Homeless campers in Vancouver park continue to defy order to leave

Her home is a large, makeshift shelter in the forest.

And she says, while it's not perfect, she likes where she lives.

“We find it comfortable and enjoy the scenery,” said Shannon, who didn’t want to give her last name.

The 37-year-old has been camped in Vanier Park in Vancouver for about eight months, but she and the park's other squatters aren’t supposed to be here.

Last month, campers were told they were in violation of city bylaws and had to pack-up. They didn’t.

“Yes, we’ve been here an extended period of time, but we’re not doing anything to bother anybody,” she said.

Though loads of garbage were previously removed, the area still remains littered with trash. There are also concerns about fire hazards inside the camp.

On Tuesday, a park ranger was giving out infraction notices.

“Obviously, we have the little fire heaters, which is the safest thing we can use under the circumstances,” Shannon said, explaining that there are propane tanks in the camp, but they are "empty."

Former park board commissioner Tricia Barker was at the park Tuesday morning and said the smell of smoke was strong.

“Because that encampment is surrounded by forested area, if there was any type of explosion or any fire, I would think that whole area would go up pretty quickly,” said Barker.

She said the area “basically looks like a junk site. It is just a pile of junk everywhere and there’s just garbage all surrounding the tents.”

“Everyone thought (the camp) had been removed and it had not been removed,” she said. “That used to be a very well used park area and now it's been completely abandoned.”

Some area residents have told CTV News that as of late, all the focus has been on the Hastings Street encampment. They said other camps, including those at Vanier and CRAB parks, have been ignored.

Shannon said she would leave the camp if given suitable housing, but she refuses to live in an SRO again.

“There’s no cockroaches here and the rats barely bother us, whereas if I were in an SRO, you have them running in and out of your room,” she said.

Shannon, who said she struggles with addiction, also said she doesn’t feel safe in an SRO, calling them “sketchy.”

“You have to worry about your stuff being stolen, about someone hurting you … and it’s not a joke. It’s scary,” she said.

Barker said she understands what it’s like to be homeless.

“When I was younger, I was homeless and I felt much more comfortable living in a car than living in some of the other places where we lived. So I understand you pick and choose … where you felt the safest,” she explained.

But, Barker said, “We have to find other places for people to live where they feel safe."

"Just leaving a very dangerous tent encampment is not the answer. I don’t think we say, ‘Well, then we’ll let them stay there because we can’t give them someplace else.’”

“We have to step up and find other places for people to live,” she said. “But you know, there’s a lot of people living in apartment buildings in this city that are not good and they would like to be living in a better place also.”

CTV News requested an interview with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation about the Vanier Park encampment. Instead, the board sent an email response.

“The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation works from a perspective of dignity and human rights for all parks and recreation users,” the statement reads.

“While the number of people sleeping in Vanier Park has remained more-or-less consistent over the past few weeks, staff have noticed an increase in the volume of debris in the park. Park rangers continue to work with the individuals onsite to remove what they can, but this is an extremely complex situation.”