Homeless encampment near Vedder Bridge to get a few visitors Sunday; open drug use occurring

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When asked if the RCMP had been contacted ahead of time about the informal group’s plans to clean up the area, the anonymous volunteer said Mounties wouldn’t be notified.

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But other authorities are aware of the homeless encampment.

“The Natural Resources Office [personnel] drove by yesterday,” the Chilliwack resident said Thursday (Jan. 12). “They did not enter the camp. Everyone is aware of the camp. Most are ignoring it.”

The primary purpose of Sunday’s visit is to merely address the environmental impact of the encampment. It is not affiliated with the Chilliwack/Vedder River Cleanup Society nor Chilliwack-based Streams Canada Foundation.

During a visit to the encampment Thursday afternoon, piles of garbage associated with the encampment could be seen along Sweltzer Creek Crescent, in addition to three shopping carts.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / PML / Shopping carts stolen from a nearby supermarket were seen near the Sweltzer Creek homeless encampment Thursday (Jan. 12).

The anonymous Chilliwack resident also reported that he witnessed an illicit drug shipment arrive at the encampment Thursday (Jan. 12) in broad daylight.

“There was a drug and separate food delivery to Sweltzer earlier today,” the source said. “Illegal narcotics were delivered there.”

Though Sweltzer Creek Crescent leads to the Soowahlie First Nation, the location of the homeless encampment is not First Nations land. It is Crown land overseen by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources Office.

The Ministry of Forests is responsible for the stewardship of provincial Crown land and ensures the sustainable management of forest, wildlife, water and other land-based resources. It is up to this specific B.C. agency to evict squatters from Crown land.