Among the unhoused community members who died this week was housing justice advocate Shea Smith. Ottosen says his death, like many others, was not only preventable but systemically inflicted by policy, including the daytime sheltering ban, which attempt to conceal rather than fix the housing crisis.

Following the deaths of 13 unhoused community members over the past 3 weeks, @backpackproject.bsky.social founder Niki Ottosen sharply criticized City of Victoria Mayor & Council this week as they deliberated on allocating another $4.7 million to enforce the city’s daytime sheltering ban.

Global National picked up photos I took for @indiginews.bsky.social of Gitxsan youth’s recent action in Victoria during the #BC NDP’s swearing-in ceremony.

See Neetu Garcha’s full reporting on the Gitanyow/Gitxsan resistance to the #PRGT pipeline here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-30V...