'I'm just trying to survive': Resident says City of Vancouver's daily bylaw enforcement taking its toll

On a rainy Vancouver day, Mark Menard tidies the area around the bright orange tent he resides in at Oppenheimer Park in the Downtown Eastside. It’s part of Menard’s routine. A routine that now includes park rangers and police officers lingering in the distance.

“It’s sad how things have gone,” Menard said. “I never asked to be here. I’m just trying to survive.”

The 58-year-old is referring to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation’s Park Control Bylaw. The bylaw allows people living at the park to shelter there during the evening, but requires them to pack up their belongings and leave during the day. According to a statement from the park board, the bylaw seeks to “provide a balanced approach to managing use of limited park spaces across the city.”

Since Jan. 9, park rangers and police officers have enforced the bylaw, removing tents and belongings from the encampment. 

Menard has lived in the park since May 2023, preferring to live in a tent over shelters due to his concerns around cleanliness and stealing. Throughout his time living at the park, Menard has accumulated tarps and other items to keep him warm.

“I’ve got a lot of stuff, but this is the stuff I need to survive,” he said.

According to the park board, there’s an area next to the park where people can pack their belongings into totes.

“Park rangers are not responsible for monitoring the totes or watching that area,” the park board’s statement said.

Menard told CTV News he worries about leaving his belongings in these bins, in case they are stolen.

'I'm so tired'

Menard, who is a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, said having to take down his tent, only to be allowed to put it up hours later, has damaged the structure’s poles and zippers. He said he’s gone through five tents since May.

“I’m so exhausted,” he said. “I’m so tired.”

Menard said he’d like the city to put a pause on enforcing the bylaw, especially during bouts of extreme weather.

At a news conference Thursday, CTV News asked Mayor Ken Sim what the plan is for those living in encampments. Sim didn’t answer the question, instead deferring it to Paul Mochrie, the city’s manager.

Mochrie said it’s a balance between maintaining access to green space and also recognizing there are homeless people who don’t have anywhere to go.

“We do everything we can to connect them to services, working with partners in health care, BC Housing and so on,” he said. “But there is no immediate solution to that problem.”

Calls to end bylaw enforcement

Amanda Burrows, the executive director of First United Church, said she’d also like the city to stop enforcing the bylaw and take a community-informed, peer-led approach instead.

“We know that encampments are here to stay in Vancouver, B.C., and across Canada,” she said. “And as such, they’re part of the housing continuum, so we cannot forcefully displace people and hide homelessness as a solution to homelessness.”

Menard said he’s hopeful he’ll be connected to housing soon.

“I need a home,” he said. “I can’t get restarted. I’m in limbo.”