VICTORIA — Two suspected illegal drug labs, gasoline and other fuels contaminated the grounds of a former homeless camp on the lawn of Victoria's courthouse, says a government-commissioned report that recommends trucking away tonnes of soil.
Workers and heavy equipment were at the 3,000-square metre site Tuesday to clear the land.
Nine of the area's 20 trees have already been removed and efforts are underway to make way for a playground this spring.
Amrik Virk, British Columbia's minister responsible for the site, said the cleanup is expected to cost $350,000.
"We all agree we have to make it safe for children, and from the engineer's perspective that safety required removing about a foot and a half of soil to remove any suggestion of any contaminants," he said. "That's about 78 to 80 dump truckloads of contaminated soil that has to be removed from that site."
The environmental report said soil samples revealed levels of benzene, zinc, and hydrocarbons above standards, along with detectable concentrations of methamphetamine and traces of heroin, cocaine, LSD and MDMA.
"During decommissioning of the camp, two suspected illegal drug manufacturing operations, numerous hypodermic needles, and an extensive rat population were reported by the client," said the report by an environmental remediation company in Richmond.
The camp that housed more than 100 homeless people included a village of tents and lean-tos built on courthouse property in the middle of an affluent downtown area.
Neighbours complained of rats and used syringes, while residents of the tent city and homeless activists said the camp highlighted the need for more housing for vulnerable people.
The first tent was set up in November 2015 and the last one came down in August 2016. The government applied twice to the B.C. Supreme Court for injunctions to shut down the camp before succeeding based on unsafe conditions.
The province ended up spending more than $25 million to buy and renovate properties to provide more than 190 spaces for the homeless population, including shelter and living units at a former youth jail, a community centre and a former seniors' care facility.
Area resident Sue Mackenzie said the months-long camp turned her once quiet neighbourhood into a 24-hour transient thoroughfare where the sounds of police and ambulance sirens were constant.
She said she's pleased that people have found homes and the area will soon become a playground.
"They're not hunkered down near a methamphetamine lab. It's much better they are up in the nursing home and they've got beds and food."
