Tent Cities Aren’t the Problem, Just a Symptom

Tent Cities Aren’t the Problem, Just a Symptom
People walk past a tent city outside the Fraser Health supervised consumption site in Surrey, B.C., on June 6, 2017. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward
Updated:

Tonight, an increasing number of Canadians face the prospect of sleeping in a tent—not to welcome the summer camping season but as a last resort.

Unlike regulated campgrounds, tent cities are without electricity, water, and often bathrooms. These makeshift encampments appear to be on the rise, with Winnipeg and Nanaimo, B.C., being two recent examples of desperate people sharing large outdoor spaces that lack basic amenities.