Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Maple Ridge homeless camp grows to more than 100 people

Residents of a Maple Ridge street and the homeless who have pitched their tents beside their homes see little progress in finding a solution to the problem.

Residents of a Maple Ridge street and the homeless who have pitched their tents beside their homes see little progress in finding a solution to the problem.

The tent city along Cliff Avenue has grown from 20 or 30 people a month ago to more than 100, according to Al Guilbault, 62, a spokesman for the squatters, who call themselves the Maple Ridge Street People.

Residents are angry and say nothing seems to be happening to find the squatters a new location or some long-term housing.

And the squatters say they would like to move to a location where they are not interfering with neighbours.

“We are hoping to get a piece of land set aside where we can go,” said Guilbault. He said the homeless are trying to behave because they don’t want to upset the street’s residents.

But Guilbaut said sometimes they get people arriving at the tent city that are not welcome. “We can’t always control the people that come in here,” he said. “We have asked for RCMP help at times.”

Mayor Nicole Read said while they have not moved anyone from the Cliff Avenue squat, progress is being made behind the scenes.

Read said they are working with B.C. Housing and local social services to find a long-term solution for many of those who are camping in the tents.

“We have deployed our outreach group,” she said. “We are doing a needs assessment especially as those needs relate to shelter.”

She hopes to get a status report by the end of this week.

Read disputed Guilbaut’s estimate of more than 100 people at the camp, saying she believes the numbers are 32 tents and 64 campers.

She dismissed any possibility of the group moving into unused property owned by Maple Ridge. “It is not something the city is considering,” she said.

Mike Homen, a Cliff Avenue homeowner, said there was a fist fight in front of his home earlier in the week. And he said the campers are using drugs and alcohol. “The drinking goes on continuously,” he said.

Dr. Liz Zubek, who has a medical clinic across the street from the tent city, said she wants to see Maple Ridge do something to deal with the problem. “The numbers have doubled and now tripled,” she said.

“It is a real concern.

“I have had patients phone and say they won’t be coming in, they don’t feel safe,” she said.

“It has gone crazy. Nothing has happened with the outreach workers that are here.”