'The absolute wrong direction': Homeless man fined $100 for having cart on DTES sidewalk

Jason Rondeau was having difficulty standing. His cellulitis, a skin condition that attacks his legs, causing redness and swelling, was flaring up. He usually tidies up the area where he lives on Hastings and Columbia streets in the Downtown Eastside, but that day, he was in an “extreme amount of pain” and was unable to do so.

It ended up costing him $100.

According to Rondeau, an elderly man in a mobility scooter approached him and a group he was with, angry that he couldn’t access the sidewalk due to Rondeau's cart blocking the space. Rondeau disputes this, saying the sidewalk was large enough for him to pass the mobile cart he uses to store his belongings.

“We weren’t forcing him onto the street,” he said. “There’s a lot of space there. There’s no way we were actually impeding his progress.”

CRITICS QUESTION PENALTY

The senior called the Vancouver Police Department to report the incident, resulting in a $100 fine for Rondeau.

According to a photo of the ticket viewed by CTV News, the bylaw officer cited section 71 (a) of the City of Vancouver’s Street and Traffic By-law that states, “a person must not build, construct, place, maintain, occupy, or cause to be built, constructed, placed, maintained or occupied in any street, any structure, object, or substance which is an obstruction to the free use of such street, or which may encroach thereon, without having first obtained a permit issued by the City Engineer.”

In a statement to CTV News, the VPD said officers educated Rondeau about the city bylaws and the associated fines, and “gave him plenty of time to tidy up his belongings.”

The punishment is drawing criticism from advocates like Ryan Sudds, a member of Stop the Sweeps, a group working to end the city’s practice of removing encampments.

“Jason is still on a housing waitlist,” Sudds said. “And now he’s on a housing waitlist with a $100 fine for sleeping on the street while he waits for housing. No progress has been made. Just someone has been punished.”

'ABSOLUTE, WRONG DIRECTION'

OneCity Vancouver councillor Christine Boyle said she’s heard stories from community members about bylaw infractions in response to street vending and tents or structures on the sidewalk.

"Fines are an incredibly ineffective approach to poverty.” she said. “It’s the absolute wrong direction.”

Boyle added that city council’s approach has not been to use financial penalties for bylaw infractions related to poverty, “because obviously, it doesn’t make any sense.”

She said she’s asked senior city staff for clarity around the recent ticketing. CTV News reached out to the city for comment, but did not hear back before deadline.

In April, the city, along with the help of the VPD removed dozens of tents in the DTES, citing fire and safety issues. At the time, Premier David Eby described the sidewalk evictions as “a very sad situation and a sad day.”

Rondeau told CTV News he plans to dispute the ticket and said he won’t pay it.

"Live in my shoes for a month and then come down here and try to enforce those laws," he said. "I don’t think they would.”