Constitutional right to sleep in tents is upheld
Friends,
The Court of Appeal has upheld the trial judge’s ruling in the Victoria
right to shelter case! People who are homeless and have no choice but to
sleep outside have a constitutional right to protect themselves from the
elements, says the highest court in the province. While a tent/tarp is
obviously far from an adequate standard of shelter, this decision is a big
deal!
Can you believe our elected representatives wasted tens if not hundreds of
thousands of dollars to appeal this minimal level of protection for some of
the most marginalized and vulnerable members of our society? And that this
situation only exists because of their ongoing failure to ensure sufficient
housing and, at a very minimum, adequate shelter beds? Well they did. And
they LOST!!
http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/CA/09/05/2009BCCA0563.htm
Laura Track
Housing Campaign Lawyer
Pivot Legal Society and Pivot Legal LLP
678 Hastings Street East
Vancouver, BC V6A 1R1 | Coast Salish Territories
tel: (604) 255-9700 ext. 112 | fax: (604) 255-1552
Pivot Legal Society: www.pivotlegal.org
Pivot Legal LLP: www.pivotlegal.com