Questions are being raised about how many people living at the tent encampment outside Colonial Building are there out of necessity, or by choice.
In the House of Assembly Wednesday Housing Minister Fred Hutton indicated that government assistance is regularly offered to the people living there, but he suggested, not all are there for want of appropriate supports.
“There is a difference between the people who are actually living in the tents, and the protesters. But make no mistake, there are protesters there who are using this as an avenue to protest,” Hutton said responding to questions from the Opposition’s Joedy Wall.
That drew a quick response from NDP Leader Jim Dinn.
“The organizers may call their involvement a protest,” Dinn fired back. “Are you actually saying that you believe that the people that are living in the tents during some of the harshest weather, are simply protesting? Because I can assure you they are not.”
“It is not what I said,” Hutton replied. “Let me be clear, there are two aspects to this, there are people who need help and we are offering the help, on a regular basis….but what I will say Mr. Speaker is that there are very clearly protest aspects to this.”
Laurel Huget with a group known as Tent City for Change applauds what she calls the resilience of people who have been camping out at the scene in rain and snow.
“I happen to think that the simple act of existing in tents in one of the wealthiest cities in the world…is a pretty profound act of protest and resistance against 40 years of government failure to adequately house folks.”