Homeless have right to tent in parks, Victoria lawyer argues

Last Updated: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 | 1:22 PM ET
CBC News

A Victoria lawyer has launched a court challenge against a bylaw prohibiting people from sleeping in tents in city parks.

Catherine Boies told CBC News on Tuesday the number of homeless people in the city far exceeds the number of shelter beds available.

"What we're saying is, in circumstances where people don't have the opportunity to have some kind of shelter, they have to be able to put up some form of shelter in the city," said Boies.

The case is a counter-challenge to a permanent injunction granted to the city in the summer of 2005. The injunction permitted municipal authorities to dismantle a homeless encampment that sprung up in a city park because of a shortage of shelter beds.

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