The encampment at Quinsam Road was shut down peacefully on Oct. 30.
The camp, which was set up in May 2020 was home to around 20 people who have had to find a new place to camp after a notice to vacate was issued by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development in early October. Residents of the camp were notified about an option to camp at Nunn’s Creek Park, albeit under a bylaw that does not allow semi-permanent structures to be set up.
“Right now, the way it is, the bylaw is written and enforced so that if they can’t pack their stuff up, bylaw will sometimes pack it up and take it away, so they lose all their stuff,” said Sue Moen, part of the leadership team at the Campbell River Coalition to End Homelessness earlier in October after the notice to vacate was issued.
“These are people who have nothing except their camping stuff. That leaves them even more exposed and vulnerable.”
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According to a release from the RCMP, most of the residents of the park had moved on as of Friday, with three people remaining on site who left the area peacefully.
RCMP say that the camp had generated over 50 calls for service since May, and that the RCMP had been working with local partners to help secure more stable options for the residents of the camp.
Police were on scene Friday to ensure the safety of everyone involved during the shut down at the camp. A dump truck and excavator were used to clean up some of the campsites, and several large piles of garbage were created at the site.
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