Williams Lake City Staff have been given the green light to set designated overnight stay areas for the homeless.
An amendment to the Parks and Public Lands Bylaw, in the case of the homeless shelter being over capacity, would allow City Staff to choose an area for the homeless to go.
Councillors Scott Nelson and Angie Delainey, expressed concerns of Boitanio Park being one of the proposed overnight stay locations.
“When this came up last year, I said ‘I don’t support tents, and homeless people sleeping in Boitanio Park,” Councillor Nelson said. “I voted against it last year, and I am going to vote against it this year. I can’t agree more with the CAO, that we perhaps should be looking at a different location.”
All the councillors agreed that Boitanio Park was not a location that Council wants to use as an area. Mayor Surinderpal Rathor stated that the amendment only gives “tools to staff if they need it, to handle over capacity”. The amendment does not state where the areas will be designated, but will allow Staff and Council to approve a number locations that “ideally be rotated through”. Council could choose not to allow Boitanio Park to be an option.
“I support this bylaw change,” Councillor Joan Flaspohler said. “This new bylaw is trying to give Staff the ability to manage the impacts to all the community. I think that’s the most important piece here. It’s to try and make it so it collects these impacts and makes it so that there is one area that’s safer. Before, our previous bylaw didn’t state anything like that”
Councillor Nelson still opposed the “major policy change”, saying that homeless should not be in parks but in shelters.
“I am opposed to the recommendation in front of us. This will only come into affect if the shelter is overfilled, we are bringing forward an onslaught of bylaws when our shelter is not at capacity. These people should not be allowed in the parks.”
The motion was passed with 6-1 votes in favour. The City will look into how the amendment can be implemented and locations to be “ironed out” through the winter.
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