Vancouver’s only sanctioned homeless encampment has been closed down.
CRAB Park has been the home of an encampment since 2021 but those who remain living there were asked to pack up their tents starting at 8 a.m. on Thursday to comply with park bylaws.
Only seven people were left living in the encampment and the Vancouver Park Board said all have individual transition plans in place that were developed with outreach workers.
If anyone does want to keep camping in the park they must remove tents and structures during the day, the park board said.
The city forced residents out in April so staff could clean up the area and create a temporary sheltering space.
On Thursday, park board staff, rangers and members from the city’s Community Liaison Team handed out bins, wagons and other items for storage and to move any belongings.
The Gastown Residents Association said it welcomes the news about the park but the Union of BC Indian Chiefs has called on the Vancouver Park Board to stop the planned eviction, calling it an inhumane action and a violent disregard for human rights.
The city said everyone who was still sheltering in the park had been offered housing.
“We are offering units that in some cases have their own bathrooms, in some cases they’re self-contained,” Vancouver deputy city manager Sandra Singh said.
“If anyone is remaining it’s not because there weren’t choices available to them.”
About 20 supporters and antipoverty activists were on site Thursday to monitor the city, with some saying the housing being offered was inadequate.
When residents were forced out in the spring, cleanup crews removed 20 propane tanks, six generators and more than 90,000 kilograms of other material.
The Park Board said staff will be conducting an inspection to identify the necessary remediation efforts required to open.
This is expected to take one to two days before reopening this section of the park to the general public.