Campers living in Vancouver's CRAB Park relocated Monday for cleanup
All 30 people who were living in tents in Vancouver's CRAB Park have now been relocated, the park board confirmed on Monday.
Most of them were moved a few metres away in the same park to allow city crews to clean up the area. Once that’s completed, in about a week, they will be allowed to move back.
Even though the plans were announced mid-March, and the city said it gave plenty of notice, park rangers and police were met with hostility Monday morning.
Nerves were frayed, and shouting could be heard, but the event was not violent.
"We've engaged very carefully," said Steve Jackson, general manager of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.
"We've given a lot of time, we've shared as transparently as we possibly could all of our plans," he said.
The park board said in January an assessment found that the area couldn't be cleaned by hand. The dangers inside the camp were said to include debris, propane tanks, needles, feces and a rat infestation.
On Sunday and Monday morning, both advocates and campers told CTV News that there is growing frustration as many feel a disconnect between them and the city.
"I think it's a bit ridiculous but we don't get much of a say in the matter," said Justice Raines, a camper.
"The mood is that people are very frustrated by this entire process. There have been numerous inconsistencies; lack of information and it's extremely not consultative. It's absolutely not been respected," said Fiona York, a longtime advocate for the campers.
York has not disputed that the area needs a clean up, but says the process has been rushed and that residents' feedback has not been properly addressed. Last week, she explained that over two dozen campers did their own cleaning of the encampment, and collected a total of 176 bins of garbage and about 600 kilograms of scrap.
A 2022 B.C. Supreme Court decision allows for people to shelter in a designated section of CRAB Park 24/7, unlike in other Vancouver parks where people have to pack up and leave every morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.