Victoria police help bylaw officers clear homeless encampment, some vow to return

On Tuesday morning, along the 600-block of Princess Avenue in downtown Victoria, bylaw officers – accompanied by Victoria police officers –moved to clear a homeless encampment.

On Tuesday morning, along the 600-block of Princess Avenue in downtown Victoria, bylaw officers – accompanied by Victoria police officers – moved to clear a homeless encampment.

The city says the police officers were only there to keep the peace.

Dennis Davies, who is homeless and has been living on that block for four years, says it's a regular occurrence.

"They’ve been telling me every six weeks or so that I’m not allowed to be here, that I can’t reside here," he said Tuesday.

While it may have looked like the recent decampment in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the City of Victoria says Tuesday's move was different.

The city says it was part of regular, daily work happening city-wide to curb the growth of encampments and reduce risks.

"It did get a little out of hand," said Davies. "I mean, I was building a house out of lumber."