City and Province at odds over camp

Update : City and Province at odds over homeless camp

Apr 1, 2019 | 5:07 PM

Update : April 1/2019

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says that they have been notified by the City of Vernon about the homeless camps .

They add that while safety is a priority, the removal of the camps and the safety of those living in them is not a priority at this time.

” People’s safety is our top priority, and while it is generally not safe for people to be camping by a highway, the location of these particular campers is not currently a safety concern for the ministry, given their distance from the highway.”

Pre-load and surcharge work is set to begin in late spring/early summer for the 20th Street extension, which will connect to the south end of the existing Stickle frontage road.

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People still camping in the area will be asked to relocate once construction begins, according to the Ministry.

A local outreach group and B.C housing has reached out to the campers to offer shelter space and other services.

Original Story :

Two homeless camps are supposed to come down, but no one seems to know who is responsible.

The camps are located near the 20th Street extension by the BX Creek Trail.

At council this week, the city said the camps are located on land that falls under the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s jurisdiction.

“We are aware of the location of those two properties and have been in contact with the Ministry on numerous occasions, they have advised that the removal of the camps will commence just prior to road construction,” said Geoff Gaucher, Bylaw Services Manager.

Coun. Scott Anderson put forward a motion to write a letter to the Ministry to make them more aware of the issue, but according to the Ministry, it is the city who is responsible for removing the camps .

“It turns out this particular camp is actually on city land. Best to follow up directly with the municipality on this one,” said Danielle Pope, Media Relations Officer for the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Three tents, a shopping cart, several bags of trash and a fire pit were visible when Beach Radio News went to visit the camps on Wednesday.

Beach Radio News has reached out to the City for comment and they stand firm that one of the camps is directly on Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure land.

“One camp is most definitely located on MOTI property along the edge of the new road bed. There is a second Encampment (the smaller site of the two) located right next to it which is on private land and we have contacted the property owner,” said Nick Nilsen, Manager, Communications and Grants for the City of Vernon.

Construction on the 20th Street extension, which will connect to the Stickle Road area, is expected to start in a few weeks.