District of Squamish is hiring a seasonal coordinator and plans to increase bylaw enforcement in evenings and holidays to prepare for an influx of summer visitors to town.
The district is also planning to amend local bylaws to better manage visitors while allowing those experiencing homelessness the right to shelter.
District staff is proposing amendments to the Camping, Parks Use, and Traffic bylaws and the proposal will be discussed at a Committee of the Whole meeting tomorrow.
The district plans to enhance existing restrictions for sleeping on roads and will introduce language that defines “staying overnight”.
This will be done for better enforcement in moving people to camping sites, although these restrictions will be seasonal to better manage the influx of visitors.
The district also plans to remove prohibition related to sleeping and camping in parks overnight to meet the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms as it relates to those who are homeless.
The district will keep focusing on camping prohibition in environmentally sensitive areas, report to council adds.
As part of the amendments, the district also plans to include new language to regulate Municipal Campground use once it can be opened for group bookings.
District says it has engaged with stakeholders and found that the majority of camping impacts are occurring on a seasonal basis.
“The biggest area of concern is in managing visitor impacts rather than impacts from year-round residents who may be camping,” the staff says in a report to council.
Despite the pandemic, 2020 brought a large number of visitors, the district says, and the staff will focus on mitigating the impacts of high seasonal visitors.
“While restrictions currently remain in place and the U.S. border currently remains closed, it is expected that outdoor enthusiasts will continue to visit Squamish in high numbers again this season,” says the staff report.
