RSS FeedB.C. introduces law blasted by critics as means to hide homeless for Games
B.C. introduces law blasted by critics as means to hide homeless for Games
The B.C. government introduced a controversial law Thursday that will allow police to take homeless people to shelters in extreme weather, but won’t give officers the power to force them to stay.
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A draft version of the law leaked earlier this fall revealed the government was considering allowing police to take the homeless to local jails, but that has been dropped.[Housing and Social Development Minister] Coleman said he expects the law could be the subject of a court challenge.
It will be the first of its kind in Canada.
Despite Coleman’s assurances that homeless people have the right to refuse entry to a shelter, the proposed law could backfire and result in the homeless hiding from police in extreme weather, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said.
