Correspondence from Geoff Typliski and Christine Stangeland
Late submissions regarding the park camping bylaw, citing tax burdens for remediation and safety of first responders.
Sent: December 6, 2022 12:23 PM To: info@townofviewroyal.ca; Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Cc: 'Lauren Citton' Subject: Bylaw re Overnight camping in View Royal Parks Dec 6th Council meeting
Dear Council,
Please accept this letter for action.
I request an amendment to remove Portage Inlet Linear Park (PILP) from your “allowed” overnight camping.
Safety:
We live in the St Giles Street/Chancellor neighbourhood south of the TCH. between PILP and View Royal Park, both of which your proposed bylaw designates for “homeless” camping. We have no other nearby park in which to walk dogs, exercise, or sit and relax for quiet enjoyment. We are a young family and feel much safer without campers in the park According to the Vic. P.D. survey of 1300 respondents in August 2022 79% of Victoria residents don’t feel safe downtown at night and 37% don’t feel safe in the day. DON’T LET THAT HAPPEN HERE.
Statistics Canada latest figures (dated 2020) report Victoria’s Violent Crime Severity Index as 183.1, View Royal 54.01 (26.78 in 2017 four years ago so doubled) In the last 4 years Saanich comparable increase is 63%, Langford 70%.
These figures are the reasons behind our fearfulness. Please don’t destroy our neighbourhood’s livability.
Financial Concerns:
Staff state that injunctions etc. will be a burden on taxpayers if the bylaw fails. This will not be the case if one park is removed from the list and the other two remain. In fact costs will probably be reduced. Council should refuse to accept this staff recommendation.
Bylaw 1095 amendment bylaw#986,2018 “Overnight shelter” 18.3(b) ....at any time within 100m of (b) a footpath or road within a park area (e) a beach, (f) an Environmentally Sensitive Area {ESA} e.g. Portage Inlet. Therefor sections 18.2 and 18.3 restrictions exclude Portage Inlet Linear Park from erection of an overnight shelter. PILP has all these attributes within 40 metres and would not be permitted under Colwood’s bylaw.
Peninsular Streams has just completed a beach enhancement project at considerable expense to improve salmon habitat by installing gravel to promote forage fish, and adding native plants which are easily trampled or subject to damage by toxic chemicals often left by campers. Please include these environmental concerns in your deliberations.
Fire hazard:
Homeless camper’s tents catch on fire as they warm themselves or cook. These tents will be under trees which turns the park into an urban/treed interface putting our homes at risk. View Royal Park is less of a fire hazard because it is open and grassed.
Respectfully submitted,
Geoff Typliski ... 130 St Giles Street.
From: Christine Stangeland Date: Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 12:32 PM Subject: Upcoming bylaw about camping in parks To: info@townofviewroyal.ca
To Mayor and Council,
I am writing to express my concern over a proposed bylaw to allow overnight camping in some View Royal parks.
I am sympathetic to the homeless and understand the issue of homelessness is extremely complex, however I feel like allowing overnight camping is not a solution to the larger issue of homelessness, mental health, and addiction.
Once concern is the cost this will ultimately have on the tax payers. We saw when Victoria allowed overnight camping, the cost to remediate sites was incredibly high (I don’t recall an exact amount but believe it was 100s of thousands of dollars, and Victoria has a much higher population that View Royal). I am also under the impression that with the increase of campers comes an increase in crime. How can we prevent this from occurring?
If we are going to invest tax payer dollars, PLEASE consider investing towards REAL solutions, mental health funding, shelters with running water, help finding people employment, etc.
Another concern I have is for the safety of those who live near the parks, use the parks, and for police officers that may be called to deal with people camping in the parks. I’m sure you are aware that an RCMP member on the mainland was recently stabbed to death confronting a camper. And this was someone who encounters difficult people on a daily basis. I don’t want our police officers to be put unnecessarily in dangerous situations, nor those who live in the community.
My last concern is that (to my knowledge) a lot of the supports of places such as Our Place, Mustard Seed etc. are located in the downtown core of Victoria, not in View Royal, which could cause people to ultimately lose access to those services.
Thank you for your consideration on an incredibly complex and challenging issue.
Christine Stangeland