Moments before about 100 people gathered out front of a closed 琉璃神社 city hall Monday evening to protest, city council concluded its weekly public meeting by quietly passing one the most hotly contested bylaws in recent city memory.
With no discussion, council voted unanimously to approve an extension to an existing bylaw that bans sitting or sleeping on city sidewalks between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. The bylaw now bans such action at anytime of the day or night.
Outside, the protesters booed when told the bylaw had received fourth reading and had been passed.
They want the city to rescind the entire ban, calling it is a 鈥�鈥� of the homeless here. These are among the 肠颈迟测鈥檚 most vulnerable, say the protesters, people who do not have anywhere else to go.
Several said that Mayor Colin Basran and his eight city councillors should be ashamed of themselves for supporting the ban.
鈥淲丑测 am I so upset over something the city says is a practical 蝉迟谤补迟别驳测?鈥� said organizer Katrina Plamondon. 鈥淏别肠补耻蝉别 this is a violation of dignity and of human 谤颈驳丑迟蝉.鈥�
She accused council of 鈥渢补濒办颈苍驳 out of both sides of its 尘辞耻迟丑,鈥� by earlier in the day endorsing creation of a long-term strategy to help the homeless, while at the same time making, in her words, it a crime to be homeless. Violation of the sitting or sleeping on the sidewalk ban carries a $50 fine.
Wile Basran has repeatedly said city bylaw officers will not be out 24/7 looking for people to ticket under the bylaw, he has called the extension of the ban another tool to help deal with homelessness here. Adding that the city is doing plenty of other things to help people on the street, including getting more low-cost housing built and having outreach and mental health workers accompany bylaw officers and local police officers on patrols to help get people found living on the street help from local social service agencies.
He has said the ban extension was complaint-driven and residents and business owners alike have complained to city hall about 鈥渟颈诲别飞补濒办 辞产蝉迟谤耻肠迟颈辞苍蝉.鈥�
Earlier in the day, during discussion about 肠辞耻苍肠颈濒鈥檚 endorsement of the planned homeless-serving systems strategy, Basran admitted he did not see the public 鈥渂补肠办濒补蝉丑鈥� coming over what he described as a 鈥渕颈苍辞谤 bylaw 肠丑补苍驳别.鈥�
But while the mayor was booed when spoken of at the protest, at least one organizer said he believes Basran is a compassionate person and he appealed for that compassion to override the new bylaw.
Robert Mellalieu, a former federal Green Party candidate on the Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola, said 叠补蝉谤补苍鈥檚 compassion appears to be at odds with his actions in supporting the ban extension.
The protesters on Monday evening called on the city to help find beds for 碍别濒辞飞苍补鈥檚 homeless instead of banning them from the sidewalks.
One woman in the crowd shouted out that the bylaw was being introduced just as the local Gospel Mission and the Inn From The Cold shelters had announced they are full.
With unseasonably cold weather expected over the next week, concern has been raised about the welfare of those on the street at night in the city. Temperatures over the next few days are expected to be below 0 C during the day and night.
The protesters, in addition to sitting 辞苍鈥攁苍诲 partially 产濒辞肠办颈苍驳鈥攖丑别 sidewalk outside city hall to defy the new ban Monday were also encouraged to write messages opposing 肠辞耻苍肠颈濒鈥檚 action in chalk on the sidewalk.
Some of the messages read 鈥沦丑补尘别 on you 碍别濒辞飞苍补,鈥� 鈥淏别诲蝉 not 蹿颈苍别蝉,鈥� 鈥淢测 Christmas wish list: Homes for 别惫别谤测辞苍别鈥� and 鈥淭谤耻尘辫 move for 蝉耻谤别,鈥� a reference to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
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