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UFV men’s and women’s golf teams both emerge victorious at the national championships A19
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Drug War Survivors camp out in park Group wants sanctioned area for homeless residents Alex BUTLER Abbotsford News
Some homeless residents of Abbotsford have set up camp in Jubilee Park and plan to stay in the downtown location until Wednesday. And the group may remain there longer – camping out until the city sanctions a designated camp for homeless people, similar to Portland’s Dignity Village.
Barry Shantz, founder of the Abbotsford chapter of the BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors, said he wants to fill the park with homeless people, not only because it is a safe place for them to gather, but to make a point about the necessity of establishing a proper camp in Abbotsford. He wants the city’s most marginalized population – homeless people who may suffer from disease or mental health issues
and that Shantz said often have difficulty accessing services – to have better representation in the city’s efforts to address issues of homelessnesses and drug use. The group has, along with other drug users’ groups, taken on a motto of “nothing about us, without us” – advocating for a greater role in establishing policies that affect drug users.
RAISING FUNDS A11 The annual Crystal Gala generates $160,000 towards the fight against breast cancer
Continued on A5
DRIVING DISTRACTED A5 The local police department issues just over 4,000 tickets to distracted drivers
WOMAN MISSING A5 Abbotsford Police continue to search for a 40-year-old woman last heard from Sept. 27
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ALEX BUTLER Abbotsford News
Members of the Drug War Survivors and local homeless people moved into Jubilee Park on Sunday and will remain until at least Wednesday in an effort to raise the public profile of the homelessness issue in Abbotsford.
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