Encampments of unhoused folks remain, including in downtown Squamish, as municipal authorities advocate for solutions amid repeated concerns from neighbouring residents.
The encampment crisis: Concerns escalated to province
Squamish residents have forwarded multiple concerns to the provincial government and the District of Squamish in recent months, and shared them with The Squamish Chief, regarding, in particular, an expanding encampment site located downtown.
Some area neighbours claim there is disruptive behaviour coming from the site. This includes fighting, open fires, the construction of outhouses, and the cutting down of trees, as well as drug paraphernalia, which attracts wildlife and creates other hazards, and contributes to the contamination of neighbouring waterways.
The encampment, which is located behind the community hub Under One Roof, near 1400 Vancouver St. and adjacent to 1251 Bailey Street, is one of approximately eight in Squamish.
District general manager of public safety Pascale St-Louis clarified in a regular council meeting, held on July 15, that a mixture of vehicles, RV and erected structures with at least 47 individuals make up [the approximation of] encampments across Squamish, as of June 24.
She said that approximately 15 occupants reside at the encampment behind Under One Roof.
“Several encampments within Squamish have been identified as entrenched, meaning that they are firmly established and or are unlikely to be decamped through voluntary compliance alone,” St-Louis said.
“These include encampments located behind Under One Roof, near 1400 Vancouver St. and adjacent to 1251 Bailey Street. There are additional entrenched encampments in the outer perimeter of the district, namely near the airport and the Squamish landfill.
“Though these sites are more concealed and thereby draw less attention from the public, these sites are also areas of concern to the frequent [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] responses.”
Mike Young, who said he brought the encampment crisis to the attention of the province and District in February last year, at a time when tenting residents were also asking for empathy amid neighbours’ concerns, is a resident of a neighbouring community to the encampment behind Under One Roof.
Three other residents expressed concerns to The Squamish Chief as well, though they did not go on the record for this story.
Young shared some of his written correspondence to the District and province with The Squamish Chief. This correspondence included listing numerous grievances and recommendations of “next steps” for the District and for various individuals.
In an email dated April 11, which he gave The Squamish Chief permission to publish from, Young described the encampment as having grown “from a single tent to a rapidly expanding tent town,” with the situation being “increasingly alarming and unmanageable… having profound negative impacts on neighbouring properties and the broader community.”
Despite receiving numerous replies from both the District and province this year, Young says, as of July 29, that there is a “continued lack of provincial support for [the] encampment crisis in Squamish.”
“We are not asking for day-to-day political interference; we are asking for your direct and visible advocacy in line with your formal role and commitments,” Young wrote, regarding his expectation of the province’s adherence to government initiatives.
What Support Is Available—And What Isn’t?
Support services for some encampments across B.C. are provided by the Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and the Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) program, which, as Young notes in his correspondence to the province dated July 29, is not applicable to Squamish.
According to Young’s email correspondence with the province, the latter cites HEART and HEARTH as “non-partisan,” and not something that can be leveraged “on a day-to-day basis,” since the program is an “annually-negotiated agreement.”
“We feel strongly that the explanation provided does not adequately address the severity, duration, and urgency of the crisis on the ground in Squamish,” Young wrote.
According to the BC Housing website, priority community selection is based on factors such as gap analysis of a community’s existing services, their coordination with other services, and trend data on homelessness and encampments.
The Ministry of Housing has to date signed HEART and HEARTH memorandum of understandings with Prince George, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Nanaimo, and Victoria.
A provincial issue: If the District has depleted its resources, can the province do more?
In an email dated July 25, Young queried Jeremy Valeriote, MLA for West Vancouver-Sea-to-Sky, why the province is not fully utilizing his role “to secure HEART or HEARTH designation for Squamish.”
Valeriote is also the BC Green Party’s interim leader and a signatory of the Cooperation and Responsible Government Accord (CARGA)—a 2025 agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP)—which works to prioritize deliverables such as the removal of barriers in establishing community health centres, and in creating tens of thousands of units of affordable non-market housing, according to the BC Greens’ website.
The agreement reads that $30 million of the HEART and HEARTH’s funding will be dedicated to “provide solutions for those most vulnerable” as part of an initiative to tackle homelessness.
The Squamish Chief spoke directly with Valeriote for comment on July 14.
“We need to remember that any one of us could be one of these people with a different set of circumstances, so we need to look at them that way, and try to figure out how to help them,” Valeriote said.
“From my perspective, the District is doing absolutely everything they can, including setting up Under One Roof with 44 supportive beds and 26 shelter beds, [now it’s] really time for the province to step in. My office is working to try and get Squamish designated as a HEART and HEARTH community. It's definitely… deserving, it's obviously time.”
Valeriote acknowledged Young’s concerns about the need for immediate action, rather than only long-term solutions, such as the proposed build at Government Road and Centennial Way that would include 60 support units, in partnership with Squamish Helping Hands, and that the District has done all it can using its current resources.
“I think we need acute help. The District doesn't have any more resources that can be put into this. The mayor [Armand Hurford] has written to the minister of housing to try and free up funds [for the HEART and HEARTH program]. We really wanted to focus on homelessness and forge new models to try and sort this out, find the balance between supporting people and their neighbours’ safety, and other concerns.”
According to the B.C. government website, a controversial bylaw amendment introduced in late 2023 made the dismantling of encampments illegal unless the municipality had "reasonably available” alternate shelter. Any alternate shelter would need to be available overnight, be staffed, and offer bathroom facilities, as well as a meal.
Young told The Squamish Chief directly that encampments became an issue in 2023 when the District bylaw department became overwhelmed.
“And now we're in a position where nothing's being done, [public services have] gone from doing patrols and helping clean up to “we don't have the resources to manage the encampment,”” he said.
Valeriote elaborated on the concept of the encampment’s dismantlement and the need for a proactive approach.
“I don’t think the District can legally take away the encampment, so what we need to do is find a way of managing it. We need to be able to read causes before the RCMP have to respond.”
Valeriote said he was looking to the council meeting held on July 15 for clarification about what could be done.
Council discussion highlights ongoing challenges
At the July 15 regular council meeting, a panel of public service officers provided an update to councillors on the encampments across Squamish.
The panel included St-Louis, community bylaw service manager Harry Gill, manager of public works Jody Barron, Squamish Fire Rescue deputy fire chief Shaun Swerdfeger and Squamish RCMP staff Sgt. Gareth Bradley.
St-Louis said the purpose of the update was to help “provide further context to strengthen any advocacy efforts to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to petition that the District of Squamish be designated as a HEART and HEARTH community.”
Young noted in an email to the province—dated July 25 —that he watched the council meeting live with interest, and also the meeting recording for clarity. He told The Squamish Chief that the meeting’s motion in continuing to advocate with the provincial government is “not action.”
“That's just saying that people need to be compassionate,” he said.
St-Louis put the complex issue into perspective at the council discussion.
“There are complex issues at play here, that of homelessness, substance use and mental health, and I want us to be mindful that this is often a matter of survival rather than choice, for people who live in encampments,” she said.
“There are no easy solutions here, and individualized solutions are generally the only meaningful way out.”
As per Valeriote’s sentiments, St-Louis said that help from the province plays a “pivotal role” in the management of encampments, but that the District was struggling to source aid, particularly via the HEART and HEARTH program.
“At present, the province provides limited insight into the HEART and HEARTH designation process, as there is no formal intake or any predetermined criteria that is shared to local governments,” she said.
“To date, provincial ministry support has been limited to providing advisory support at some of our multi-stakeholder meetings, they have come on site to support some outreach, and they have provided some one-time funding to a local operator here in the community to provide that encampment outreach worker.
“Unfortunately, until Squamish is designated as a HEART and HEARTH community, provincial supports will remain limited, as we have been told that they have scarce resources that are prioritized for designated HEART and HEARTH communities, and we will be limited in our ability to support decampment efforts of existing entrenched encampments.”
She said that at present, all District activities are currently focused on managing existing encampments and trying to minimize new occurrences where possible, which includes the supportive housing site at Government Road and Centennial Way.
Like Valeriote, she acknowledged the significance of this development not being an immediate solution.
“While this is a great step forward, this does not provide a short-term solution to those who are currently living in encampments. We believe that designation as a HEART and HEARTH community would be instrumental in providing that interim solution, to help bridge that gap.”
Public service response, and the enforcement of bylaws
In conjunction with Young’s concerns, the council meeting on July 15 identified risks such as fire hazards, and wildlife attractants and relayed relevant public service response, in accordance with bylaw enforcement.
According to St-Louis, Squamish Fire Rescue has identified significant fire risk at all encampment locations due to propane heat sources being used in encampment structures, significant debris piles and a stockpile of near-empty propane cylinders, lithium batteries and gasoline.
“In 2025, Squamish Fire Rescue has attended eight significant fires at encampments, which include trailer and tent fires at these locations, which note an escalation in encampment fire activity since 2024,” she said.
St-Louis said that each encampment site has unique response requirements.
“For example, the encampment located behind Under One Roof has a high rate of medical aid responses, as over 94% of those Squamish Fire Rescue calls at that location are support critical medical aids, whereas 84% of calls for the encampments located near Bailey Street are often fire-related due to burning complaints,” she said.
“Overall, Squamish Fire Rescue responses to these encampments have already hit 90% of last year's call volume in the first six months, which highlights a concerning trend for life safety concerns at encampments. Also, RCMP responses vary to each site, but overall, the call volume for the RCMP to these encampments is already 67% of last year's call volume in the first six months of this year.”
It was also noted that bear encounters have become frequent and problematic for those living in encampments, and neighbouring properties are seeing an increase in wildlife traffic.
Swerdfeger said that the total call volume for Squamish Fire Rescue as of July 14 was 813 calls for service for the entirety of the district.
“Calls for service to the three encampments (behind Under One Roof, Vancouver St and Bailey St.) were 131 calls for service. That makes up for 16% of total call volume for SFR,” Swerdfeger said.
He also put this into perspective for how it compares to other calls that SFR gets.
“Our largest call type is alarms. So we have many multi-story structures that have complex alarm systems. That makes up for a total of 10.7% as of yesterday, and that was until our data collection up until May of this year,” he said.
“The next very busy type volume call we have, is motor vehicle incidents, that make up 5.6% of our total call volume ... and then non-encampment so smoke and burning complaints, which are very prevalent this time of year ... 50 calls throughout the district, and that making up about 6% approximately of our total call volume for the year.
“So I wanted to highlight the 16% because it's a strong number. We are spending a lot of time with resourcing and providing service to the encampments within our community.”
St-Louis said that District staff who visit encampments are required to attend with a minimum of two people, and will often request RCMP attendance if deemed warranted.
St-Louis also said that bylaw enforcement at the encampments often includes fines for violations but is “generally limited in their effectiveness to obtain voluntary compliance for encampments.”
On the subject of the enforcement of bylaws, Young told The Squamish Chief that “it's completely feasible to enforce bylaws as they exist against these encampments.”
“There is municipal land or private lands, or crown lands that we could set up temporary housing on, or even move tents onto. I know the District's concern with doing that is [sanctioning], and they would have to take on some other responsibility,” Young said, as a suggested solution.
Responses from the District, the province, and BC Housing
During the week commencing July 14, The Squamish Chief spoke with other official bodies directly for comment about any immediate support available for vulnerable individuals within the encampment, rather than about long-term solutions, which may be timely to enforce.
A statement was issued on behalf of the District by media relations and content specialist Lilly Marie Peterson.
“We understand that navigating the impacts of encampments without seeing a clear path towards a solution is a frustrating experience for all those involved, including for those living in encampments,” the statement reads.
“The District continues to leverage all the tools available to a municipality to address public safety and community concerns in a thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible manner, [which include] Squamish Fire Rescue, Squamish RCMP and Community Bylaw Services [conducting] twice-weekly walkthroughs of all encampments.
The District said its bylaws are used to incentivize property owners to reduce the impact of encampments on neighbouring community members.
The Squamish Chief also reached out to the provincial government, which issued a response from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
“Funding programs are available to support police to enhance their operations focused on street disorder such as vandalism and theft, and to help them address issues with repeat violent offending,” the Ministry’s response reads.
The response also states that The Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program (C-STEP) is an example of such a program, regardless of whether violence is involved. As is The Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) Program, launched in May 2023, which also provides funding support for police.
Both programs, which are administered by the RCMP on behalf of the Province, will work closely with the latter to explore funding opportunities for Squamish.
“We know more needs to be done, and we’re going to keep working hard with our partners in all sectors to implement real solutions so people can build a good life, in a safe community in Squamish.”
The Squamish Chief also asked BC Housing for comment; how they may assure their residents who are or will be in supportive housing, as well as neighbouring communities, that they may be kept safe.
BC Housing issued a statement clarifying that the proposed supportive housing site at Government Road and Centennial Way would have at least two staff onsite 24/7 to support residents (adults who are aged 19+ of all genders, including seniors, people with disabilities or any others who need support), and provide a point of contact for neighbours, and that a direct phone number for the housing would be shared with neighbours when it is available.
Furthermore, BC Housing will apply crime prevention practices to all supportive housing building projects, which may include fenced grounds, a single point of entry, and security cameras and lighting.
“We all want a safe community. BC Housing is committed to working with partners who are best positioned to address safety issues beyond our housing projects, such as the RCMP or bylaw officers who support neighbourhood and street safety,” the statement reads.
“Some of the residents of the proposed Government Road and Centennial Way development will come from the existing transitional homes and shelters, opening up more spaces for people currently sheltering outdoors.”
The Squamish Chief reached out to Under One Roof for comment and was directed to
BC Housing.
Compassion, but inaction? How can the community really make a difference?
Before councillors voted unanimously to receive the report at the council meeting on July 15, Hurford said that he would like to “empower the community broadly” to be a part of the path forward through the encampment issue.
“So find those volunteer opportunities, find those ways to advance this work inside of the sphere of control that we have and the funding that is available while we continue to advocate to other orders of government to take action in a meaningful way for our community,” he said.
He said that he wrote a letter to Ravi Kahlon, then-minister for housing and municipal affairs to advocate for inclusion in the HEART and HEARTH program.
“However, absent of that, and I would argue, even if we get that, there's still work to do coming together as a community to figure out ways to address these concerns and minimize the impact to the community and to the folks finding themselves in needing to make a choice to live in an encampment as well,” he said.
“As we heard earlier, that choice is often based on what it takes to survive, not something that is really a choice, as we would generally understand it, to be in this [place] in our lives,” he said.
In speaking with The Squamish Chief, Young also emphasized the need for community efforts, but primarily the need for empathy and sympathy for individuals in the encampment, rather than a focus solely on public safety.
“This isn't a punitive measure by any means ... We need to balance rights over public safety. They're human beings [and] it's not safe for them [either],” he said.
Reflecting on his correspondence as a whole with the District and province, and the discussion put forward in the council meeting on July 15, Young continued to comment on municipal inaction.
“The main thing right now is that everybody's just asking for compassion and deferring … Asking the people that are reporting to our mayor and council just to be compassionate is not fair. We need some solid answers and directions.
“On a municipal level, they're deferring everything to the provincial government, which is disappointing because they have gone outside of their jurisdiction on things that are more close to home for them personally, like LNG, for example, that's not a municipal thing.
“Everybody has compassion, and everybody cares about people, but we also have to have compassion for the people that live in the neighbourhoods.”
The Squamish Chief asked Young how he will continue his advocacy for unhoused individuals and community safety going forward.
“I think I'm going to continue to follow up with our MLA and his constituency,” he said.
“It's a provincial issue … I'm not championing this myself, but I'm just trying to make a difference.”
To help those in need of safe and permanent housing in Squamish, you may donate or find further information on the Squamish Helping Hands website.
~With council files from Indigo Lemay-Conway
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.
This reporting was produced through the which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
