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
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.