CRAB Park residents feel `strong-armed' by the city
Some people move back to encampment, but say new laws have left them `freezing'
In the week since Vancouver's park board finished an extensive cleanup of a homeless camp in the city's downtown CRAB Park, only 16 of its 30 recent residents have moved back in.
Another 22 people remain camped on a hillside nearby, hoping there is still a chance the city will allow them to take up shelter at the designated camp.
Sasha Christiano, one of the designated residents of the camp, said that while he wasn't allowed to bring his mattress with him, he feels lucky that he got a spot.
“Some people have lived at CRAB Park much longer than I have,” Christiano told Postmedia on Thursday. “We don't know how much longer they will be allowed to stay.”
Thirty or so people living in the camp were ordered to move to a temporary space last month, while the city said crews used heavy equipment to clear and remediate the park of more than 90,000 kilograms of debris, 20 propane tanks and six generators.
The camp, which was resurfaced with gravel, is now home to 16 residents living out of polyester tents and canopies provided by B.C. Housing.
When the city's park board was asked if it plans to include any of the remaining homeless campers in the designated area, it said in an email reply that, “As we indicated earlier this week, with (the) end of the designated area relocation process, the temporary sheltering area on the south side of the park is now closed.”
“In this area, work will shift to focus on parks control bylaw compliance in the coming days ... to maintain community daytime use of and access to the park while still allowing for temporary sheltering overnight by those residents without housing,” said spokesperson Stephen Irving.
Changes to the designated camp comply with bylaw changes passed by the park board Monday night, dictating that only collapsible tents or canopies a maximum of 10 feet by 10 feet are permitted as a temporary shelter in city parks.
Homeless residents have been living out of makeshift structures in CRAB Park since May 2021. Since then, Vancouver's park board has sought compliance with bylaws dictating that people who shelter overnight in parks must take down temporary structures each morning.
But after a B.C. Supreme Court decision in January 2022 denied the park board the legal authority to clear out tents and prevent people from sheltering at the park during the day — based on a finding that there wasn't enough space for residents at indoor shelters in Vancouver — it established an area of CRAB Park where residents can camp 24 hours a day.
The bylaw amendments include stipulations that at CRAB Park, park rangers are allowed to remove a shelter if it is not occupied most nights of the week, or if it is deemed necessary for “health and safety reasons.”
It also permits inspections of the inside of the shelters with 24 hours' notice.
According to a report from park board staff, the amendments were implemented to support use by those relying on city parks for overnight shelter, set up better hygiene and safety outcomes, and improve relations between park users and operations staff.
This week, park rangers, backed by Vancouver police, have been making rounds of the designated camp every two hours to ensure compliance.
Chloe Wells, a volunteer who was assisting homeless residents at the site on Thursday, said park rangers have handed out notices to residents camping on the hillside that they plan to enforce the new bylaws.
“They keep saying that they are going to seek compliance on the hillside, but they're not saying exactly when they are planning to force everyone here out.”
Wells said along with the threat of displacement, she is also concerned about the lack of warmth in the designated camp.
“There is no plan for a warming tent with a propane fireplace, which has been provided to residents of the camp by community groups for years now. It's going to kill people,” said the volunteer, who noted that the park board has restricted residents from bringing in any candles, propane lighters or stoves into the camp, citing a fire risk.
“With such an unlivable environment, residents already have and will feel they have no choice but to leave. But where will they go?”
Christiano, who set up in one of the camp's tents this week, said he was defeated after seeing municipal signs informing park users about the shelter restrictions before the bylaw changes went into effect following the park board's vote.
“We never had a say in any of this, the city strong-armed us,” Christiano said. “I tried to put a tarp on top of my tent yesterday to keep the heat in so I could stay warm, but park rangers told me I couldn't. I'm freezing out here.”