Residents troubled by litter, damage in Victoria-area park where homeless sleep

A group of homelesspeople livingin tents in a park in Saanichin Greater Victoriaare leaving garbage and other debris behind, causing damage and limiting access to parts of a nearby creek, area residents say.

The local community association says the mess iscausing anxiety aboutsafety in the public park, making it off-limits for some who typically frequent the area.

As a result, the association hascalled on Saanich council to take action.

Gabe Epstein, president of the Gorge Tillicum Community Association, says every time someone walks through Cuthbert Holmes Park, theyinevitably come across litter, tarps, tents and evidence of campfires.

"There are also no bathrooms around so, you know, it's a question of what people do," EpsteintoldOn the Island host Gregor Craigie.

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Campsites set up near fish fences havemade it difficult for educational groups to access the creek to learn about salmon migration, he said.

"That program is being curtailed by people sleeping nearby," he said.

While personal safety is a majorconcern, Epstein worries that campfires and generators in the park could cause a fire.

Long-term solutions

Epstein says cleaning up the refuse is a great short-term solution, but the community association wants the municipality to prevent people from setting up camp in the park altogether.

SaanichMayor Richard Atwell says while people have a right to sleep, Saanich council is looking into how itcan amend its parks bylaws to give the local police department the authority to ask campers to leave in the mornings.

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"People still probably will be able to set up overnight," he said. "Our community engagement division will be in there in the morning asking people to collect up their goods and hopefully that will be a deterrent for camping in the park."

The municipality estimates up to 10 people sleep in the park on average each night.

"It's a large natural park but it's not large enough to support this behaviour,"Atwellsaid.

Atwell said it's been difficult for police to monitor and mitigate hazards created by the situation, such as campfires and debris left in the park.

"At the moment, they're simply overwhelmed by the number of campers in the park," Atwell said.

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Atwell is also calling on the provincial government to consider Saanich for future affordable housing and housing for Vancouver Island's homeless population.

With files from On the Island