The Vancouver Park Board is temporarily closing the southwest section of CRAB Park for grounds remediation.
The closure takes effect Thursday at 10 a.m., which means 45 people sheltering in the park will have to remove their structures and belongings by then.
During an in-camera meeting last month, the park board voted to give general manager Donnie Rosa the authority to seek a court injunction if the park is not cleared by Thursday’s deadline.
In a statement, the park board said park rangers will provide support to those who require temporary storage of their belongings or assistance in securing an indoor space.
In July, Rosa issued an order prohibiting temporary shelters and structures in the park, which is located in the Downtown Eastside.
“For the past several months we have been engaging with individuals experiencing homelessness in CRAB Park in an effort to support them in moving indoors,” Rosa said.
“Outreach work from our partners at the City and in BC Housing has been ongoing and resulted in many folks moving indoors. However, approximately 45 individuals remain with semi-permanent shelters in the park and it is our responsibility to enforce the Parks Control bylaw.”
Once structures are removed from the park, the southwest corner will be fenced for remediation work before being re-opened for full public use.
Last year, Vancouver police arrested 46 people near the park after they refused to leave. Police were acting on a B.C. Supreme Court injunction obtained by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to remove a tent city from port property.
— With files from Gord MacDonald