News Release
November 6, 2024

UBCIC Calls on the Vancouver Park Board to Halt the Planned Eviction of CRAB Park Residents

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/ Vancouver, B.C. – November 6, 2024) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) strongly condemns the Vancouver Park Board’s planned forced eviction of residents at Crab Park and stands firmly against this inhumane action, which reflects a violent disregard for human rights.

Crab Park has been home to residents since May 2021 and continues to shelter seven full-time residents, some of whom are First Nations. These seven individuals represent a mere 0.3% of the homeless population desperately in need of shelter in the area.[1] This move by the Vancouver Park Board is nothing short of a forced eviction, demonstrating a blatant disregard for human rights, and exhibiting a clear lack of empathy and compassion for the unhoused, while prioritizing park aesthetics over human dignity. The Vancouver Park Board claims to have consulted with residents of Crab Park, but the process has been a mere formality aimed at justifying a pre-determined eviction. This is not consultation and does not meet the standard of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent. It reflects a lack of attention to the real needs and rights of those living in Crab Park.

By Resolution 2022-63, the UBCIC has previously called on the City of Vancouver to work together with local Nations, frontline community advocates, and residents of the Downtown Eastside to prioritize de-escalation and trauma-informed, culturally safe services in order to end further oppression and dispossession. A co-developed, holistic, and whole-of-government approach is necessary to address this crisis in a meaningful way.

The UBCIC is calling for an immediate halt to the eviction and urges the city to work with the unhoused community, First Nations, and the public to develop sustainable, compassionate solutions that prioritize dignity and safety for all.

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Media inquiries:

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, 250-490-5314
Chief Don Tom, Vice-President, 604-290-6083
Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer, 250-957-7721

UBCIC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

For more information, please visit www.ubcic.bc.ca

[1] City of Vancouver 2023 Homeless Count

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