Kelowna encampment residents speak out after Poilievre compares designated sleeping area to 3rd world country

Garth Gorrel and his wife, Debbie Houghtaling, have been camping along the Okanagan Rail Trail at the north end of downtown Kelowna, B.C., for two years.

Gorrel, a former steelworker in Kamloops, and Houghtaling, who used to do online clerical work for an Alberta-based janitorial service, both lost their jobs due to layoffs at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoping to find employment, the couple relocated to Kelowna but had no luck. Unable to afford a rental apartment, they made the decision to shelter outdoors.

“We’re staying right there — home sweet home,” Gorrel said, standing near their makeshift residence consisting of two tents, a vegetable garden, and their dog Kismet.

“Don’t get

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