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By Corey Fischer
Vernon City Councillor Supports Cart Ban

Vernon City Councillor Supports Cart Ban But Hopes To Help

Aug 2, 2018 | 6:50 AM

A Vernon city councillor stands by the city’s decision to ban shopping carts in the city, but is also taking action to help replace the carts.

Dalvir Nahal has purchased ten pull-carts with zippers on them to give homeless residents something to safely carry their belongings in once the ban takes effect.

She plans to donate the carts to the Social Planning Council or Turning Points.

“Like the shopping carts, they really don’t have any zippers on them or pockets in them. And the whole purpose of the shopping cart ban is to send a message that it’s not okay to have stolen property and walk around with stolen property. It’s not like we’re cold hearted.”

She says the problem isn’t just downtown, it’s city wide.

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” I seen a person walking down Alexis Park Drive with a shopping cart and a propane tank in it. And so you start to think, that is so unsafe on so many levels, and he wasn’t in the downtown core.”

Nahal says issues with homelessness and addictions come from years of cut backs by senior governments, now downloaded onto municipalities.

“It’s frustrating because we’re being made to look like we’re not compassionate people, and that is not the case. We truly genuinely want people to get off the streets and put them in a safe environment.”

Nahal says the carts cost her about 48 dollars each.

An Armstrong woman is also leading a Go Fund Me account to buy wagons for the homeless.

by Corey Fischer

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