On Sunday, Nov. 10, the Business Engagement Ambassador Project (BEAP) run by Matsqui-Abbotsford Impact Society hosted a community clean at the protest encampment outside City Hall prior to the Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 12. About 62 people, mostly from the street community, showed up to pick up garbage, rake leaves, and tidy up the area. The Remembrance Day ceremony was hosted at the cenotaph adjacent to the encampment and was restricted to dignitaries only. It was live streamed for the public online and at Rotary Stadium.Â
Many veterans and attendees were upset by the reduction in ceremony size. One man went so far as to stage a protest and verbally attacked residents of the protest encampment, which has been in place since June of this year. Justice Sandra Sukstorf ordered the city to work with encampment residents in gradually relocating them as appropriate shelter space for them is found.
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
