Sidney council is looking to prohibit use of picnic shelters, stages and other public structures in parks overnight.
The town has been receiving complaints about young people creating disturbances in park structures at night and unhoused people sheltering in facilities for multiple days, making it challenging for other residents to use them during the day, chief administrative officer Randy Humble said via email.
The town’s bylaws allow for overnight sheltering in parks, except within 100 metres of picnic shelters, gazebos, stages and other park structures, he said.
The ambiguous wording of the bylaw has made it challenging to enforce and doesn’t address some of the complaints received, Humble said.
To address the issue, staff recommended amending bylaws to prohibit the use of structures in parks between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., with fines for occupying structures.
Sidney parks do not close to the public and people will still be able to shelter overnight if they’re not in the restricted areas, he said.
Councillors approved three readings of amendments to parks bylaws at a council meeting Monday. The amended bylaws will return to council for a vote to adopt the changes.
Some councillors expressed concern about unhoused people receiving fines they can’t pay.
“It seems to be adding insult to injury to give a $260 ticket to someone who really doesn’t have anywhere to go,” said Coun. Terri O’Keefe.
Staff said they understand there’s no point in ticketing someone without a home, and fines would be more likely given in the case of rowdy teenagers who refuse to leave park facilities at night.
Humble said the town recognizes there are unhoused people in Sidney who need support.
RCMP officers and specialists with the Ministry of Social Development perform weekly wellness checks on people who are unhoused and help provide access to support programs.
Lois Ainey, who delivers hot food, drinks and hygiene products to about a dozen unhoused people in Sidney, said she has been hearing from unhoused people in town that bylaw officers have recently been pushing them out of structures where they seek shelter.
Many use an overhang in Iroquois Park for shelter, she said, and very few have tents.
“They’re just trying to find a space, even if it’s outside in the elements, some way of being covered,” she said.
Ainey said she understands sheltering can be unsightly for other residents, but the bylaw changes could hurt people who are unhoused.
Last fall, Ainey and Cheryl Applewhaite told council that a cold-weather shelter is needed in Sidney.
They’ve since been told that unless they find a space open to housing a shelter, the town can’t help, Ainey said.
So far, the two have not been able to find a site.
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