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Squatting in North America covers the occupation of land or buildings without legal right to do so in the Caribbean, Central America, Canada and the United States. Each zone has its own unique features and history, with squatting being used as a solution for homelessness. In Caribbean countries, the informal sector is large and numbers of squatters are generally high. In Canada, squatting is a tactic used by protestors for better housing rights, whilst in the United Sattes there have been widespread squatting movements in the past and in recent times homeless encampments, sometimes backed by political activists, have proliferated.

Caribbean

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In many Caribbean countries, the informal sector is large and numbers of squatters are high. Under colonialism, slaves would escape and found squatted Maroon communities and after slave rebellions and emancipation, former slaves often squatted near to where they had worked.[1]: 26 

Squatting occurred on both state-owned land and privately owned land.[1]: 32 

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for example, there were estimated to be 16,000 squatters in 2002, out of a total population of 116,000.[1]: 32 [2]

In the 1960s and 1970s, many states would repress and evict informal settlements, whilst since the 1980s governments have generally attempted to regularize them.[1]: 38 [3]

  • West Indies inc Cuba, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands. The Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Guayana Region in Venezuela, and Amapá in Brazil).

Antigua and Barbuda

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Bahamas

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The islands marked in red on a globe
The Bahamas marked on the globe

After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act, many former slaves squatted privately-owned land and it was established juridically that 20 years of adverse possession would result in gaining ownership (on Crown land it was 60 years).[4]

In the 21st century, undocumented migrants can be de facto squatters, tricked into paying rent to criminals posing as the owner, and the state will often evict these squatters. On the other hand, if the squatters are Bahamian nationals, the state will attempt to house them, helping them financially.[5] As of 2004, the government had no means of assessing exactly how much squatting was occurring across the island country.[6]

In 2022, the National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said that the state wanted to help squatters who were Bahamian nationals, but not if they were squatting on Crown land.[7]


Barbados

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Cuba

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  • Squatting in Cuba

Dominica

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  • Squatting in Dominica

Dominican Republic

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  • Squatting in Dominican Republic

Grenada

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Squatting in Grenada

Haiti

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Jamaica

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Suriname

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Trinidad and Tobago

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Central America

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There are many squatters in Central America. In the seven countries which make up the zone (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) only Belize has low numbers; in 2000, 0.5 per cent of households were squatted, whereas in Tegucigalpa (capital of Honduras) it was 46 per cent and in Guatemala City 29 per cent.[8]: 57 

Belize

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Squatting on national or private land in Belize is illegal and controlled by the National Lands Act and the Land Adjudication Act.[9][10][8]: 62  Squatters can gain title through adverse possession after 30 years of continuous occupation of state-owned land and 12 years of private land.[11]: 21 

Belize has buildings dating from the ancient Maya civilization which have latterly been occupied by squatters, although researchers find it difficult to say anything precise about who the squatters were.[12][13] In 2010, a report on housing in Belize written for the government and the World Bank stated that there was much less squatting in Belize as compared to other countries in the region and that most squatters were migrants from countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.[8]: 57  According to census data, 0.3 per cent of urban households were squatting in 1991, a figure which rose to 0.4 per cent in 2000, whilst 1.1 per cent of rural households were squatting in 1991 and in 2000 the figure had dropped to 0.5 per cent.[8]: 50 

The capital Belmopan was founded in 1971 and quickly attracted squatters to its peripheral areas. By the early 1990s, the largest informal settlement was called Las Flores and it was supported by the United Nations and other groups.[14] There were still other squatted zones in 2015.[15] Elsewhere in the country, squatting has occurred in the 2020s at places including Cotton Tree village,[10] the Krooman Lagoon,[16] the islands of Ambergris Cay and Caye Caulker[17] and in Toledo District.[18]

Costa Rica

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Notes

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El Salvador

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Guatemala

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Honduras

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Nicaragua

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  • Nope: Squatting in Panama

Northern America

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Nope: Squatting in Bermuda / Squatting in Greenland

Canada

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In Canada, there are two systems to register the ownership of land. Under the land title system, squatter rights, formally known as adverse possession, were abolished. However, under the registry system, these rights have been preserved. If a person occupies land for the required period of time as set out in provincial limitation acts and during that time no legal action is taken to evict them, then the ownership of the land transfers from the legal owner to the squatter.[19]

The Frances Street Squats in Vancouver were a row of six buildings squatted for nine months in 1990. They were evicted in a large operation and a film was subsequently made, called The Beat of Frances Street. In recent years, there have been a number of public squats which have brought together the two main contemporary reasons for squatting – homelessness and activism. Examples are the Lafontaine squat in Overdale, a district of Montréal (2001),[20] the Woodward's Squat in Vancouver (2002), the Infirmary Squat in Halifax (2002), the Pope Squat in Toronto (2002), the Seven Year Squat in Ottawa (2002), the Water Street Squat in Peterborough (2003), and the North Star hotel in Vancouver (2006). These were squats organised by anti-poverty groups which tended to be short-lived.[21] The Woodward's building was a derelict department store which had stood empty for nine years. After being evicted from the building, two hundred squatters set up a tent city on the pavement outside.[22] The action is credited with putting in motion the eventual redevelopment of the building.[23] The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP) publicly squatted 1130 Water Street, a building which stood empty after a fire. The group offered to repair the place and return it to its use as low-income housing. City officials agreed to the repairs and then City Council voted to demolish the building. The cost of demolition was $8,900 and the cost of repairs had been projected to be $6,900.[21] The North Star hotel was temporarily squatted as a protest against emptiness by the Vancouver Anti-Poverty Committee.[24]

In 2011, the 'Occupy Toronto squat team' squatted a basement at 238 Queen Street West and offered to take on a lease for 99 cents per year. They were evicted after eight hours.[25]

United States

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Rajack, Robin; Barhate, Shrikant (2004). Urban poverty and habitat precariousness in the Caribbean. United Nations. ISBN 92-1-121441-6.
  2. ^ Global Population Profile: 2002 (PDF). Washington, DC: US Census Bureau. 2004. p. A-13.
  3. ^ Clarke, C. G. (1974). "Urbanization in the Caribbean". Geography. 59 (3): 223–232. ISSN 0016-7487.
  4. ^ Craton, Michael; Saunders, Gail (1992). A History of the Bahamian People: From the Ending of Slavery to the Twenty-First Century. University of Georgia Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-8203-2284-1.
  5. ^ McHardy, Pauline; Donovan, Michael G. (2016). The State of Social Housing in Six Caribbean Countries. Inter-American Development Bank. p. 31.
  6. ^ McCormack, Elizabeth (2004). Private Lands Conservation in the Bahamas. University of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. p. 18.
  7. ^ Russell, Jade (21 June 2022). "'No one allowed to own land that belongs to govt'". The Tribune. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Angel, Shlomo; Sheppard, Stephen C.; Civco, Daniel L.; Buckley, Robert; Chabaeva, Anna; Gitlin, Lucy; Perlin, Micah; Kraley, Alison; Parent, Jason (2010). "Housing Policy in Belize: Diagnosis and Guidelines for Action (2010)". Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Belize: Squatters will be punished". Loop News. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Ministry of Natural Resources Issues Statement on Squatting". Ministry of Natural Resources. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  11. ^ Marsan, Joan (2004). Private Lands Conservation in Belize. University of Colorado School of Law.
  12. ^ Lamoureux-St-Hilaire, Maxime; Macrae, Scott; McCane, Carmen A.; Parker, Evan A.; Iannone, Gyles (2015). "The Last Groups Standing: Living Abandonment at the Ancient Maya Center of Minanha, Belize". Latin American Antiquity. 26 (4): 550–569. ISSN 1045-6635.
  13. ^ Stanton, Travis W.; Brown, M. Kathryn; Pagliaro, Jonathan B. (2008). "Garbage of the Gods? Squatters, Refuse Disposal, and Termination Rituals among the Ancient Maya". Latin American Antiquity. 19 (3): 227–247. ISSN 1045-6635.
  14. ^ Collins, Charles O. (1995). "Refugee Resettlement in Belize". Geographical Review. 85 (1): 20–30. doi:10.2307/215552. ISSN 0016-7428.
  15. ^ "Squatters in capital hit by eviction". Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Squatters in Krooman Lagoon Face Eviction, Seek Government Assistance". Love FM Belize News & Music Power. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Squatters Taking Up Private Land on Northern Caye Caulker". Channel 5 Belize. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Are Mayans From Guatemalan Squatting in Belize?". Channel 5 Belize. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Adverse Possession – The Law Behind Land Squatters". Archived from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  20. ^ Hanes, A. 'Squatters still going strong: Overdale activists vow never to leave new homes at city-owned Centre Prefontaine' in The Montréal Gazette August 23, 2001
  21. ^ a b "Labour Battles in B.C. and Quebec – Canadian Dimension". Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  22. ^ Vancouver's Woodwards squatters must go by Monday Archived 2006-05-24 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Ward, D. 'Anti-Olympic protesters get their game on' The Vancouver Sun January 29, 2010
  24. ^ "Police evict Vancouver squatters". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 October 2006. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07.
  25. ^ Sweetman, M. 'Occupying housing from the Pope Squat to Occupy Toronto' Archived 2013-03-13 at the Wayback Machine December 19, 2011
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