District of Squamish council amended its camping bylaw at a council meeting on Tuesday, May 18.
The amended bylaw introduces two changes.
It removes the words ‘Blue Area’ and reference to ‘North of Mamquam’ in the camping bylaw. The bylaw now applies to all neighbourhoods equally.
Homeless people can erect temporary overnight shelters at any public place in the district, although with certain restrictions.
According to the amendment, the bylaw “applies to any Public Place within the territorial jurisdiction of the District”.
“Public Place” is defined as any land which is a park, a parking lot, Crown land, or otherwise owned or leased by the district but does not include the highway.
However, a temporary shelter can’t be set up at a trail, a school, Municipal Hall, the Adventure Centre, a parking lot, Rose Park, Stan Clarke Park, Brennan Park, within 20 metre of of any permanent structure, building, skateboard park, playground, or playing field. The temporary shelters also have to be removed by 9 am.
It also can’t be set up in the Red Area, which was introduced in 2019.
They identify no-go zones where no-one is allowed to camp or shelter overnight with a temporary shelter. These include the Estuary and the Mamquam Forest Service Road.
Yesterday, in a second change, council also decided to add Smoke Bluffs Park to the Red Area.
The district says it is bringing its bylaws in compliance with a BC Supreme Court ruling that upholds the right of homeless persons to erect temporary shelter overnight on public land.
The district says the bylaws and visitor management strategy would be monitored closely throughout the summer, and changes might be introduced as necessary.
