US EditionMedia exclusion zone during 2023 Vancouver decampment ‘unlawful,’ report finds
The report urges police to stop media restrictions without judicial approval and recommends police training and legislative changes to protect media freedom during public safety operations.
- On Feb. 4, 2026, the report finds that Vancouver Police unlawfully limited media access during a Downtown Eastside encampment, lacking legal authority, according to Govender.
- Vancouver Police and city staff during the April 5 and 6 operation justified dismantling tents citing fire danger and increased crime.
- The Canadian Press reporters were initially excluded from Hastings Street, while Vancouver Police said they went to significant lengths to facilitate media access, sharing information with Govender.
- The report makes six recommendations, including that police immediately stop excluding or restricting media without judicial authorization or a `credible and substantial threat` to public safety, as Govender found the police and the city failed to balance safety and media freedom.
- The finding raises concerns about transparency and press freedom, potentially leading to reforms in police training and Police Act amendments, as Govender urged the Public Safety Ministry to fund rights-based training.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Police unlawfully blocked media in Vancouver decampment, human rights report finds
A new human rights report has found that Vancouver police acted unlawfully and undermined press freedom when they blocked journalists from covering the 2023 Downtown Eastside tent city eviction and called for new laws to improve media access in future operations.
The Toronto Star
Loonie PoliticsMedia exclusion zone during 2023 Vancouver decampment ‘unlawful,’ report finds
VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner has found that the actions of Vancouver Police were "unlawful" by limiting media access as city workers broke up a homeless encampment
Winnipeg Free Press
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Media exclusion zone during 2023 Vancouver decampment 'unlawful,' report finds – Energeticcity.ca
VANCOUVER — Police and the City of Vancouver took “unlawful” actions when restricting media access as city workers broke up a Downtown Eastside homeless encampment in 2023, but they are unwilling to accept recommended reforms that might restrict “police discretion,” British Columbia’s human rights commissioner says. Kasari Govender’s office released a report Wednesday into the exclusion of media from the area on Hastings Street, which at the tim…
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