Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / File photo of a homeless camp just off the Chilliwack Lake Road corridor. Homeless camps have been growing in the Chilliwack River Valley, including the latest count of 21 RVs and 3 tents. There were approximately 11 RVs in the Chilliwack River Valley at this time last year in 2023.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Homeless encampments

Homeless camps have nearly doubled in the Chilliwack River Valley, despite stakeholder group attempts to rein them in

May 16, 2024 | 10:39 AM

CHILLIWACK — Despite the presence of a stakeholder group that has been meeting for the past year to mitigate homeless encampments east of Chilliwack, the number of camps appears to have grown significantly in the Chilliwack River Valley.

What’s more, this same stakeholder working group assembled for the exact purpose of addressing homeless encampments along the Chilliwack Lake Road corridor has yet to reduce the number of occupied homeless camps.

The working group’s stated purpose is “to work collaboratively to provide supports to those experiencing homelessness and solutions to address the safety and environmental risks associated with homeless encampments in the Chilliwack River Valley.”

Their stated goal runs contrary to what’s actually happening in the Chilliwack River Valley.

According to information provided to Fraser Valley Today by a Chilliwack resident, there are currently a combined 24 RVs and tents in 18 locations east of the Tamihi Bridge in the Chilliwack River Valley, as of Tuesday, May 14.

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Around this time last year, there were 11 occupied RVs in the Chilliwack River Valley.

There are now 21 occupied RVs and three tents.

The GPS coordinates and locations of all 18 sites where people have been setting up camps on both a long-term and short-term basis include the following sites:

• RV just east of Tamihi, 49.07124, -121.82707
• Long term RV just east of Allison Pool, 49.07591, -121.77907
• RV at Cedar run, 49.07606, -121.77110
• Long term RV just before New Borden Forest Service Road, 49.07558, -121.72518
• Slesse Creek area – 4 RV, 1 camper and decrepit motorhome several structures as well, 49.07603, -121.71588; 49.07594, -121.71761; 49.07521, -121.71796
• Middle Creek Forest Service Road – 1 motorhome, 1 homemade 5th wheel and 3 tents, 49.09124, -121.61418
• Bench Forest Service Road camp – 1 5th wheel with a structure attached to it and 2 Rv’s, 49.10691, -121.63561
• Long term RV on Center Creek FSR, 49.09296, -121.57543
• Motorhome from Tamihi now east of Allison Pool, 49.07613, -121.78087
• Motorhome at Thompson Park, 49.08033, -121.88113
• Motorhome at Edwards Road West, 49.08019, -121.90721
• Motorhome at Edwards Road East, no plates, 49.08027, -121.89957
• Motorhome just before Allison Pool. No plates, 49.07643, -121.79972
• Motorhome by Slesse Creek, 49.07593, -121.71673
• RV on Bench FSR, 49.10329, -121.62454

These squatters are not necessarily linked to the closure of the Island 22 encampment in late January because many of those trailers were left on Cartmell Road and later demolished.

Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / File photo of a homeless camp in the Chilliwack River Valley.

The homeless encampment stakeholder group has previously included representation from the RCMP, Chilliwack Restorative Justice, Fraser Valley Regional District, Salvation Army, Fraser Health Integrated Homeless Action Response Team, Soowahlie First Nation, FVRD Electoral Area E, Ann Davis Outreach, Natural Resources (provincial agency), B.C. Housing, Ministry of Forests (provincial), Chilliwack Tourism, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (federal).

“The collaborative interagency approach of the Chilliwack River Valley Homeless Encampment Stakeholders Working Group continues to address the environmental, public safety and social welfare concerns in the Chilliwack River Valley,” Upper Fraser Valley RCMP Superintendent Davy Lee said back in April 2023. “The recent announcement of $200,000 in new funding to the FVRD’s rural cleanup effort is a step in the right direction. We will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to find long-term solutions to this ongoing issue.”

RCMP Superintendent Davy Lee referenced this homeless encampment working group at a Chilliwack city council meeting in April 2023. Supt. Lee says the group, formally known as the Chilliwack River Valley Homeless Encampment Stakeholders Working Group, is trying to address the ongoing homeless issue.

However, it has not succeeded in removing any occupied camps. In fact, at a meeting held January 26, 2023, a ministry manager declared that he would not authorize the demolition of any occupied homeless camps.

That meeting included representatives from the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP, Ministry of Forests, an MLA representative, social service agencies like the Cyrus Centre and Salvation Army, and others.

The only occupied homeless camp in the Chilliwack River Valley that was dismantled and removed was across from Thurston Meadows, an arrangement that was authorized by ministry staff and not the stakeholder working group.