Prince George city council approved the first three readings of the amendment to the Parks and Open Spaces Bylaw to relocate the city’s designated temporary overnight sheltering (TOS) site to a smaller, improved area near the current location on Lower Patricia Boulevard, and to designate the existing area as an overflow site.
The report explains that the new site has been upgraded with drainage improvements, soil remediation, fencing, and wildfire risk mitigation to provide a safer and more manageable space for overnight sheltering.
In municipalities where the number of unsheltered individuals is greater than the number of accessible shelter beds, individuals who cannot access shelter have a constitutional right to erect a shelter during overnight hours in public spaces. Municipalities may designate specific areas for this purpose.
The designated overflow area would allow for overnight sheltering only if all 20 sites in the proposed main TOS site are occupied.
