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Deadline to clear half of Strathcona Park won’t be met Wednesday, says park board GM

Click to play video: 'Strathcona Park now partially closed to tent city campers'
Strathcona Park now partially closed to tent city campers
WATCH: Global News cameras show half of Strathcona Park has been closed off to tent city campers on Wednesday. Vancouver police were on hand to ensure the park board was able to enforce the 10 a.m. deadline for the few people living in tents on the west side of the park to move over to the main encampment. The cleared area is now being fenced off so crews can begin the lengthy remediation process. – Feb 17, 2021

The general manager of the Vancouver Park Board says homeless campers won’t be forced from the west side of Strathcona Park on Wednesday, despite a deadline to move.

“We’re not going to get everybody out by the deadline tonight,” Donnie Rosa told CKNW’s Lynda Steele Show.

“We knew it probably wouldn’t be a hard deadline, but we know that we’re not going to stop until we get the west side back to the community.”

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Rosa estimated the process would be accomplished over the “next few days.”

The park board posted the order last week in an effort to clear half the park for remediation while BC Housing and the province work to find housing for all homeless people sheltering at the nine-month-old encampment.

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Rosa said staff had been in the park and working with the estimated 16 people still camped out on the west side of the park, who she described as “receptive.”

“We went around to each one of the folks who were sheltering the and explained it to them and said, hey, what do you need and how can we help you?”

“We want to do this in a humane way.”

Click to play video: 'Fences, signs up to clear half of Strathcona Park tent city'
Fences, signs up to clear half of Strathcona Park tent city

Rosa said once people have been moved to the east side of the park, city staff will enforce a bylaw preventing anyone from camping out on the west side of the park.

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Provincial officials have set a target of the end of April to find housing or shelter for everyone in the park.

Rosa said once that process has been accomplished, the park board is willing to seek an injunction to force anyone that refuses to leave the park to go.

“At some point we will have to look at that option, and it’s certainly within our toolbox of things to do,” she said.

“But it’s going to be the last resort.”

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