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The quick read: A B.C. Supreme Court justice has ordered the long-standing encampment off Highway 97 in Penticton cleared, granting an injunction that takes effect at noon on Friday, October 30. The judge found the encampment, in place for roughly two years, poses a significant public safety risk.

After roughly two years, the clock has run out on Penticton's Highway 97 encampment.

A B.C. Supreme Court justice has granted an injunction barring occupation of the road dedication where the encampment stands, according to news reports of the ruling.

The injunction takes effect at noon on Friday, October 30.

By then, the temporary structures must be cleared.

Why the court acted

Justice Briana Hardwick found in her oral reasons that the encampment poses a significant public safety risk.

The site, a fenced community of tents and temporary structures off Highway 97, has been the subject of years of dispute between the province, the city, and neighbouring residents.

The province took the encampment to court earlier this year, arguing the site was unsafe for the people living there and for the surrounding community.

Earlier reporting put the number of people living at the site at roughly two dozen.

The other side of the story

Advocates for encampment residents have argued that local shelter space is at or near capacity, leaving few alternatives for the people being told to leave.

That concern is real, and it deserves an honest answer.

But a highway roadside was never a housing policy.

It was a failure of one, and two years of encampment living, with its fires, waste, and safety hazards, helped nobody, least of all the people living there.

What local leaders have said

Independent MLA for Penticton-Summerland Amelia Boultbee has long pressed the province to act, warning that the legal process was taking too long given the safety concerns at the site.

She has also said more action is needed on the root causes, including detox beds, noting that Penticton-Summerland currently has none.

The province's Ministry of Housing has said the encampment is not a safe place for people to shelter and remains committed to moving people indoors.

What to watch

Watch what happens Friday at noon, and, more importantly, where the roughly two dozen residents go next.

Clearing a camp is not a solution by itself.

The test of this ruling is whether the province follows through with real indoor options, including treatment, rather than simply moving the problem to the next roadside.

We will update this story as the deadline approaches.

Sources: News reports of the B.C. Supreme Court injunction ruling, including Global News reporting on the encampment court proceedings and the B.C. Ministry of Housing statement. The injunction details are as reported; the court's written reasons were delivered orally.

Photo credit: Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash