Sheltering in a Victoria, B.C., park in a tent or other structure during the daytime is once again illegal.
As of Saturday, May 1, the city has reinstated its bylaw that bans daytime camping in city parks.
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City council approved the move in March, after the province agreed it would make shelter or housing space available to anyone who was sheltering in a park or ravine.
While the bylaw is back in force, the city said it won’t be enforcing it on everyone immediately.
As people transition to indoor housing spaces, the city says anyone who is signed up for a shelter space will be allowed to stay in a local park all day until their space is ready.
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The city, along with the province and bc housing, are working to deliver more than 220 transitional housing spaces for Victoria’s homeless population.
Anyone who chose not to sign up for an indoor shelter must pack up their tents between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park has been the site of a tent encampment of homeless people that has grown during the pandemic, bringing with it crime and community resentment.
— with files from the Canadian Press