I came across Fred panhandling in Sidney, where he has been hunting for low-profile places to sleep lately after his camp on forested Crown land not far from town was found by park rangers and torn down. He had been there for 3 months. He remembers the day he walked out of the woods and got seen by someone, who he thinks must have reported him. Fred is Indigenous and originally from Alberta. He almost had housing a while back after moving himself to Port Alberni and living in the woods for 7 months to wait for an opening, but at the last minute got told he couldn’t have it unless he was BC Indigenous. It was back to the woods after that. “I can’t stand being on Pandora. It’s just too crazy, and the environment is so negative,” says Fred. He was happy to talk as long as no photo was involved. “Write my story, but I’m not the type who likes to be in a photo. I can barely stand to look at myself in the mirror!”