Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman said in a press release Tuesday (May 30) that newly-obtained documents under Freedom of Information (FOI) show that B.C. NDP Premier David Eby was formally warned about the extremely serious health and safety concerns at the Lonzo Park and Ride lot just off Hwy. 1 and Sumas Way (exit 92), which is now a homeless encampment — but he ignored and buried the disturbing briefing note, refusing to take action while serving as the Minister of Housing. The B.C. government says 30-60 people live there at any given time, but that number can swell to as many as 120 people during spring and summer. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Abbotsford homeless encampment

Abbotsford MLA accuses Premier Eby of ignoring homeless camp in Abbotsford

Jun 1, 2023 | 10:00 AM

ABBOTSFORD — Surrounded by piles of endless garbage and a plethora of unsanitary conditions, the “No Dumping” sign that greets motorists or pedestrians who pass by the Lonzo Road Park and Ride lot just off Hwy. 1 at Sumas Way (exit 92) in Abbotsford is a bit of a paradox.

The sign threatens offenders who dump unwanted goods in the park and ride lot fines of up to $2,000, and yet there seems to be no bylaw officer for the City of Abbotsford, or a constable with the Abbotsford Police Department, unless called upon.

Even then, the park and ride lot located close to Cactus Club Cafe is inundated with rubbish, tents, tarped structures, and old RVs.

In light of this festering eyesore to the broader community, Abbotsford MLA Bruce Banman said in a press release Tuesday (May 30) that newly-obtained documents under Freedom of Information (FOI) show that B.C. NDP Premier David Eby was formally warned about the extremely serious health and safety concerns at the Lonzo Park and Ride lot, now a homeless encampment — but he ignored and buried the disturbing briefing note, refusing to take action while serving as the Minister of Housing.

Image: MLA Bruce Banman via Facebook / MLA Bruce Banman, representing the Abbotsford South riding, says B.C. NDP Premier David Eby ignored warnings about the growing homeless encampment at the Lonzo Road Park and Ride lot, located near Cactus Club and exit 92 (Sumas Way) just off Highway 1.

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“I have reached out to Premier Eby and have made multiple requests for the NDP government to step in and clear the Lonzo encampment but so far it’s been nothing but empty rhetoric. This lack of accountability from David Eby and his government is deeply troubling,” said BC United MLA for Abbotsford South, Bruce Banman. “The Premier was fully aware of the risks and dangers faced by both the vulnerable individuals living in the camp and the surrounding community. It is unacceptable that these warnings were disregarded, and that no steps were taken to ensure the safety and well-being of those affected.”

MLA Banman alleges the documents obtained through FOI processes outline the risks posed by the Lonzo Road Park homeless encampment, including explosions leading to highway closures, burned-out vehicles, criminal activity including a homicide, and more than 100 people camping at the site. The released version of the document also includes two-full pages of government redactions, withholding solutions received by Eby as Housing Minister to address the dangerous conditions at Lonzo Park, Banman said.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Another view of the Lonzo Road Park and Ride lot near Cactus Club (exit 92) off Highway 1 in Abbotsford.

In a government briefing provided in April 2022 to Eby, ministry staff advised that 30-60 people had been sheltering at the encampment, but the population had the capacity to grow to more than 120 unhoused individuals in spring and summer. The government communique noted that significant health and safety concerns grew due to garbage and fire hazards, abandoned trucks, an explosion that closed the highway, criminal activity including a homicide, the dumping of RV sewage into a salmon stream, and more recently, flooding seepage and reduced visits from outreach staff due to violence.

The Lonzo Road encampment consists of three main areas at the intersection of Highway 1 and Sumas Way (exit 92), including Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) right of way, MOTI-owned property in the name of the B.C. Transportation Financing Authority, B.C. Hydro properties, and a CP Rail corridor. The BCTFA has licensed the northern portion of the property to the City of Abbotsford to utilize as a park-and-ride facility.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A “Park and Ride” only sign seems to indicate only motorists are allowed here, but there’s little to no enforcement occurring at the lot.

However, as the briefing points out, there are a number of burned-out vehicles and the site is being utilized as an unauthorized dumping ground, thereby constituting a health and safety risk.

The ministry briefing from April 2022 goes on to say B.C. Housing has limited options for housing in Abbotsford. For example, the Red Lion Inn and Suites is a 30-room hotel at 2509 Pauline Street currently operating as a temporary shelter for people who were staying at the now-closed Bakerview Church shelter. This location will be one of four initial Complex Care Housing sites. B.C. Housing has also purchased the hotel’s adjacent lots at 2481 and 2489 Pauline Street and will apply to redevelop the hotel and the lots into a permanent supportive housing building with an adjoining shelter. B.C. Housing announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Abbotsford to develop 50 new units of supportive housing near the encampment.

Current supports at the park and ride lot daily outreach through B.C. Housing and Community Integration Specialists, weekly peer-led site clean-ups (B.C. Housing and MOTI), an on-site sanitation trailer, and a mobile health unit offering primary care and overdose prevention supports through Fraser Health, according to the ministry briefing from April 2022. However, judging by the amount of garbage present at the site during a Wednesday visit by a Fraser Valley Today reporter, it’s not clear if the clean-up efforts are still ongoing.

The BC United Caucus, including MLA Banman, is calling on the government to take immediate action to address the health and safety concerns on the site, enhance transparency, and give serious consideration to warnings from stakeholders, including its own officials.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon released a statement Thursday saying the Lonzo Road homeless encampment is not sustainable.

“There are a number of challenges with the encampments in the Fraser Valley and on Lonzo Road, particularly around the highway right-of-ways,” Minister Kahlon said. “I’ve visited some of the areas, met with staff and people on the ground doing the work to keep people safe and connected. We know that this situation cannot continue as it currently is. There are currently about two dozen people at the Lonzo and Riverside encampments, and while it changes daily, it’s the lowest since 2020, when up to 120 people were living there. Our goal is to help everyone sheltering in these two places to move into long-term, sustainable housing to break the cycle of homelessness. Outreach workers frequently visit both the Delair and Lonzo Road areas and the adjacent Riverside encampments to check on the welfare of campers and provide housing applications, so that when housing vacancies become available, campers are on the BC Housing Registry for placement.”

There are plans afoot to to relocate the Abbotsford Riverside shelter to land at Lonzo Road and Sumas Way so that more supportive housing units can be constructed adjacent to the Cole Starnes supportive housing building.

“We are working on finalizing details and a timeline for this transition plan and will share more information with people living at the Lonzo site and the public once it is finalized,” Kahlon said. “Homelessness is a significant issue affecting people and communities throughout B.C. and addressing it is a critical priority for our government. That’s why our government is investing up to $1.4 billion through Budget 2023 in new initiatives aimed at helping prevent and reduce homelessness. This includes funding for new multidisciplinary teams and temporary housing to help people move from encampments and into stable housing, as well a range of permanent housing options. We recognize that there isn’t one answer or action to address homelessness. It takes all levels of government and communities coming together. We need to have a range of housing options, health, and social supports if we want to prevent homelessness and to make it a rare, brief, and one-time occurrence.”