Man who allegedly set up camp in rich Vancouver neighbourhood charged with mischief

A man who set up a makeshift home on a vacant, multi-million-dollar private property on Belmont Avenue was arrested Monday night, Vancouver police confirmed to CTV News.

Joseph Grenon has been charged with mischief, but police didn't say specifically what he is accused of doing.

The wooded parcel of land overlooking Spanish Banks is undeveloped, and sits in an area where neighbours live in mansions with tennis courts and swimming pools.

Following the arrest, movers rolled in and cleared the land, and the property now sits mostly empty.

"This was an ongoing issue in the community, something our officers took very seriously," police revealed in an email.

Vancouver Police Department patrol cars were spotted driving along Belmont Avenue regularly Monday, presumably to ensure nobody else had moved in.

Officials at the City of Vancouver said they were not involved in the decision to remove the camper from the property or clear the land.

There are three vacant lots adjacent to each other on the stretch of Belmont Avenue where the makeshift shelter had been set up. According to BC Assessment, they were worth a combined $58.7 million as of July 2022.

Grenon will remain in custody until he appears in court.