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Camping approved for Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­parks but tents must be gone by mid-morning

The motion passed 4-3 after two nights of debate and submissions from dozens of speakers
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A police officer wearing a face mask and gloves stands outside a now fenced off homeless camp at Oppenheimer Park after a 12 p.m. deadline for the park to be vacated, in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Saturday, May 9, 2020. Vancouver's Park Board voted last night to allow overnight camping in city parks but the revised bylaw also calls for tents to be removed each morning. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — The Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­Park Board has passed a motion allowing overnight camping in parks around the city.

In a social media post, the board says the vote includes provisions to "more effectively manage temporary structures and tents for those seeking shelter in parks."  

The board says the move reflects recent B.C. Supreme Court decisions recognizing the Charter right to stay in public spaces when adequate shelter is not available.

The motion passed 4-3 after two nights of debate and submissions from dozens of speakers.

The updated bylaw requires tents to be removed each morning.

The change comes after more than 100 tents were set up in an East Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­park following the closure of a long-standing encampment in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2020

 

 

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