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.
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