Park Campers Can Set-Up Earlier

Homeless residents will have more time to set up temporary shelters in Vernon parks.

City council has directed bylaw staff not to enforce its new camping bylaw between 7 and 9 at night to compensate for it getting darker earlier, and to give campers more light to set up.

Councillor Scott Anderson was opposed, saying the bylaw is there to prevent people from camping in parks.

He says this will ‘neuter’ the bylaw.

“To go back and chip away at the bylaw defeats the purpose of trying to do that. To make it easier to camp there, goes against the while existence of the bylaw in the first place,” Anderson tells Kiss FM.

Pictured: Scott Anderson, Vernon Councillor

Councillor Juliette Cunningham argued in favour of the change.

“It’s getting darker earlier, and these people are wandering around instead of settling down.”

The bylaw currently reads temporary shelters are not allowed City parks between the hours of 9 am to 9 pm.

A permanent change to the bylaw will be discussed when council gets a staff report on the issue at its Oct. 10th meeting.