Occupy Vancouver obeying fire regulations

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A BC Supreme Court judge has banned open flames and propane at Occupy Vancouver as it gives its lawyers more time to prepare to argue against the city’s effort to shut down the camp.

Protesters must obey an order from the fire chief and get ride of tarps and empty tents by Thursday. The interim order also means firefighters can move in to enforce the by-laws and police can move in to clear out or arrest people who resist.

On Wednesday night, fire crews inspected all but twelve of the tents and found full compliance with fire regulations. 

A woman was found in medical distress in one of the tents. She’s apparently a diabetic, rushed to hospital as protestors tried to shield her from the media.

A so-called “sacred fire” sparked a scuffle between police and Occupiers late Monday night as firefighters tried to douse a blaze and two police officers were said to have been bitten.

First Nations hereditary chief Telquaa has said she will continue to light the sacred fire regardless of what the court ruled. ” The fire is still on. The fire will still go.”

Occupy lawyers argued an enforcement order might spark the kind of violence seen at Occupy Oakland.

Occupy Vancouver’s Elijah Ignatieff argued they could have handled the safety measures on their own.

“There’s a big difference between them doing it versus us doing it, right? And so if they do it with the police that’s very different from us doing it.”

Occupy lawyers have until next Wednesday to prep a defence against the city’s push to shut down the camp completely.

Jason Gratl is the lawyer for one of the Occupy Vancouver participants. He wants a week to prepare for the City’s application to shut down the camp.

The judge says she will grant an adjournment for him, but it depends if Occupy Vancouver can come to some kind of an agreement with the City on orders from the fire chief to make the site safer. That includes no burning in tents.

Speakers for Occupy Vancouver say they are already working to make the site safer and the City doesn’t need give them an enforcement order to make sure that happens.

However, the lawyer for the City of Vancouver says some of the city staff, as well as the fire chief, say it’s very difficult to communicate with anybody at Occupy Vancouver because no one is in charge. The lawyer even quoted one police officer saying when she was down there, she had a very hostile reaction, and some people were intent or planning to have a violent confrontation with police.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today