Nearly 100 tents removed from East Hastings since summer order, city staff say 83 remain

In the six months since Vancouver’s fire chief ordered for tents to be cleared from East Hastings Street, city staff say dozens remain.

The City of Vancouver says that as of Jan. 17, staff counted 83 structures along Hastings St., down from 180 in August and the lowest number since reporting began.

In a statement to CTV News on Thursday, the city confirmed staff hit the street this week to enforce a bylaw that “prohibits the accumulation of structures and personal belongings on sidewalks.”

“Following repeated verbal and written notification to have material removed, City engineering staff were on East Hastings St. impounding material from three structures that were not voluntarily removed,” the statement reads.

The city says the individuals who owned the structures were offered shelter and options to store their items for up to 30 days.

Accessibility issues and safety concerns are among the reasons the city says its necessary to remove the structures.

“E. Hastings has high numbers of pedestrians and the structures present significant fire risks, obstruct sidewalk and building access, and create significant accessibility issues for pedestrians and road safety concerns along this busy arterial corridor,” reads the statement.

 

With files from CTV Vancouver's Mary Cranston.

This is a developing story and will be updated.