Vanier Park tent encampment residents refuse to leave
Residents of a tent encampment on Vancouver’s west side are defying orders to leave, despite being given 24 hours' notice to vacate the area.
Park rangers attended the site in Vanier Park Tuesday morning, telling the five residents that they were in violation of city bylaws and had to leave the next day.
Crews returned Wednesday, but the residents weren’t ready to leave. Rangers and a representative from the City of Vancouver were on site to discuss shelter options with the campers, but advocates who spoke to CTV News on the campers’ behalf said they didn’t want to leave.
“This is where they live. They’ve tried shelters, they have tried SROs,” said Kaylayla Raine, a member of the Stop the Sweeps campaign on the Downtown Eastside.
Raine said she had never met or spoken with the campers before Wednesday, but came to the park when she became aware that they were being evicted.
“This isn’t a tent city, this is just a couple of people looking to make a safe space for themselves,” she said.
Roughly an hour after rangers arrived on scene, a small fire started in a pile of garbage. It appeared to be deliberately lit by someone from outside the encampment. One ranger reported seeing a man with a dog flee the area just minutes after the blaze was discovered. It was quickly extinguished and Vancouver firefighters said it is considered suspicious and under investigation.
Due to safety concerns, all garbage and debris was ordered removed from the park. The large structures however, are still there.
Scott Jensen, chair of the Vancouver Park Board, told CTV News the plan is to return the park to its original condition and help transition the residents into supportive housing. He also raised concerns about propane tanks and other chemicals that had been removed Tuesday.
“That gas is leaching into the environment (and) those individuals living in that area, without proper facilities, are using the park for a bathroom,” Jensen said. “These are not ways that we want to have our parks being used.”
The swift action at Vanier Park has been met with criticism, with some suggesting the city is prioritizing issues on Vancouver’s wealthier west side.
“This is not an east-side-west-side issue,” Jensen said. “We will be applying the bylaw equally across the city to ensure that individuals that are setting up permanent structures anywhere across the city, that will be addressed.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
developing Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Biden OKs US$60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of 'very long road ahead'
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a 'very long road ahead' to recover from the loss of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved US$60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse.