Vagrancy by-law approved and passed.

[w84u2]

Vagrancy by-law approved and passed.

At the same time Kelowna council gave final approval to a bylaw that will make it unlawful for people to sit, lay or sleep on sidewalks, a protest against the measure was taking place outside City Hall.

Inside, the bylaw passed without a word.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#182813

[dogspoiler]

Good

[Evan]

Oh god. How ludicrous. What an insane waste of time. This was already deemed unlawful by the supreme court of Canada, now Kelowna get's to go to court and be further embarrassed. What an embarrassment to the city.

"Oct. 21st 2015 B.C. Supreme court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson found that bylaws prohibiting homeless people from sleeping in public places violate Section 7 of the Charter, which protects individuals’ safety and security of person. He also denied requests seeking a permanent ban on homeless camping. The BCSC ruling allows people to erect shelters and sleep in the City’s public spaces and parks between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. The decision means that homeless people can no longer be evicted from public spaces and parks during those hours."

[phasyluck]

Basrans interview defending it was comical I thought.

[Fancy]

Oh god. How ludicrous. What an insane waste of time.

Yet other cities are also doing evictions.

[spooker]

Yet other cities are also doing evictions.

They're doing evictions when they have beds for the people who are being affected. They're not changing law, they're working within the laws that currently exist. I'm speaking about the recent evictions in Vernon and also Victoria.

Seeing as Basran came out with "we're not heartless" first tells me they knew that's how it was going to be viewed since that's pretty much the only way it can be seen.

I haevn't seen any good explanation of what this change is supposed to accomplish. The people who will be ticketed are not likely to have the money to pay. The people who will be ticketed don't have any place to go, the shelters are full. It seems like the only thing this will do is allow the city to say to businesses "we are doing something for you" ... but what are they doing really?

[John500]

Basran and council have totally lost my support. So many homeless people. Great idea to pass a bylaw to remove them from the streets. What are you thinking. Has to be the good old NIMBY attitude of this council. Did council ever discussed possible other alternatives? Maybe putting some dollars into the old Bargain store that has been sitting empty, so these people have a place to go especially during this time of the year? You do give developers a break. Well here is one possible solution. Giving them a $50 fine, you think they can afford that? Get real and get of your high horses.

[Atomoa]

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#182877

This is what happens when your criminalize sleeping on the street when all the shelters are full.

Good thing nobody was hurt.

[whatwhat]

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story-182877-1-.htm#182877

This is what happens when your criminalize sleeping on the street when all the shelters are full.

Good thing nobody was hurt.

Exactly, homeless people will exist in "our" city no matter what. They are just going to move from the streets to backyards.

[Fancy]

Squatters weren't evicted from the streets - that's what squatters do.

[w84u2]

City council only has to address the concerns that negatively impact taxpaying, residents and business owners. They (council) make decisions based upon available options that favor the greatest number, of the people that had elected them. They have an obligation to represent those that put them in that position and pay their wages.
IF enough resident taxpayers felt that the vagrants should be provided with all the things the vagrants want and desire, then, and only then, would council do that.
Council, represents what the greatest number of taxpayers want. Don't blame city council for representing and acting upon what the taxpayers want. Blame all of those that voted for these representatives of the majority, as they are the ones who voted and put them in their current position. The methods by which the goals of the majority of voters are obtained and satisfied is a different matter. IF the taxpayers/voters say, "Clean this mess up by any means possible, without a cost to us", then that is what the council will do.
Just be thankful that I am not on council.

[spooker]

City council only has to address the concerns that negatively impact taxpaying, residents and business owners. They (council) make decisions based upon available options that favor the greatest number, of the people that had elected them. They have an obligation to represent those that put them in that position and pay their wages.
IF enough resident taxpayers felt that the vagrants should be provided with all the things the vagrants want and desire, then, and only then, would council do that.
Council, represents what the greatest number of taxpayers want. Don't blame city council for representing and acting upon what the taxpayers want. Blame all of those that voted for these representatives of the majority, as they are the ones who voted and put them in their current position. The methods by which the goals of the majority of voters are obtained and satisfied is a different matter. IF the taxpayers/voters say, "Clean this mess up by any means possible, without a cost to us", then that is what the council will do.

I voted for a council I could trust to do things that I would choose to do myself ... I hold them to thinking of the greater good and not just their paycheques ... the majority of this council I will say that I voted for ... it's not easy being on council but they need to be the ones thinking of "community" with all of its players and not just people who will be speaking with their pocketbooks or votes ... we need the political will to do the right thing, not the thing that will please the most people ...

Just be thankful that I am not on council.

Of that you can be certain ;)

[w84u2]

w84u2 wrote:
Just be thankful that I am not on council.

spooker wrote: Of that you can be certain ;)

Not deserving of a "like" but still worth a

[Mr Danksworth]

Good. The squatters are getting out of hand. At least once a week I have to go downtown to my wife's work and evict groups of them from the alcove into the entrance of her work. Half the time they are compliant, the other half are standoffish, rude and mildly threatening. There are some that like to follow her into the parkade, corner her in the elevator and ask her for change. Creepy to say the least. My wife shouldn't have to carry mace just to walk 1/2 block to her car.

It's actually getting pretty out of hand. I support anything that makes Kelowna less appealing to the homeless, because right now it is paradise for them. They get free reign to wander around stealing, making messes, and being a threat to the health and safety of the community while we have to protect ourselves from them. Kelowna's citizens have no obligation to feed and house the transients that stop here to take their place on the streets.

[Straight Shooter]

How, time has changed. What ever became of this person?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 ... 56cb89.jpg