City crews remove Crab Park campers living outside of designated camping area
Crab Park campers living outside of the designated camping area were being moved out by Vancouver park rangers Tuesday morning.
CBC counted about 15 park rangers moving from tent to tent at around 7:30 a.m., asking people to remove their structures from a hillside area.
According to city bylaws, people camping in parks beyond the designated are only allowed to be there between dusk and dawn and are supposed to remove their shelter by 7 a.m.
The Crab Park designated camping area is the city's only legal encampment. It holds 14 tents and is currently full.
According to advocates for those camping in the park, approximately 16 tents were located outside the designated camping area.
Last month the City of Vancouver shut down the Crab Park homeless encampment citing health and safety concerns, forcing residents to move temporarily.
Crews removed more than 90,000 kilograms of debris and material, 20 propane tanks and six generators. Gravel was placed on the site to improve drainage and clearly marked camping sites were created within the designated area.
Crab Park homeless advocate Fiona York said the city has not followed through on a promise to implement an appeals process for campers who were evicted from the park earlier but not given a spot in the designated camping area.
In an emailed statement, the Vancouver Park Board said it was removing tents to restore access to the park for community daytime use.