Firefighters are standing at the sidelines of the Occupy Vancouver encampment, as protesters refuse to fully comply with an order to remove all tarps, fuels and empty tents from the site.
Fire Chief John McKearney spoke to reporters 15 minutes after the 10 a.m. compliance deadline given to the Occupy camp, saying he still expects protesters to cooperate.
Authorities will be working on a dialogue with protesters "in the coming hours," McKearney said. There was no indication that firefighters or police would begin imposing the order by force.
The fire chief's order was issued Thursday afternoon, hours after a man overdosed at the tent city set up behind the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Protesters were told that all tarps, canopies, unoccupied tents, flammable heat sources, propane and other fuels be removed for safety. McKearney also asked that appropriate space be placed between tents, and that all occupied tents be identify for fire safety inspectors.
As the 10 a.m. deadline approached, a woman who identified herself only as "Kiki" gave a statement indicating that protesters do not recognize the city or firefighters' authority because the tent city is located on unceded First Nations territory.
"[City] bylaws don't stand here," she said. "We govern ourselves."
Kiki dismissed the fire officials' concerns about safety at the camp, but said protesters would be removing tarps that they independently recognized as potentially hazardous.
Protesters say the camp is undergoing its own restructuring, but would not offer any details other than that it will involve "one big structure."
Protesters also told CTV News they do not fear a confrontation with firefighters or police on Friday, with one man stating that "I suspect they'll be impressed by some of the things that we're planning."
They also claim that very few of the tents are unoccupied on a nightly basis.
By Friday evening, a number of protesters had worked to remove some of the tarps at the camp, and had created an access path to some of the tents. They also claimed all propane tanks had been removed.
That's not good enough for NPA mayoral candidate Suzanne Anton, who says the city should go to court to force the protesters out.
"We'll get an injunction and an order that this site has to end. The tents must go," she told reporters during a brief visit to the Occupy site.
Mayor Gregor Robertson says tents are being tagged for removal now, and he's hopeful there can be a peaceful solution.
But he isn't ruling out an injunction.
"The occupation itself is undermining the bigger messages that many of the occupiers have tried to champion. That's really unfortunate, but we're left in a situation where we must act to protect life safety," he said.
Public split on fate of Occupy camp
The deadline comes a day after the release of an Ipsos Reid survey gauging public support for the Occupy movement in Vancouver.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents said the camp should be removed immediately, while 40 per cent favoured a set deadline for removal. Only 20 per cent said the tent city should be allowed to remain indefinitely.
The poll surveyed 760 Metro Vancouver residents from Nov. 1-3, and found 44 per cent showed some degree of support for the protest.
Forty-eight per cent responded that they either oppose or strongly oppose Occupy Vancouver. Eight per cent were undecided.
Ipsos Reid says that support "tends to drop as household incomes rise." Half of households making less than $45,000 per year said they were in favour of the protest, while only 38 per cent of households that earn more than $100,000 did.
The poll claims a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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