The City of Port Alberni is getting closer to updating its parks and public places bylaw for the first time in more than 40 years, with provisions about when and where people are allowed to shelter overnight.
Council reviewed the latest draft of the bylaw during a committee of the whole meeting on Monday, Feb. 3. The bylaw, which outlines public use of the city's parks and outdoor public spaces, was adopted in 1981 and hasn't been updated since then.
Part of the draft bylaw deals with "temporary shelters," or structures used to house people (such as tents). These guidelines were not included in the original 1981 bylaw. The draft states that a person experiencing homelessness may shelter overnight in certain city parks, with certain provisions about staying away from playgrounds and walking paths. All shelters and personal property must be removed by 7 a.m. the next day.
Willa Thorpe, the city's director of parks, recreation and culture, told the committee on Feb. 3 that city staff looked at existing bylaws in other communities for best practices. They also worked with the city's public safety department and local service providers.
Staff also reviewed current litigation when it comes to bylaws. For example, the City of Victoria is currently the subject of a lawsuit due to a number of new bylaws restricting outdoor sheltering in city parks.
Thorpe said that the City of Port Alberni will work with local service providers to make sure that the city's homeless population understands the new bylaw, providing things like maps that show where overnight sheltering is permitted.
“Enforcement is a last resort," explained Thorpe. "We are keen to work with residents and guests within the community.”
Alice Sam, a support worker who lives in Port Alberni, told the committee that some parts of the proposed bylaw "are not going to be feasible" for the city's unhoused population.
“You’re asking somebody with very basic living skills to understand a bylaw," she said. "We need to start addressing it in a human way, which would be to offer them somewhere to go."
She suggested the city could look at a "gated tented community," which would draw people away from sheltering near residential areas and businesses.
Mayor Sharie Minions said that the bylaw is meant to be a last resort, when no other shelters or emergency beds are available to people.
"This is intended for where there are no other options," she said.
Councillor Debbie Haggard agreed that the bylaw needs to have "stringent guidelines" when it comes to temporary shelters. She drew a comparison to the collection of trailers that took over a lot on Fourth Avenue in 2020, which took “a lot of staff time, a lot of council time and a lot of money” to get rid of.
“We all know how quickly an encampment can grow and become something we can’t handle,” said Haggard.
The bylaw still needs to be introduced and read four times by council before it is adopted. In the meantime, the draft bylaw can be found on the city's website.
