The British Columbia Safe Streets Act and the law of vagrancy: similarities and differences

North American cities have enacted legislation to counter panhandling and other income-generating activities of the visible poor. Anti-homeless laws are similar to earlier vagrancy laws in Western societies. This thesis addresses how British Columbia’s Safe Streets Act (BCSSA) compares with earlier vagrancy laws. A social constructionist perspective is combined with a content analysis of print media and provincial government debates available online. Government sources consisted of Provincial Legislature debates. The goal was to understand the social construction of the homeless problem through the BCSSA. Rhetoric employed in the social construction of the homeless problem was similar in that the homeless were characterized as a disruptive force and potential criminals. Alternative positions termed “pro-squeegee” were also identified in the data. Differences included a focus on exclusion from public spaces instead of idleness and lack of work, a wholly retributive response and a lack of a focus on general deterrence.