Letter: Squamish District accused of perpetuating stigma against vehicle residents

A long-time Squamish resident is calling on the District to end the stigma and outlawing of vehicle living in a response to recent towing controversies. Regarding the story published Aug. 25, 'Absolutely appalling': Swiss tourists van towed while grocery shopping at Walmart,'people are outraged because a tourist was towed at Walmart, but pay little heed to the fact that people who live in vehicles are daily, being targeted, displaced and ticketed by bylaw, including myself, a Squamish vehicle resident of 25 years. My vehicle is my home. So is Squamish. I own a business here and support local businesses too. I do not identify as 'housing insecure' or homeless. I do not want to be confined to a house or a parking lot. Happy to pay for a permit system though, as mobility is important to me, as it is to many vehicle residents. Vehicle residents, vehicle living, and our mobility are not the 'problems.' The problem is the outlawing of a perfectly legitimate way of living and the discourse the District perpetuates by continually referring to us as 'threats to public safety, the environment or a fire hazard.' This is stigma, which fuels division. I read on social media the stigma towards vehicle residents and have experienced it firsthand. My RV tire was slashed recently. And despite that the bylaw was intended for 'problematic campers,' not locals, I continue to be harassed by officers and ticketed for sleeping on public land, which I am disputing. Meanwhile, the District and Tourism Squamish, from the safety of their homes think this is OK.? It is not. There are a lot of people deeply and negatively impacted by this. Vehicle residents are human beings who, like all people, deserve safety and to be treated with dignity and equality, regardless of home. With an air of paternalism, the District and Tourism Squamish assume that Squamish residents are living in vehicles because of housing or affordability. I suggest, as experts in our own lives, it is much wiser to ask us why we live in vehicles and what we think the solution may be. Remember, people are diverse, as are their situations. Living differently is OK, and many vehicle residents do it respectfully. Good honourable people live in vehicles, just like some irresponsible people live in houses. Best to avoid assumptions that put people into boxes or labels that confine, blame, and judge. This includes furthering the stigma, the current blanket bans on sleeping in a vehicle or relying on sedentary solutions like 'one big parking lot' or housing. Thomasina Pidgeon Squamish Words missing in article? Your ad blocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.