Vancouver's Strathcona Park encampment is slowly being dismantled, as Friday's 10:00 a.m. deadline has passed.
The relocation of people camping in the park follows a General Manager’s Order issued by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation on April 9.
Vancouver Park Board Commissioner John Coupar spoke on-site: "I think a lot of people have been concerned about the fact that the neighbourhood has been quite traumatized and people haven't had use of their parks for quite a while."
According to the Park Board, "Over the past three weeks, BC Housing and the City of Vancouver have moved 184 people into accommodation, with many people moving into private rooms with their own washroom. A small number of tents and temporary shelters remain in the park, and we are continuing to work with the remaining people on other options."
The east side of the park will be fenced off as staff clean the area in the coming days. The west side of the park remains open for public use.
One local woman, named Kim, has been placed in an SRO after 27 years of homelessness and shared her thoughts.
"I've seen a lot of death here and I've seen a lot of nastiness. We don't need to be in a fight with anybody, we just need to help everybody," said Kim.
Park Board staff will be monitoring parks across the city to prevent the creation of new encampments.
A similar camp was recently dismantled in Vancouver's Oppenheimer Park, which remains closed.
