Sooke Mayor Maja Tait is taking the provincial government to task for failing to address homelessness.
“We want to hear how the provincial government is going to step up,” Tait said. “They want more affordable housing, but you can’t have housing without supports like health and mental health components. We can deliver housing, but the provincial government needs to do their part, and it’s lacking at this point.”
While she said new legislation banning the use of illegal substances in parks and other areas may help some people feel safer, Tait stressed much more needs to be done.
“Sooke Bylaw and the RCMP are doing all they can dealing with people camping in Ed Macgregor Park, but it’s difficult work,” she said.
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Coun. Al Beddows said council is well aware of residents’ concerns at Ed Macgregor Park.
“I feel for people who want to use the park,” Beddows said. “It’s their park, and they want to feel safe there. I wish I had the answer, and I’m frustrated like everyone else.”
The District of Sooke faces a significant challenge with two bylaw officers on staff, one exclusively working on weekends, effectively leaving only one officer on duty at any point, Beddows said.
The main concern is the lack of suitable places for individuals to relocate. Rather than resolving the issue, officials constantly direct people to other locations, with no actual decrease in the population.
Beddows agreed the provincial government is downloading responsibility for programs and services onto municipal governments.
“Local taxpayers are tapped out,” he noted.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Willcocks confirmed that calls to Ed Macgregor Park are on the rise, with 24 calls this year, compared to 27 for all of 2022.
Willcocks worked in the mental health field before joining the RCMP and believes that background provides a unique perspective on what happens when services are provided and taken away.
He 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.
There are issues related to mental health, drug addiction, homelessness, and criminality, and we deal with the criminality aspect,” Willcocks said.
“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 the shelter has no room, they go into the parks,” Willcocks said.
The vast majority of Willcocks worked with were in group homes or adult day programs.
“Typically, the people we see at Ed Macgregor Park have minimal access to healthcare 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.”