The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has issued a General Manager’s Order stating that all existing tents must be removed from the northeast corner of Strathcona Park by Thursday morning.
The Park Board says all existing tents, temporary shelters, and structures must be removed from the northeast corner of Strathcona Park by 10 a.m. Thursday, April 8, 2021, explains a news release.
On Feb. 10 the first step of that plan was enacted with notices handed out to about a dozen people living on the west side of the park. The notices informed those living there they must find another place to sleep in seven days.
This is an extension of the General Manager’s Order issued Feb.10, which restricts setting up temporary shelters on the west side of the park.
As remediation work in the west side of the area nears completion, the Park Board says the extension into the northeast side of the park "is a necessary next step."
The aim of the order is to resume normal park operations as quickly as possible once the people living in the park have been transitioned into indoor spaces and the encampment has been closed.
This General Manager Order falls under the authority granted through the Parks Control By-law.
The City of Vancouver and BC Housing
The City of Vancouver and BC Housing say they are taking "collective action to move everyone who is sleeping overnight in the park into warm, safe accommodation so that there are fewer people outside struggling to survive."
In the coming weeks, new locations across Vancouver will be activated to support people who are experiencing homelessness, including two new shelters at 875 Terminal and 15-27 West Hastings.
Once people have moved from the northeast corner into accommodation, staff from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will erect a fence barrier to temporarily close off the area for remediation. The work is expected to take approximately three to six weeks to complete.
Firefighters were called to Strathcona Park in Vancouver late Friday (March 26) afternoon after they received a report of a fire.
Dave Pasin took to Twitter just after 4 p.m. Friday to state that "several propane tanks exploded" in the Strathcona Park encampment.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.
--With files from Cameron Thomson.
