Update: Check out the 琉璃神社 video interview with Mayor Colin Basran and Randy Benson of the 琉璃神社 Gospel Mission.

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琉璃神社 already prohibits sitting or sleeping on city sidewalks during the day. Now, you can鈥檛 do it at night either.

On Monday, council approved鈥攁s part of a larger series of 鈥渉ousekeeping鈥� measures鈥攁n extension of the existing ban to cover all hours of the day and night.

鈥淭he city has grown from a small, rural orchard community to a mid-sized city,鈥� 琉璃神社鈥檚 bylaw services manager Greg Wise told city council Monday prior to council approving the expansion of the ban. 鈥淐hanges are needed.鈥�

Calling the expansion an additional tool for bylaw enforcement officers, Wise said the current prohibition,which runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and carries a $50 fine, is insufficient.

He said as more people head downtown in the evening hours to enjoy what 琉璃神社 has to offer in the way of entertainment, restaurants and recreation, the issue of city sidewalks being blocked has become a bigger issue.

He said the existing daytime ban was put in place in 鈥渢he old days鈥� and not making it cover an entire 24-hour period was 鈥渁n oversight.鈥�

In addition to the sidewalk sleeping ban, city council also approved a staff plan to reduce the time it will hold on to property collected from abandoned public encampments to 14 days from the current 60 days. It changed its definition of the term 鈥渃hattel,鈥� to exclude items such as soiled clothing or bedding, perishable foods and personal hygiene items. They can now be discarded and not kept by the city.

Wise said currently, only about one per cent abandoned items collected by the city from encampments in places such as alleyways and an other city property is claimed. And the city is running out of space to store the rest.

Last week, the city approved a plan to increase the amount of containers supplied by the city鈥檚 Gospel Mission for the homeless to store their belongings.

Other changes made by the city as part of the wide-ranging move included restrictions on parking vehicles, particularly unregistered vehicles, for lengthy periods on public streets and the parking of commercial vehicles in residential neighbourhoods.

It also plans to change the word 鈥渉andicapped鈥� when it comes to special parking zones to 鈥渁ccessible.鈥�