TIMES COLONIST: Campbell River rejects art gallery's tax exemption after unhoused seek shelter under awnings
Campbell River’s non-profit art gallery fears it might have to shut its doors because council is set to reject its annual bid for a tax exemption and might not approve a major city grant, after the gallery was described as operating in a “poor neighbourly manner.” At a council meeting last week, Councillor Ron Kerr accused the gallery and Vancouver Island Mental Health Society — which runs a supervised injection site and a sobering and assessment centre — of “having significant negative effects on our downtown community.” In terms of the art gallery, the problem seems to stem from the fact that the building’s architecture features an awning-type structure that has become a popular place for the unhoused to seek shelter at night ... CLICK HERE for the full story