Photo: The Canadian Press Tents line the sidewalk on East Hastings Street as the city works to clear tents from a massive homeless encampment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. People living in a growing encampment along a busy street in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Notices have been served in Vancouver that the tents and other structures are to be removed. The city’s fire chief issued an order last month requiring the tents to be cleared due to extreme fire safety. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daryl Dyck Police are urging people living in a tent encampment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to be vigilant after someone distributed threatening flyers in the area over the weekend. A statement from Vancouver police says an investigation has been launched to determine who is responsible for the fliers that threatened to burn tents with gasoline and propane if residents did not vacate the encampment along Hastings Street within a week. Police say the flyers also included threats against a supervised drug injection site. Sgt. Steve Addison says in the statement that police are asking people to report suspicious activity and anyone with information about the flyers is asked to call them. Fire Chief Karen Fry ordered the removal of the tents erected along Hastings Street sidewalks last month, saying there was an extreme fire and safety risk. Police blocked off traffic last Tuesday as city staff began a process expected to take weeks to dismantle the encampment, but little had changed by week’s end, with most residents staying put, saying they have nowhere else to go. The city said staff plans to approach camp residents with “respect and sensitivity” to encourage the voluntary removal of tents and their belongings.
