Courthouse Libraries BC has recently added three new entries to Our Legal Knowledge Base regarding the law around tent cities/encampments. Our Legal Knowledge Base is a collection of references and hard to find answers to a diverse assortment of legal research questions. These entries are all periodically reviewed and updated to keep them current. Our goal with this collection is to save you research time – we’ve done the research, so you don’t have to!
Our three new entries are:
- Tent city and encampment legislation: This entry discusses new legislation introduced (but not yet in force) in BC concerning the enforcement of bylaws by injunction in relation to encampments. An injunction is a court order that prohibits or compels someone to do something.
- Legality of park encampments: This entry discusses how the Charter has been applied to setting up temporary shelters and the types of bylaws often used to evict people sheltering outside. Your community’s bylaws should be available on the city/town’s website.
- Current government response: This entry discusses the provincial government’s current response to tent encampments/cities under the Belonging in BC Homelessness Plan.
Remember, if you need help in the moment with a patron’s legal question, please feel free to reach out to our reference librarians. We are available remotely over the phone, by email, or in-person at our branches.
- Phone: 1-800-665-2570
- Email: librarian@courthouselibrary.ca