Inquiry to review restrictions on media during April 2023 Downtown Eastside decampment

B.C.’S Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender has launched an inquiry into the exclusion or restriction of the media from an April 2023 decampment in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

While there were multiple reports of journalists being denied access to the area and encountering blockades at key intersections during the DTES decampment, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) asserts there was no exclusion zone and that press were only asked to congregate at a muster point for safety reasons.

The Commissioner’s inquiry aims to discover the truth behind the alleged DTES exclusion zone and determine the source of police authority to create such zones absent a court injunction. It aims to safeguard the rights of marginalized communities and uphold the principles of press freedom. The inquiry will also develop recommendations.

“When police may potentially come into conflict with some of society’s most marginalized people during a police operation, allegations of media being excluded or restricted from reporting on those operations raise serious red flags and merit investigation,” said Govender.

“The B.C. public rely on the media to gather and publish information, including on any potential human rights violations. The press plays a key role in our democracy and the protection of human rights.”

In November 2023, the Vancouver Police Board dismissed a complaint about the use of media exclusion zones during the DTES decampment. The Human Rights Commissioner’s inquiry will look at the issue more broadly.

More information about the inquiry can be found on the Commissioner’s website at bchumanrights.ca/media-exclusion-inquiry.