Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson issued this statement on Occupy Vancouver:
“The original Occupy Vancouver protest on October 15th saw thousands of Vancouverites from all walks of life come together to collectively raise concerns of inequality and the global economic system, as well as a local focus on housing and affordability.
“The Occupy movement is taking place in over 1,700 cities worldwide, with each city responding in different ways. However, in Vancouver, we are seeing the issues that the Occupy movement seeks to highlight drowned out by the rising and acute life safety concerns.
“That is why as part of the City’s work to reach a sensible, peaceful resolution to the encampment, we are looking at options that would enable the Occupy Vancouver protest to continue to publicly highlight issues of concern, while doing so in a way that avoids the safety issues created by a permanent tent city.
“As Mayor, I’ve said repeatedly that the City would directly intervene only if there were health or life safety issues. Although initially the encampment had few issues, its physical structure has now deteriorated to the point that there are imminent life safety risks, identified by the Vancouver Fire Department and other city staff who have been attending on site. These include:
- enclosing of multiple tents with flammable tarps, tents positioned close together, and piles of personal belonging and other debris that contribute to the fire risk - all of which interfere with access by first responders;
- evidence of propane use and other flammables within the encampment structures - something which has increased with the colder weather; and,
- increasing use of iv drugs on the site.
“Our City staff, VPD, and Fire Department have patiently and respectfully communicated with the protesters at Occupy Vancouver about our life safety concerns. The Occupy Vancouver protest can continue. The tent encampment, as it stands now, cannot.
“The City’s steps to remove the encampment are not premised on any one event – even one as tragic as yesterday’s death - but rather, an accumulation of safety hazards that has led us to fear that others at Occupy Vancouver could be seriously endangered if no action is taken.
“An ongoing Occupy Vancouver protest movement that expresses itself publicly can do so without an encampment on public space. I fully expect that the Occupy Vancouver protest – one whose issues of inequality, affordable housing, and social justice resonate with myself, and so many of our citizens – can and will continue.
“My goal as Mayor is to see that the City enables this in a way that prevents the tragic loss of life that we saw take place yesterday.”
