Bolin not interested in Vancouverites’ opinions on proposed tent bylaw
The safety of Fort St. John’s residents, not the opinions of people living in Vancouver, is council’s top priority according to Councillor Trevor Bolin who brought up the July 2023 resolution to look into a bylaw to regulate soft-sided camping in the city, for discussion at Monday’s council meeting.
Bolin first proposed the resolution in response to a marked increase in tents around the city, which had sprung up in parking lots, behind businesses, in alleyways and empty lots. Some of the businesses and their staffs felt intimidated by the residents of the structures and took their concerns to the city.
The resolution, following discussion and amendments, read: “THAT, Council direct staff to review current City bylaws to determine options to manage soft-sided (tents, tarps, lean-to's) camping on public property and properties zoned commercial and industrial as well as properties zoned institutional, excluding events planned by that property holder. AND THAT, staff provides a report for Council's consideration."
At the time, Bolin said he wanted to make a bylaw that prevents tents in the downtown, but at the same time, didn’t want to criminalise the homeless. Council wanted to stop being reactive and have a policy in place to protect the community, and the safety of those living in the tents.
“Of course we had people who didn’t agree with us, call us out on it,” Bolin said on Monday. “We had opinionated people who don’t live in our community share their advice on it.”
Right now, Bolin says there is no bylaw, it’s still being worked on. But it isn’t about homeless people, or about parks.
“This is about an overall bylaw to prevent soft-sided camping, which is very common in communities and where we sit with that,” he said.
Bolin went on to say that he doesn’t care for the threats from “people in Vancouver”. He doesn’t care what their opinions are because they don’t pay his wages.
“This isn’t about being cruel and demeaning, this about safety, this is about community and I would to see us be able to move forward in a successful pathway.” ~ Councillor Trevor Bolin
“This bylaw is about our community and the safety thereunto, including people walking down the street. We just spent $50 million on 100th Street, and there’s now tents, four buildings off 100th Street that people are scared to walk by, and we don’t have a bylaw to deal with that.”
In September, thanks to publicity from a housing group in Vancouver, Bolin said the Human Rights Commission got involved and after being unable to contact Bolin, called City of Fort St. John representatives to a meeting at last year’s Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference.
The city’s Chief Administrative Officer, Milo MacDonald reported that during that conversation, “we let them know that our strategy was actually to work collaboratively with social service providers, to connect people with supports and to balance the rights of those who want to enjoy public spaces. That was a point that we made, that there is an obligation to ensure that people are in a position to enjoy those public spaces,” he said.
At the same time, the Commission and the province took a combative tone towards other municipalities, including Prince George, which had already adopted similar bylaws. During that same time period, MacDonald said that there were municipalities working towards preparing bylaws that were compliant with Human Rights legislation.
Now, MacDonald says, there is apparently a bylaw that is poised to be approved by the province.
“I think there are some ways that we can work around that,” he said. “I’m led to believe that any bylaw that we do seek to have approved in this space will need to be reviewed and approved by the provincial minister of health, so there is a component of provincial approval that is required.”
The recent rollback of decriminalization in part spaces, by the province has strengthened the position of municipalities like Fort St. John.
“There may be a place where that provides some context to the bylaw moving forward. The other thing is that there is a piece that’s required, kind of a two-pronged approval in order to be able to enforce that. One is that there needs to be room at the local shelter; the other is that we need to have designated an alternative space.”
Staff has looked to see if there are spaces in the community, they can direct people to, but as of last week, the shelter is full.
In the absence of a bylaw, MacDonald said the city has been engaging with people who in the process of moving into tents. “We’ve had some productive conversations with them about where they can go, but obviously that strategy has it’s limits.”
Bolin said that he has tried to make it clear to the Human Rights Commission and the province, that this isn’t just a homeless issue.
“It’s so much more than that. It comes into a safety issue for the community. Not only the residents that are maybe walking by, but even harm to themselves on our property, makes us liable, if we allow it,” Bolin said.
Bolin’s father lived in a tent in the bushes for two-and-a-half years, but he says he still would’ve made that bylaw then, even with his dad living, by choice, in a tent.
“This isn’t about being cruel and demeaning, this about safety, this is about community and I would to see us be able to move forward in a successful pathway.”
It’s not an easy discussion to have, and there are a lot of communities facing this decision, said Mayor Lilia Hansen. When they have meetings with other municipalities, she said they agree on a lot of things.
“There’s not enough housing, not enough treatment beds or detox centres, there’s a lot we have in common,” she said. “But I think where there’s that separation, there needs to be a respectable dialogue, both sides need to be able to say what they’re seeing, how it’s impacting their community.”
“We hear from our residents that safety is number one. As well, if the community looks dirty, there’s a lot of discarded clothes, personal effects that then we have to send our parks staff to clean up,” Hansen said.
“So that costs taxpayers, and businesses, and it’s also the visibility of our community. There’s a lot that we do agree on, but I don’t feel that there is that respect given to both sides of the conversation.”