FRIDAY
ELECTION AFTERMATH
OCTOBER 23, 2015
Change of federal government could have an impact on several key local issues A7
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Court strikes down ban on sleeping in parks Both sides claim victory as city can limit permanent encampments Laura RODGERS Abbotsford News
The outcome of a contentious trial between a group of homeless people and the City of Abbotsford has, somehow, managed to please nearly everyone directly involved in the case. The decision strikes down provisions in city bylaws that ban sleeping overnight in city parks, and the use of temporary shelters or tents. But it upholds the city’s ability to ban permanent encampments on public land. Pivot Legal Society, the non-profit law firm representing homeless activists with the B.C./
Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors (DWS) in the trial, are happy the decision affirms the right to sleep in public places, and take shelter from the elements if need be, when someone has nowhere else to go. But the city is glad the decision still allows them to ban permanent encampments or tent cities, like the protest camp on Gladys Avenue that’s been in place since 2013. In the trial, which ran for six weeks this June, July and August, DWS argued city bylaws banning sleeping outdoors violated the homeless’ rights to life, liberty and personal security as laid out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
BC Supreme Court Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled Wednesday that when there aren’t enough shelter spaces in a community, banning sheltered outdoor sleeping violates fundamental rights. “The evidence shows ... that there is a legitimate need for people to shelter and rest during the day and no indoor shelter in which to do so,” Hinkson wrote. Pivot hailed the decision as a “massive vindication” of the rights of people who find themselves Continued on A4
CASCADES CLAIM BRONZE A31 UFV men’s team stages comeback on final day of competition at nationals.
INCIDENTS LINKED A13 DNA connects same person to two indecent acts over the last year
STUDENT VOTE RESULTS
Pivot Legal Society lawyer DJ Larkin sits beside client Doug Smith at a press conference held in Vancouver after a BC Supreme Court decision was handed down on Wednesday.
A15 Fast, Sidhu come out on top in mock elections held in local schools
LAURA RODGERS Abbotsford News
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