Regarding the story “Squamish council endorses priorities for rest of their term, setting aside other initiatives,” [published April 4 online]. Enough said. Property value trumps basic human rights.
Vehicle residents are not allowed to have a good night’s sleep without being surveilled and treated like criminals by bylaw, the District and NIMBYists.
The District of Squamish has again betrayed vehicle residents by voting to remove the vehicle resident policy from the 2024 Strategic Plan. Their excuses? Pursuing inclusive policy can put the $7,000,000 CMHC grant and the airport strategy at risk; they lack staff. Paid parking and pickleball are more important.
Straight language: We are less valuable than market rate affordable real estate and someone living in a fixed house paying rent/mortgage. I’m not surprised. Capital always wins in this colonial mindset that prioritizes capital over people.
Permit systems and safe lots are not enormous impossible projects. For crying out loud, we have parking lots that stand empty at night with toilets and garbage cans, but are monitored by security guards to ensure that they keep us out at night!
One councillor recognized the negative social and safety effects of the bylaw on vehicle residents, and acknowledged that the number of people living in vehicles is only increasing. They made a motion to discuss amending the bylaw language as it pertains to sleeping in a vehicle. All councillors voted against this, including those who, during their election campaign, said that they wished we’d done more to help vehicle residents.
Coun. Jenna Stoner blatantly said that she doesn’t think that amending the bylaw would be very helpful to us. Excuse me? How would that not be helpful? The bylaw enforces and targets sleeping in a vehicle, regardless of one’s behaviour. It’s not complaint-driven—bylaw actively seeks us out! We’ve been asking for this amendment since 2019! We do not need tone policing or social handouts. We need the inhuman and ineffective bylaw changed. We need an inclusive policy.
Shame on the District of Squamish. If they really cared about people—suspend the bylaw until you have capacity to deal with it.
Stop catering to market-rate “affordable” housing. Recognize that the real problem is with property value, real estate speculation and NIMBYism. Acknowledge the diverse and creative housing options that exist, right now, in Squamish. We can’t solve the problem with the same thinking and system that caused it.
They’ve left us no options but to take matters into our own hands, socially and legally.
Thomasina Pidgeon
Squamish
