After living in Vancouver's Stanley Park for 30 years, what's next for Chris Bailey?

Stanley Park looks quite different now than it did in 1990.
The green, lush forest is becoming a shadow of its former self with thousands of trees being cut down and removed.
And having lived in the park for 34 years, Christenson Bailey notices everything.
In the final story of Alissa Thibault's three-part series, we look at the 74 year-old's unique perspective of the evolving landscape and why it may be time for him to move on.
For more info, please go to globalnews.ca/news/10433633/s...
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[@annm4833]

I'm wishing this man the best of luck ❤❤❤

[@saltysailor141]

He’s had luck…he lives free. And off your taxes. Wanna pay for my lifestyle too?

[@cathybassett6432]

Chris Bailey is amazing. Please do a follow up story.

[@saltysailor141]

Nope…he’s far from it. He’s a freeloading bum

[@az-yq3rk]

Pray that Chris finds a safe haven with new, good and caring friends, amongst lots of birds and forest wonders.

[@robbrenton9438]

Finally! An interesting person in Vancouver ! Thank you !

[@nickyalousakis3851]

lol

[@user-nc7cf4sp1r]

In Vancouver, everyone drinks the Kool-aid. ☹️👎

[@tungstenanderson5991]

Surrey has spoken..

[@ShemPayne]

He's ahead of his time, soon all Canadians will be living like Chris.

[@saltysailor141]

You mean like loafs? He’s a bum

[@VincentNajger1]

@@saltysailor141 he's implying that things are getting so bad economically, that everyone will be living in tents soon, coz that's all anyone can afford. And this guy is a hermit, not a bum....they are 2 very different things. But you likely already know that and are just being vindictive.

[@SlickArmor]

​@saltysailor141 others may call him a starving artist. I suspect he has a bank account that would dwarf yours and boggle your mind.

[@saltysailor141]

@@SlickArmor I’m a retired navy guy and currently fly for ups… No offense to your comment? But I sincerely doubt he has financial means, exceeding mine. If he does? Shameful for scamming society out of their tax money, to pay for his unwillingness to participate in society.

[@saltysailor141]

@@VincentNajger1 wrong….hes a bum. A bum takes handouts and doesn’t work. Where is he different than I am describing? And btw? I lived rough for several years…. Joined the navy, retired honorably and joined ups. Worked my way up from a hub worker making minimum wage wage in Washington state, to taking loans to get through flight school…and then years of grinding out my multi engine licenses and ratings in Alaska, all to finally work as a 757 and 747 pilot for ups as a commercial pilot. So no…..not a hint of me being vindictive here…you read that wrong. I’m drawing direct attention to this man’s unwillingness to conform to society norms and contribute back to said society. You have an excellent night sir/maam.

[@leslie6189]

Sunshine coast... On property alongside the forest 2ith big picture windows and a covered porch with skylights.... If we could make this happen, he could age out gracefully and happily

[@thormidthagahast8914]

So? We pay for that?

[@leslie6189]

@@thormidthagahast8914 it could very likely be made possible through philanthropy

[@thormidthagahast8914]

@@leslie6189 so we pay for that? Or does he? Whe does he get a free house? While we work? Sounds like the newcomers and the natives, free everything.

[@leslie6189]

@@thormidthagahast8914 a philanthropist is a person that shares and supports others, and is a person who has amassed enough wealth to be able to share. Perhaps this is a project that a philanthropist would feel good about, especially a fellow artist. I suggested sunshine Coast as there is adequate social and medical help for aging into senior years

[@leclercj764]

@@leslie6189I’ve been a philanthropist since I started paying taxes. Can’t you see all the people getting free rides? lol

[@RichardZERO]

The respect those police treat this man with is admirable. Everyone wearing a badge should take notes.

[@user-zf3xb3qx8w]

Mounted Squad in Stanley Park. Shout Out to them.

[@jill7717]

Give this man a camera and I would watch it every day! We could learn so much from him and everything about nature😊

[@jill7717]

@@bdawg8907 why is he anti social?? Because he lives in the woods?

[@gofez3476]

@@bdawg8907 Yes. Absurdly negative. Someone said something positive. That watching videos of him would have education value. This is true, evidenced by the time he was able to stay there for, and a positive. Your comment called his mental state into question. Not only is this off topic, but it is unfounded in any fact, and you actually too the time to post a frowning face. Thus, I accurately called your comment absurdly negative, because it is. The definition of high horse does not match my comment, as I did not allude to myself having better knowledge, or any sort of superiority in my statement. You can Google high horse if you'd like. You've used it incorrectly. You mentioned that you thought you would "maybe" survive in a forrest for 30 years. I assume you have no outdoor training, or you would be in awe of this man for being able to do what he's done, rather than slander him. Maybe you know what types of wood are needed to make a handfire. Maybe you know where to look for water, and how to clean the appropriate source. Maybe you can track and trap animals, and know what you can grow and eat from the natural vegetation, and which would poison you. But my bet is that you would not last three days.

[@vanillaicedcoffee5355]

I mean, the fact that he’s maintained positive relations with the police and opening shared his forest home with a new crew doesn’t suggest antisocial personality to me. He’s an eccentric who obviously prefers to live alone in nature. There’s a lot folks could learn from his life, just as there’s lots to learn from a lot of peoples lives. Stop being little buttholes.

[@jill7717]

@@bdawg8907 because I haven’t lived in the woods for 30+ years so I’m sure I could learn everything from him! All the important nature things ❤️

[@saltysailor141]

He doesn’t need more handouts than he has…. He’s got tent loads of things people have given him….like he’s a pet…or a child. Man needs a J…..O…..B.

[@melissajohanesonrice7055]

Precious soul ❤

[@peterblack3665]

How about a Park Guide with built residence in Stanley Park......he knows the place like the back of his hand......

[@somethingsomething404]

There is already a house in Stanley park. The guy who fires the 9 o clock gun lives there. I don’t think they want more housing in the park.

[@djs4415]

God Bless You, Sir ❤🌹🌹

[@nickyalousakis3851]

for what?

[@skang420]

he deserves hell, if not jail

[@Inner_stillness]

Wishing him all the best 🙏🏻❤️

[@VincentNajger1]

Here in Australia, there was an old fellow the locals of Far North Queensland called Tarzan. He spent decades with a hessian sack over his shoulder, slowly jogging a loop around a bunch of towns. He had camps all over and he'd just duck off the road into one of his rainforest camps. He was extremely grizzled and had a deep chestnut brown permanent tan from the Queensland sun. His real name is Michael Fomenko and he had an incredible life that most only dream of living....especially that nomadic lifestyle that he was originally heavily vilified for, but now is what people dream about doing. His father was a professor and his mother Russian royalty apparently. He also once paddled a hand made dugout canoe to Papua New Guinea. An amazing life by any metric. I recently read about 'The Leatherman' in the US. Both were clearly cut from the same cloth a century apart. I'm glad that people's attitudes have changed towards these modern day hermits to a more positive view of them. We used to cherish these forest dwelling old dudes for their knowledge and experience, as well as their wisdom ....... a wise-ard, or a 'wizard' in modern language. The archetype came from exactly the kind of men like the awesome old dude in this vid. The Wise-ard of Stanley Park.

[@pendizzy6352]

Protect this AMAZING GUY!

[@trickolas78]

Yes. Vagrants and law breakers are canadian treasures lmao

[@nickyalousakis3851]

someone please make this man a productive member of society.

[@SCOHEN250K]

God bless you Chris!

[@nickyalousakis3851]

for what?

[@SCOHEN250K]

@@nickyalousakis3851 There is an amazing lesson in his story. Even the police saw that he was different and treated him accordingly. He achieved the happiness that is elusive to so many. If you don't see the value, then why did you watch the video?

[@nickyalousakis3851]

@@SCOHEN250K to read about the park and what this man has seen in the park. but i don't admire a man who has idle hands. he is a good natured man. but so what? so am I.

[@SCOHEN250K]

Well, I think it's great that you didn't learn anything from listening to his story. That tells me that you're on a completely different frequency. Why tune to a channel that you have not subscribed to? Do you usually stare at a microwave expecting to see waves emanating from it?

[@nickyalousakis3851]

@@SCOHEN250K -- even at my expense i did like your humor.

[@MichealBacon]

There needs to be a story on that former case worker..plucked straight off Main & Hastings

[@nedscheebly731]

oh yeah, dude has pinned pupils. he is fried off opiates

[@clifforddean232]

You can tell that dude has some stories lol

[@SaoirseAnthony]

Best of everything, Chris.

[@The67wheelman]

Reminds me of of the hermit of Chemainus on the Island. He had built a park with paths and benches in the bush outskirts of the town. Lived in a home built camper shell. Friendly enough but kept his distance. I lived there the winter of 1987 and often wonder what became of him especially now that im approaching the age he was then.

[@SquidandCatAdventures]

So touching to see people helping him in various ways. Good luck to him. With his connection to nature and art, I would think getting out of Vancouver might be a better option. On one of the smaller islands, for example.

[@heather-cz8yk]

Thank you for helping this man!

[@PeterParker-ev9on]

Wishing Chris the best in his next chapter!

[@kellypond9377]

May the Earth Mother harbour his precious soul in a beautiful setting.

[@nickyalousakis3851]

oh brother. is this all ppl have to do to get adulation is fart around in a park...

[@user-nc7cf4sp1r]

Kelly, when the hallucinations from the mushrooms wear off, I want you to promise you're going straight to a rehab centre okay? 🙄

[@orooneytoones]

Good on you Chris. I wish you good fortune and happiness wherever you land.

[@angelacalenzo331]

God bless him 🙏 !

[@nickyalousakis3851]

we should all live in the park.... yeahhh.

[@yourconnection9303]

Make it a wonderful life going forward as you see it Chris! ✌️

[@terrymckenzie8786]

I would love to buy some of his artwork. Does anyone have his email address thx

[@stonehorn4641]

Does it honestly look to you that he has an email address???

[@terrymckenzie8786]

@@stonehorn4641 acually it was mentioned he did have an email. He still bought groceries and probably had a library email account.

[@EricaGamet]

@@stonehorn4641 He has an Instagram account and spends time working on the computers at the library. You can be "homeless" (though he has a home) and still be connected to technology. He records audio and takes photos on an old phone.

[@floatingleaf9672]

I almost want to open an Instagram account! But I won't. Hopefully he reads this and starts a KZbin channel or website so we can purchase his art!

[@SlickArmor]

​@@stonehorn4641To the untrained eye it might look that way. How about a bank account, do you think he has one of those?

[@jacobrocks7]

Best of luck to him

[@princeruwanda]

All the best to Chris

[@mattstephenson8450]

A movie in the making …all the luck to you in the future Sir 🙏 ✨

[@saltysailor141]

Title….. Life of a loaf…. 🍞

[@dixonpinfold2582]

"After living in Vancouver's Stanley Park for 30 years, what's next for Chris Bailey?" I would hope it's a long hot shower.

[@ShaneLavigne-ke2rh]

God bless him 💓

[@BenWinder108]

Look at his case worker it’s no wonder he has lived in the forest for 39 years

[@SntGod]

LGBTQ stylish....like your leaders in canada🤣🤣

[@paulgram3967]

Chris is a real one,,,I sincerely wish this guy All the best,,, Something tells me he's gonna be alright,,, because his experience is priceless and you can't get that at Walmart,,,

[@zerogo40]

Well done Chris lots of possessions but I didn't see any litter, pure respect ❤

[@spaceballs-sj3ri]

There are people in Canada, that live in deep Canadian forests all their lives. They pick mushrooms, hunt animals, catch fish p.s. same as in other countries

[@Evercreeper]

@@MrRocca do you even live here??

[@kolohe8134]

@@Evercreeper Spot on, sounds like an American response to me

[@lillidaisyASMR]

Yeah we call them native people

[@kolohe8134]

@@lillidaisyASMR Well said and spot on🤩

[@rishaa682]

You’re giving American vibes

[@chinolee121]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@rahimsa7272]

Its future of lots Canadians

[@garywagner2466]

I always wondered where Obi Wan Kenobi ended up.

[@user-nc7cf4sp1r]

That old man's just a crazy wizard!

[@winstonsmith935]

The visitors to the park fed him, along with the squirrels.

[@nickyalousakis3851]

squirrels are more productive though.

[@user-nc7cf4sp1r]

​@@nickyalousakis3851They probably smell better than him too!😁

[@AaronVets]

@@nickyalousakis3851🤡🤡🤡

[@skang420]

he hunted the geese, it says in the video, pretty luxury food i wud say

[@somethingsomething404]

@@skang420it says he did that years ago. He goes grocery shopping now.

[@thormidthagahast8914]

That drug addict is a case worker? Multi tasking at its best.

[@squatch545]

They should name a park bench after him.

[@gerismith1218]

A lovely story of a life lived well and naturally. He might not be only story coming to an end for Stanley Park. The park itself is in threat. God Bless you Chris with a shelter in the woods.❤

[@amyfu2047]

What a down to earth genuine gentleman. I would say come to the Yukon but it’s much colder here in the winter than it is in Vancouver.

[@user-zf3xb3qx8w]

it's a dry cold. as you age, you don't want to be on the island or lower mainland. the cold wet goes right through you. greetings from the Purcells in BC and 4,000 feet, on the bannana belt side of the Rockies and west of BAnfffffff.

[@amyfu2047]

@@user-zf3xb3qx8w the last two winters here have definitely been more humid. I’m afraid our dry cold may be disappearing.

[@jasonsmith8324]

It's kinda sad global News didn't have the budget to hire David attenborough for proper narration.

[@Rio-zh2wb]

lol

[@rezastella777]

"Here we find Chris Bailey, a most unusual specimen indeed, having thrived in the wilds of Vancouver's Stanley Park for an impressive three decades. As we observe Chris, now venturing beyond the dense canopy and well-trodden paths, one can't help but wonder: what adventures await him in the wider world? Will he adapt to the concrete jungles as he did to the lush forests? Or perhaps he will seek a new park, a fresh territory to explore. Join us as Chris sets forth on his legs-slightly unsteady after years of dodging cyclists and raccoons-to find his next great habitat. The journey continues for our intrepid explorer."

[@skang420]

the fact that you say this means they succeeded. There was nothing to see here just toxic crime, and yet you got them feelings..

[@easytrips3448]

@@rezastella777 That's awesome

[@calvinmaltin]

30 years? Make this guy a house in the park

[@robertkroeker420]

How can folks help this awesome man??.....

[@martykong3592]

:) OMG! HE has done SO WELL! I wish him ALL the BEST in this CRAZY World!

[@ruslanulko8195]

Do not show him to JT. JT will find the way how to tax him for fresh air and shadow. Police is very nice

[@AlaskaRose70]

He needs a small warm, safe cabin on a couple of acres in the woods. He would be a perfect caretaker for a private estate. Someplace where he can live a quiet, private life.

[@mikefawkes5195]

Like the fellow from Alaska who built his own cabin/life maybe someone has a little cabin on a quiet bit of forested land ..Im sure he wouldnt be a bother

[@johnnyblue4799]

Richard Proenneke?

[@RaguehWarsama]

Am from Vancouver living now in DJIBOUTI... CHRIS Is good man ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉

[@katzsmith1781]

Best Wishes to Chris’ future

[@EPSGplayer]

Come to Vancouver Island

[@Mark-bw1wx]

Bless this man. Made me cry.

[@MB-to5gl]

*Case worker looks like he needs a case worker.

[@mountainstream8351]

So Canadian right.

[@somethingsomething404]

He’s no longer a caseworker. Why are you so rude? The best caseworkers are people who have been there themselves.

[@MB-to5gl]

@@somethingsomething404 Oh shut up.. lol

[@HeavenlyLights]

4:12 she’s staying in contact w him w email and txt?!? 🤨Really?!? He has a cell phone and wifi in Stanley park!.

[@WANDERER0070]

Wifi is everywhere nowadays

[@user-zf3xb3qx8w]

@@WANDERER0070 Not in Tourists areas in the USA: you have to be reg. at a hotel first. In Vancouver wireless open style has been around since the start.

[@somethingsomething404]

@@WANDERER0070wifi is not. Cell service is. I pay 4$ a month for 50$ with fizz. Its a promo plan 90% off.

[@somethingsomething404]

Cell phones do in fact have signal in downtown Vancouver. I’m not sure how that’s surprising. Phones can be very cheap these days.

[@tbprofile1295]

'I'll keep in touch with him by text or email' 😂 Just a little ironic.

[@somethingsomething404]

How so? He uses Instagram..

[@Sharon-sw7mr]

I can see him living a good life living in a cabin on Cumberland Island, Georgia. It would be quite a change in weather for him, though.

[@annemarierose3745]

Hey everyone just wanted to say God loves very much have a great night/day

[@MrCryptler69]

Why are they bothering this man when they have a bigger problem with the homeless on Main & Hastings??

[@jctai100]

because this one is 'save-able' with redeeming qualities

[@eatprayloveify]

They're not bothering him. They're helping him transition from living in the park for over 30 years to what his next step is going to be. He made the decision to move out of the park.

[@shari9721]

@@eatprayloveify he didnt make the decision to move out of the park , the park is being destroyed all around him , the life he of peace and solitude he has been living has been destroyed , he has no choice and no idea where to go .

[@icyx9268]

@@shari9721 yeah by th ppl holding / putting him in that needless hostility and desperation by subjugating him to a deficient inequivocal inequiovelance means of inequivelance to get easy access to advantage access that gives them and that they have access to inequivopcally provided inequivelance hand outs through a means of inequivelance that enable them to get hand outs for / from destroying park around them

[@user-zf3xb3qx8w]

because Main & Hastings is where all the services are!!! Courts, ambulance, library, safe injection site, consumer bank, police triage practice area, it's got it ALL.

[@erikkorhonen]

they removed him now right?

[@violetmoon141]

good luck chris!! ps don't come to montreal, it sucks here

[@davidgood7621]

Send him out to Haida Gwai

[@goldminer83]

Looks like they are having a rough time finding case workers that dont need a case worker themselves...

[@eatprayloveify]

There are people who have gone thru recovery programs that end up working as case workers to help others. They were helped and have a desire to do the same for others.

[@user-dw7sh7gc6x]

Relocate to a 4 season campground. 🤔

[@francie5161]

Hope he gets trusteeship of a little plot of land to maintain and a small cottage somewhere. Definitely can't separate him from Nature.

[@jopo6876]

Canada’s Radagast the Brown

[@pmd1933]

Its insane that he was allowed to live like that to begin with. Its the reason i hated Vancouver so many street people because of the weather.

[@hoboonwheels9289]

As long as they aren't harming others or the environment or community let him be.

[@AaronVets]

🤡🤡🤡

[@baublesanddolls]

He’s not like most people who leave all kinds of garbage, etc all over the park. I’d love one of his paintings.

[@ademvoinov2906]

34 years of fresh air and freedom of the shackles of desires. ❤ the park was so beautiful before!!

[@wesharrington5937]

All Things Must Pass

[@dianaazevedo8304]

Does anyone has a contact number for him? I’d love to chat with him about maybe being the care taker at my remote cabin a couple hours outside Vancouver.

[@Planet-ICELAND]

It will be difficult transition

[@jameschou888]

Our future

[@johnadona3014]

If he survived that long in the forest damn, they owe to make him his own tiny hone in the forest.

[@PDS19732011]

It said that he's had to live where he lives for that long and hasn't had help. Our wonderful country of Canada I guess

[@johnnyblue4799]

Maybe he didn't want help... He chose to live there

[@Sharon-sw7mr]

It is the life he wanted. He is at one with nature. A great blessing to have.

[@nickyalousakis3851]

living in the park IS living in the streets.

[@user-vu4hd8ob4o]

It says it illegal to live in Stanley park ; what does drug addict have to do with Enforcing the Law ??? maybe Read Robinson Vs California which says it is Unconstitutional to be Punished or to Criminalize being a Drug addict .. Nice Excuse from VPD to Not Follow the Law

[@LAStars-sratS]

Send him up to Salmon Arm, I will show him a few great places to hang out at. 👍

[@S.M.214]

What do by-laws that prohibit camping in public city parks mean if they are ignored by authorities. Get him some id and get him relocated appropriately.

[@JAntonio.Chaves]

Se o tirarem do seu local de uma moradia há mais de 34anos, provavelmente em alguns meses, sucumbirá na tristeza profunda depressão e morte, e o estado será responsável por tal ação!!!!!!!

[@chrisl3330]

He should consider a Buddhist monastery.

[@Deder111]

God bless him and the police officers that care about him. It’s refreshing to see there are some good police officers still out there , not the ones that become tyrants for the government of Canada 🇨🇦 they sold their souls to the enemy

[@peterporkeresq.2817]

Why didn't they give him a job to look after the park itself? The man is obviously in love with the park and could be taught the skills to actually make money from taking care of his own 'home.'

[@user-nc7cf4sp1r]

Because BUMS don't like to work! 🤣👎

[@Sharon-sw7mr]

He could do walks and teach others about nature.

[@CatherineElizabethCharlesworth]

Pierre Elliot Trudeau was a journalist.

[@CatherineElizabethCharlesworth]

Chrystia Freeland never wrote Plutocrats.

[@justmenicole4842]

Is return to "society" will be brutal. Call it a rude awakening .

[@hoboonwheels9289]

Not having "government" ID should not prevent anyone from their rights.

[@mikehunt-fx7sf]

Explain.

[@johnnyblue4799]

Agreed. Nobody should have an id. People are so attached to the idea of government that they don't even comprehend existence without it. If fact the world would be a more peaceful place w/o governments.

[@cheechdubinsky6709]

How come he doesn't get a GoFundMe page?

[@S.M.214]

That id issue could have been dealt with for years.

[@8BitNaptime]

Sounded like a ATR-42 flying over him?

[@kc3678]

Everyone from the lower middle and down are going to be screwed for at least 5-10 years. By the time "affordable" housing is available most will be dead or retired oncluding me. And, guarantee, if this guy goes to a care home he'll be dead shortly after. The evidence of elderly losing their will to live in care homes is indisputable.

[@CatherineElizabethCharlesworth]

I hear that Chrystia Freeland is Justin Trudeau/Sinclair's third wife. The Canadian public was like duh.

[@francisgerry3883]

How does this woods man send E mails ? You need WiFi and that's from electric and that's not just whooshing through the air , please answer thieve questions .

[@AshishMeena]

Please let him live there....

[@WANDERER0070]

I moved out of Vancouver bc houses are UNAFORDABLE unless youre multi milionare same w All big cities in Canada poor are FKD

[@thelastjohnwayne]

Wow that Geoff Bodnarek is super creepy

[@jopo6876]

Why does his case worker seem more unstable than him?

[@thecount1001]

i think these two make a nice couple. he could move in with her.

[@NancyPinksen]

What’s up with that case worker? He looks high AF?!?