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It’s already a year for Maple Ridge’s tent city

Open house, tours planned for next week
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Camp marks a year since being formed last spring. (THE NEWS/files)

Anita Place Tent City is marking its first year of existence at the foot of 223rd Street in downtown Maple Ridge.

Camp volunteers are hosting a walking tour, next Saturday, April 28, of the camp. Those tours take place at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., along with an open house in the warming centre from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on that day.

Organizers also will give brief talks about what it’s like to live in the camp, particularly after this year’s cold winter.

People who want to participate are asked to register on the EventBrite website.

The camp is named after Anita Hauck, a resident of the Cliff Avenue camp who died in September 2015 after getting trapped in a clothing donation bin at Meadowtown Shopping Centre.

The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs has bought three properties on Royal Crescent where it plans to build 55 modular homes for the residents of the camp. It plans on opening that project sometime this year.

Camp volunteer Chris Bossley said about 70 people are currently living in tent city.