The city council and DFO collaborate to address public safety concerns related to fire risks and environmental issues as the number of encampments near Kamloops riverbanks increases.
The Kamloops riverbanks have recently been turned into the land of homeless encampments. Since it is a safe place to build up the camps, especially at night, riverbanks have become a zone for people without shelter in Kamloops. Authorities have intervened to remove the camps due to environmental and social issues concerning the safety and use of public space for the nearby residents and businesses. “There is a policy that the city has approved that allows for temporary overnight sheltering. So, they can go and set up a camp overnight, but it has to be taken down during the day, and it can’t become permanent,” Kamloops fire chief Ken Uzeloc said. He said the issue is that people generally fix a camp, which eventually becomes a permanent fix. “The rise of homeless encampments has been happening for a number of years, and it really stems from the lack of affordable housing,” Uzeloc said. Furthermore, he mentioned that at this point, the city council has identified 440 individuals as homeless. Meanwhile, the city council has just over 200 shelter beds available, and they have seen an increase in the number of homeless people year over year.
From the fire enforcement perspective, the he declares that when it’s getting cold and insufficient places, they see people in the camps trying to light fires to stay warm, “We’ve seen them where they’ll use hand sanitizer to light it on fire to stay warm as well; these aren’t necessarily great situations because they’re next to tents or flammable, combustible materials, and there’s been an increase in the number of burning complaints or outside fires that we’ve seen in the last couple of years, which is related to our vulnerable population.” fire chief Ken Uzeloc said.
The Kamloops Emergency Management Division works with social agencies and city housing groups to prepare for the upcoming cold-weather shelters and emergencies. “We look at operating the old yacht club into a winter shelter and then coming up with plans for when the temperature drops below minus ten as per the provincial guidelines and get more people off the riverbanks,” Uzeloc said.
Schubert Drive resident Joshep Carroll says the neighbourhood doesn’t feel safe walking and is worried about his family’s safety. “Back then, riverbanks used to be a peaceful place where we enjoyed our evening with families. But now it become a full land of encampments and a lot of litter around the riverbank and streets. It is really scarily unsafe to walk at night because some people are shouting and fighting on the street.” However, the chief Uzeloc said that just because someone has an encampment doesn’t necessarily mean a risk to the population or the neighbourhood. During the interview, the fire chief mentioned that the city council community service division actively monitors the community activities and concerns that may arise in the community. Also, if there is a criminal act or violent case near the encampment area, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stands prepared for their duties to ensure the public safety of Kamloops residents.
Beyond public safety and social concerns, the encampments have major impacts on environmental issues, including harming fish habitats,which have raised the attention of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Kamloops City Council.
Mainly, the temporary and permanent encampments may disturb the natural ecosystem, and the water pollution due to littering, including human waste, garbage, and chemicals, harms the aquatic habitats, affecting the water quality and fish reproduction. The major concern of DFO is that this Kamloops riverbank encampment results in the removal and damage of riparian riverbank vegetation, which is essential for fish habitats. The Vancouver DFO media officer Mo Qutob said that under the Fisheries Act’s fish and fish habitat protection provisions, they have the right to work with the groups to prevent or reduce harm to the fish habitats. “DFO has had multiple conversations with the Kamloops city council regarding the removal of riparian habitat due to riverbank encampments and general dike maintenance activities along the Thompson Rivers. We notified the city that the removal of riparian habitat at the proposed scale would require a Fisheries Act Authorization from DFO.” He said DFO habitat experts momentarily continue to work with the relevant authorities and the Kamloops City Council to finalize their request for approval on the proposed vegetation removal work.
(All pictures taken by Randi Chandrasekara October 8, 2024 – 4:00 PM @ Schubert Drive)