FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: VANCOUVER POLICE, CITY STAFF, SLOWLY MOVE ENCAMPMENT FROM DOWNTOWN!

Vancouver police, city staff begin removing encampment on East Hastings Street City says it has requested police support to 'bring the East Hastings encampment to a close' Police moved into Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on Wednesday morning as the city began carrying out its plan to remove a street encampment from the neighbourhood.

East Hastings Street, where people have been living in tents and make-shift structures, has been shut down at Main Street while the process begins.

In a statement, the City of Vancouver said it has requested support from the Vancouver Police Department to "bring the East Hastings encampment to a close," citing public safety and an increase of fires in the area.

According to the city, officers are on hand to protect city staff as they do their work and to enforce street and traffic bylaws.

City officials held a news conference Wednesday morning, about an hour after police set up on Hastings Street. City manager Paul Mochrie said the encampment has made the area more dangerous, and the goal is to have all the structures removed by the end of the day.

"This is about dealing with a very serious public safety issue," said Mochrie.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services reported more than 400 outdoor fires on East Hastings in the last eight months that injured four people. The Vancouver Police Department says there has been a nine per cent increase in assaults in the neighbourhood since last August, when the encampment began. In July, Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry issued an order to remove structures on the street because of extreme fire risk. Fry says it's since gotten worse.

"What we are seeing is more tents come down, and more tents go up, and it's not getting any better," said Fry. "It is a matter of time before more lives are lost."

The removal of the structures comes in the wake of leaked city documents that show a two-stage plan for the process.

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That leak raised concerns among advocates who work with people experiencing homelessness and mental health and substance use issues living in the East Hastings encampment.

"We're going to do everything we can to make sure that they feel human after this process because it's a very dehumanizing process," said Ryan Sudds, a member of Stop the Sweeps.

Sudds said the organization has a team of legal observers who will be keeping an eye on how the removals are conducted.