Tag Archives: bylaw

Susan Z. Martin Addresses Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024

NSUN member Susan Z. Martin spoke to council about the slow pace of housing construction for those most in need in the CRD and what NSUN sees as a viable and quickly available alternative – sanctioned encampments. See Susan’s address beginning at about 38:35 minutes into this video. The text of her address is here.Continue reading “Susan Z. Martin Addresses Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024”

Niki Ottosen and Tammy C. Address Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024

NSUN member Niki Ottosen, founder of The Backpack Project, was the first speaker of six to address council at their meeting on April 11, 2024. Niki spoke about the harassment of unhoused people by City of Victoria bylaw officers. The text of her address is here and you can watch her starting at about 23:00Continue reading “Niki Ottosen and Tammy C. Address Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024”

Helen Smith Addresses Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024

NSUN member Helen Smith spoke to council on April 11, 2024 about the human rights violations perpetrated by Bylaw Officers on the unhoused and the moral obligations of the municipal government and the public to do better. See Helen’s address beginning at about 32:00 minutes into this video. The text of her address is here.Continue reading “Helen Smith Addresses Mayor and Council – April 11, 2024”

Unhoused Neighbour Makes Heartfelt Presentation to Mayor and Council

One of NSUN’s activities is pushing back against policies and regulations that are harmful to unhoused people. The change to bylaws regarding personal property introduced by the City of Victoria in early-December 2023 is one such action. This bylaw allows officers to impound the belongings of unhoused neighbours for several days, and the changes includeContinue reading “Unhoused Neighbour Makes Heartfelt Presentation to Mayor and Council”

NSUN’s 2023 Year in Review

History The Fairfield Gonzales Support for the Unhoused group (FGSU) was formed at the end of October 2020 by a small group of neighbourhood residents with a shared interest in supporting those without homes camping 24/7 in the parks located in Fairfield Gonzales; Meegan/Beacon Hill, Gonzales, and Hollywood. In June 2021, we renamed our group,Continue reading “NSUN’s 2023 Year in Review”

NSUN Summer Closure

NSUN is taking a break from regular meetings for the summer. We held our last formal meeting on May 31 and will return in September. Stay tuned to learn when meetings will restart and drop us a line through our contact form or by emailing neighbourhoodsun@gmail.com if you’d like to be notified when we restart.Continue reading “NSUN Summer Closure”

Friend of NSUN talks to Mayor and Council About Inhumane Treatment of the Unhoused by Bylaw

Friend of NSUN, Jeff McEown (husband of breakfast crew member Helen), gave a stirring and powerful address to Mayor and Council on March 9, 2023, about the inhumane treatment of the unhoused by the City’s bylaw officers. See the video beginning at 14:46: https://pub-victoria.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?Id=1c772d0c-358b-4cb9-b79e-d6447889c60f.

Call to city council to end bylaw enforcement during Emergency Weather Response

One of our members spoke to the Victoria City Council on February 9, 2023, about the confiscation of unhoused folks’ tents and belongings by bylaw officers when the Emergency Weather Response (EWR) is active and the need for trauma-informed outreach. Many people living on our streets and in our parks are hesitant to use EWRContinue reading “Call to city council to end bylaw enforcement during Emergency Weather Response”