A recent fire near Ed Macgregor Memorial Park has ignited deep concerns about the safety of residents living adjacent to the parkland.
“Last night could have ended very tragically if the fire department hadn’t arrived to put the fire out,” said Mary Marshall, a resident of Horne Road bordering the park. “It’s been a couple of months (since the tents moved in), but the fire last night did it for me.”
Marshall said the fire’s proximity to an electrical box and a cedar fence lined with fir trees created a dangerous situation only averted by a neighbour’s call to Sooke Fire Rescue.
“If we had wind it would have been a complete disaster on Horne Road,” said Horne Road resident Bob Waters. “Who knows what would have happened if a neighbour didn’t see it?”
Waters said the man camping in the park constructing the wooden frame-like structure where the fire started told him he was building a tiny house, which he planned to move when it was completed. He also told Waters that he believed someone he was having conflict with deliberately set the fire.
Marshall said she and other neighbours have complained to the District of Sooke several times without results.
Another neighbour who expressed similar concerns about the risk of fire and personal safety declined to give their name because of fear of reprisal.
As a former nurse and counsellor, Marshall says she feels empathy for people dealing with substance and mental health issues, but the problem at the park is getting worse, and nothing’s being done.
“I had to call police one night within the last couple of weeks because someone screaming ‘OD’d!,’” she added.
Sooke bylaw officers used to make sure the campers were out of the park in the morning, but that’s not the case now.
“The original bylaw was changed from 7 to 9 a.m., and then to 10 a.m., but they say they’re short-staffed and can’t do anything now,” Marshall noted. “Some people are considering adding barbed wire to their fences so they (the campers) can’t get into their property. The District of Sooke needs to take action now.”
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Waters concurred that the bylaw doesn’t come down at 9 a.m. and agreed that more resources are required to enable bylaw officers to do their job.
He’s also talked with people who say they are camping at the park because they’re not allowed back at the shelter.
“The homeless situation is like chipmunks on a wheel,” Waters said. “We need to find solutions here in Sooke and everywhere.
‘The two bylaw officers are doing their best but need more support,” he said. “Me and my neighbours already have to deal with people roaring in and out of the parking lot at two and three in the morning to go crabbing on the pier. The CRD has a bylaw prohibiting people in parks from sunrise to sunset, why can’t we have a similar bylaw in Sooke with the services to enforce it? We need more boots on the ground.”
Staff Sgt. Greg Willcocks, head of the Sooke RCMP detachment, confirmed 24 calls to Ed Macgregor Park this year, compared to 27 for the entire year in 2022.
“We’re trending up for sure, with another quarter to go,” he said.
He noted that the calls are for bylaw complaints, causing a disturbance and mischief.
“The issues with homelessness and drug addiction is certainly not just a policing issue,” said Willcocks, who worked in the mental health field before joining the RCMP. “That gives me a bit of a unique perspective on what happens when these services are provided and when they’ve taken away.
“For example, issues related to mental health, drug addiction and homelessness and criminality, and we deal with the criminality aspect of that. What we see in the park is a byproduct of a complicated problem that involves a growing homeless population and a lack of mental health support and general services. Unfortunately, if there’s no room in the shelter, they go into the parks.”
Willcocks worked with special needs and high-risk youth and adults with a range of people dealing with paranoia, schizophrenia, autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
“The vast majority were in group homes or adult day programs,” he said. “Typically, the people we see at Ed Macgregor Park have minimal access to health care and mental health or other services in general. I think of some previous clients I had, and if they didn’t have food, housing and services, they were probably on the street.
“All of our members here have really big hearts and do everything they can to help these people, but they also have to enforce the law. You can’t have temporary structures built in parks. Despite someone’s personal situation, we’re all governed by some laws. While you’re allowed a small quantity of drugs, we enforce drug trafficking laws aggressively.”
The same standard applies to violence in the community, Willcocks said.
“It doesn’t matter what situation you’re in, violence in our community is unacceptable, and we enforce those laws vigorously as well.”
When asked if officers receive more training in dealing with mental health issues, Willcocks said there is more de-escalation and crisis training than there ever has been.
“I can’t tell you how many times one of my officers has de-escalated a situation and prevented self-harm or suicide. It happens a lot with police and it can be verify challenging, but the training is getting more robust.”
Michael Basaraba is camping in the park because he can’t find accommodation he and his partner can afford.
Originally from Alberta, Basaraba lived in Victoria and worked as a carpenter until he moved to the park a few months ago.
“We’re on the waiting list at the transition centre, but it’s single-occupancy accommodation only,” he said. “It’s tough and expensive to find a place to live.”
Kristie Miller, operations manager for the Sooke Shelter Society, said there “absolutely” been an increase in requests for accommodations and services.
She noted that inflation, the high cost and scarcity of rental housing, and mental health issues are some of the barriers people face.
Miller also confirmed that while people are never refused services at the shelter, accommodation may be denied for some individuals because of safety or legal concerns.
“Everyone in the park that I’m aware of is from Sooke,” she said. “Bylaw are wonderful people, and I’ve never heard bad things about bylaw from our clients.”
The District of Sooke declined to provide comment from Sooke Fire Rescue or Sooke Bylaw. It confirmed three calls for service to the park by Sooke Fire Rescue, 11 by bylaw, and five by parks/facilities between Jan. 1, 2023 and Aug. 26.
Given recent feedback, bylaw services is increasing its presence in the area.