incorrect data.

Wilson spoke at the Victoria Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 10, during which she said that Victoria had 1,080 homeless people in the most recent Point-in-Time count, equating to 11.8 per 1,000 residents.

She compared this to Vancouver, which she said had about 2,715 homeless people, equating to 4.1 per 1,000 residents.

She is now clarifying that none of these numbers were correct.

The 2025 Point-In-Time count found 1,749 homeless people in Greater Victoria, equating to 3.8 per 1,000 residents, and 5,232 in Vancouver, equating to 1.7 per 1,000 residents.

 

https://cheknews.ca/...d-time-1305692/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 February 2026 - 10:00 PM.

[Mike K.]

^Greater Vancouver. Important distinction.

At least we can talk about this openly now, that Victoria has an unreasonable ratio.

Yesterday I met a couple from Calgary. They said they accidentally ended up on Pandora when plugging in the coordinates of the Save On. They were shocked.

[Mike K.]

Hold on, didn’t Medicine Hat claim it had solved homelessness? Has that held up?

[Victoria Watcher]

Robot:

 

• Return of Homelessness: The city lost its functional zero status five months after the June 2021 announcement.

 

 

No, Medicine Hat is not currently devoid of homelessness. While the city gained national attention for achieving "functional zero" for chronic homelessness in 2021, that status was lost shortly after, and homelessness has since returned. 

Recent data indicates that the problem persists and, at times, has worsened: 

• Persistent Numbers: A Point-in-Time count on October 10, 2024, identified 104 individuals experiencing homelessness in Medicine Hat.
• Rise in Numbers: Earlier, 2022 counts indicated 120 people were experiencing homelessness.
• Visible Homelessness: Reports from 2024–2025 highlight significant demand for shelter space, with residents noting visible signs of homelessness, including encampments, in the community.
• Shelter Demand: The Mustard Seed shelter in Medicine Hat operates with 34 beds, frequently requiring overflow space during cold weather. 

Key Findings on the Current Situation:

• Functional Zero vs. Absolute Zero: The 2021 achievement meant there were 3 or fewer people experiencing chronic homelessness for three consecutive months. It did not mean "zero" total homeless people.
• Return of Homelessness: The city lost its functional zero status five months after the June 2021 announcement.
• Contributing Factors: Rising costs of living, a tight rental market, and the ongoing addiction and mental health crises are cited as reasons for the resurgence.
• Ongoing Efforts: The community is still working on solutions, with the Mustard Seed and the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society collaborating to find permanent and temporary solutions to the ongoing, high demand for support. 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 February 2026 - 06:25 AM.

[Mike K.]

Oh, crazy that is has been five years already. It feels like the announcement was much more recent.

[Mike K.]

Did we know Grant McKenzie is no longer with Our Place?

[Victoria Watcher]

Did we know Grant McKenzie is no longer with Our Place?

 

 

Sad/Happy News ) - After 12½ years of telling stories from the frontlines of those struggling on the streets of Victoria, Our Place and I have parted ways. Budget cuts have led to the elimination of my position as Director of Communications. While a bit of a shock, I am looking forward to taking time to destress, unclutter my mind, and get my creative juices flowing again. I have several projects in mind - not the least of which is publishing my new novel and exploring some other avenues with my back catalogue. As the late William Wallace once screamed: "FREEDOM!"

 

https://www.linkedin...638030848-aWx_/