With a population of 5,400, Smithers has four times the per capita rate of homelessness in Vancouver, and a glaring reminder of the growing crisis across the street from the town hall.
Since 2020, a homeless encampment on the edge of Veterans Peace Park has been expanding, along with public safety concerns in the small northwestern B.C. community.
Following ongoing disorder and repeated fires, council recently approved spending up to $234,000 per year for private security to monitor the designated Temporary Overnight Sheltering Area (TOSA) and conduct roving patrols of the downtown core.
The town said it will give the extra security presence a six-month trial, to start.
Since Oct. 1, two Blue Hawk Security guards have been patrolling the encampment from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays and 24/7 on weekends and statutory holidays to “deter disruptive behaviour, and support the safety and well-being of TOSA residents and the community”.
The July Encampment Fire
“I heard they’re just here so that nobody lights fire,” said Ron Aslin.
Aslin, who suffered serious burns and lost most of his possessions when a large fire ripped through the encampment on July 19, said he understands the need for safety.
“The flames caught my arm here, and I got burnt on my leg here, and my arms,” Aslin told Global News in an interview.
Prior to the fire, Aslin said he heard hissing sounds in a tent. When he discovered the noise was coming from a propane bottle and wouldn’t stop, he said he grabbed the bottle and tossed it, forgetting there was a candle burning nearby.
“Just as soon as I threw it and the whole propane exploded, went 30 feet in the air,” Aslin, a former heavy equipment operator at Site C, recalled. “I’m not close to being healed yet.”
Following several weeks in a hotel, Aslin, who also recently underwent surgery for cancer, said he had no choice but to return to the encampment as he recovers.
“It is tough here, living though like this,” Aslin said.
Robert Nicholas lost his partner, Wilhelmina Holly Hilbach, in December 2021.Melissa Sue Nicholas, his sister, died in December 2024.
Robert Nicholas, 46, was arrested and charged with arson causing bodily harm in connection with the fire that injured Aslin.
“It wasn’t me, accidents do happen,” Nicholas said in an interview.
Nicholas, who was born and raised in Smithers, said he stayed at the encampment on and off for four years prior to the large overnight fire.
“They used to call me the mayor of Tent City because I took care of everything, made sure everything was in line, nobody gets hurt,” Nicholas told Global News. “I helped a lot of people and now everybody thinks I’m an arsonist.”
Nicholas, who was released from custody on six conditions – including having no contact with Aslin and keeping 50 metres away from the Aldous Street encampment – is now staying with his family.
“Sometimes I keep my head down when I’m biking, coming downtown because people (are) looking at me and thinking I’m a bad criminal,” he said. “It hurts.”
The Human Cost
Taxpayers are indirectly paying for the overnight and weekend security patrols, which are being funded through the Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance, a funding agreement with the province that ensures more of the revenue generated by local industry stays in the region.
The mayor of Smithers said this was not an easy decision for council but noted the town does not have a shelter or supportive housing to accommodate the 15 to 18 people currently living in the encampment.
“We ran out of options,” Gladys Atrill told Global News. “So it’s like what can we do with the resources we have to provide some increased security for the people who are living here, and for our residents and businesses.”
According to the 2025 Homeless Count, the number of unhoused individuals in Smithers has more than doubled in four years, from 33 in 2021 to 77 this year.
“I don’t want people freezing to death,” the mayor told Global News.
The town has already provided storage lockers for TOSA residents and two porta-potties, and is now allocating $126,000 for improvements – including fencing, pads and new tents.
Atrill said Smithers is also working towards having an extreme winter shelter in place but it’s not guaranteed at this point.
“We’re going to do the best we can but it’s still not enough if it’s minus 20s,” said Atrill.
Hazelton Resident Brandi Forsythe said her tent was smashed in with an axe during the first of her two winters at the encampment.
She worries about heat for the residents, with winter approaching.
“People have nothing here,” Forsythe told Global News in an interview. “They’re struggling right, so they’re trying to survive.”
Encampment Safety
Smithers Community Safety Officer Carl Chad said the municipality is required to have a safe place for people to shelter overnight, and while the encampment is considered temporary, it’s understood the need for it is going to continue for a while.
“I don’t think being here is the best for anybody but it’s what we have – so we can only make it the best we can make it,” Chad told Global News.
In his role, Chad said he takes an education-first approach to fire dangers in order to gain compliance on the open flame ban and ensure safe spacing rules are followed between tents.
“Obviously,there’s rules that we have to enforce, but we really don’t want to go in there with a heavy hand,” Chad said in an interview.
Chad, who works with RCMP and outreach to connect people with services and treatment, said he finds the job rewarding.
“Some of these people are just on hard times – addiction and trauma-based,” Chad said. “I’ve definitely built a lot of bridges in there and we’ve had a few success stories where we’ve gotten people into treatment and they’re no longer in there.”
Robert Nicholas lost his partner, Wilhelmina Holly Hilbach, in December 2021.Melissa Sue Nicholas, his sister, died in December 2024.
The Toll of Addiction
Motivated by her daughter, who turns 19 this month, Forsythe said she’s leaving the Smithers Tent City to return home and go to detox.
“I’m missing the last two years of her life,” she said in an interview. “For the most part, I was there through her whole life… everything I did was for her.”
“Nobody should judge anybody,” urged Nicholas, who said he struggles with alcohol.
“I lost a lot of people, a lot of friends and family through addictions,” he said.
Nicholas said he lost the ‘love of his life’ in December 2021 and last December, his sister died.
“It’s hard, I just hope for the best for Tent City.”
Nicholas said he’s glad security has been hired but is surprised at the cost.
He would like to see more and better housing, and said additional work and counselling programs are needed in Smithers and elsewhere, to address addictions.
“Anything to help people get off the streets,” Nicholas told Global News.
In a heart-wrenching admission, Nicholas said his 20-year-old daughter now spends time in the downtown encampment he’s been ordered to stay away from.
“I wish everybody could just turn their lives around and be somebody who they want to be, not stuck over there,” he said. “It’s a struggle, you know. We can do it, we can change.”
