Parksville council will consider prohibiting shelter and overnight stays at Memorial Plaza.
Mayor Doug O’Brien brought a notice of motion to have city staff begin the process of defining the plaza and surroundings as a “sensitive area” during council’s July 5 regular meeting.
It will include the area from the intersection at McMillan Street to the edge of Alberni Highway.
O’Brien’s motion came after weeks of complaints about security concerns, land use conflicts and damage to the plaza.
“I get three or four phone calls every day on what’s happening there,” O’Brien said. “About businesses, about people, assaults and all the rest of it. That people are fed up and frustrated.”
If passed, the resolution will add the plaza to a list that includes the Parksville Community Park, Springwood Park, the municipal well fields, city-owned lands along the oceanfront and Foster Park (40-metre setback from playground), according to a news release by the City of Parksville.
The motion calls for an amendment to the city’s Parks and Open Spaces Bylaw, which regulates the use of parks and city-owned open spaces and includes regulations pertaining to overnight stays in public spaces, the release said.
Coun. Sylvia Martin said she supports the idea, but wanted to know where people displaced from the plaza can go.
“Because as you know, it just goes from one place to the other, so I just wondered if you had anything in mind?” she said.
The proposed amendment does not dictate where people can go, O’Brien said, adding that as members of the public, people currently camping at the plaza can go to other public areas.
READ MORE: Homeless campers, damage to Memorial Plaza concern Parksville council
During the statutory process to amend the bylaw, the city’s bylaw compliance officers will work to educate those using the space for overnight camping advising that a bylaw change is imminent, according to the city.
Damage and vandalism have been reported to trees, light poles, the drinking fountain, benches and private property directly adjacent to the plaza, deterring people from the intended use of the space, according to the city release.
“Public health and safety are being impacted due to the presence of significant volumes of human waste and bodily fluids, causing frequent closures to allow specialized hazmat companies to clean the area,” the release said.
“It is no longer sustainable for the RCMP and the city’s bylaw and fire department resources to attend the space regularly throughout the day and the volume of calls for service are no longer manageable.”
Coun. Joel Grenz said council has limited tools to deal with underlying issues of housing affordability, treatment and mental health. He added there is a proposal for an addictions treatment centre currently before council.
“I am very sympathetic to the concerns of the people in the community here who are just trying to run their business,” he said. “We’ve got a tourism industry and for them to have to clean up human feces or deal with constant break-ins is not fair to them either, so I am willing to give this motion a shot.”
Council will vote on the bylaw amendment at the July 19 regular meeting.
A 2015 BC Supreme Court decision indicated homeless people have a constitutional right to erect temporary shelter on public lands from 7 p.m. on one day until 9 a.m. the following morning.
The rights are not absolute, and municipalities have the legislative power to regulate and balance uses and activities in public spaces. The city’s bylaws were developed to be consistent with the court’s decisions, according to the news release.
Memorial Avenue is one of the oldest streets in Parksville and the elm trees lining it are a living monument to Parksville’s fallen First World War soldiers.
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