Vernon city councillors are divided on how they should handle complaints about homeless people camping in a local park.
RCMP say between 12 and 15 people are staying in a linear park along 25th Avenue each night.
That’s down from the 25 to 40 who were camping in Polson Park before the city enacted a bylaw regulating how that park is used.
Councillor Scott Anderson has proposed banning all camping in the area.
“The reason I say that is because we attract a transient population from elsewhere who take advantage of that to come to Vernon and use our services,” said Anderson.
But the mayor says that will only shift the problem to other parts of the city.
“My fear is they will move to residential areas which is the next areas they tend to gravitate towards,” said Akbal Mund. “One being Hidden Park which is surrounded by homes.”
Council has decided to delay taking any action while it considers other options before its next meeting.
-With Files from CKIZ-FM-