Crews and equipment are on site at a homeless encampment on BC Rail property in Williams Lake Tuesday, Nov. 14.
They are working in an area where tents and lean-tos have been set up for several months, at the base of Oilver Street, beside the city’s Station House Gallery.
Gary Muraca, chief administrative officer for the city, said the city is not involved with the work but that BC Rail has hired a contractor.
Last week Muraca told council during its regular meeting Tuesday, Nov. 7, the camp would be dismantled in the coming weeks.
The camp has continued to grow in size since tents were first spotted there after a homeless camp was removed from Herb Gardner Park, just below city hall, in April.
In May, the city said it set aside a designated area in Boitanio Park behind Boitanio Mall where the unhoused are permitted to camp overnight, however, few, if any, have taken the city up on the spot, which is visible from Highway 97.
That original area still is available, Muraca said. However, all tents and belongings have to be gathered up and removed every morning and fires are not permitted.
In Williams Lake there is a shelter at the Cariboo Friendship Society, funded by the Aboriginal Housing Fund and at the Hamilton Hotel, there is an emergency low-barrier shelter operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cariboo Chilcotin.
Blair Fisher, director of transitional housing for CMHA, said their homeless outreach workers have been reaching out to the people living in the encampment to see what they can do to help out.
The Hamilton has a total of 23 beds, plus 10 emergency beds, and while some of those are taken already, they will try to take in as many people as they can, he said.
“It is that time of year when people living outside will want to come indoors because it is getting colder,” Fisher said.
The forecast from Environment Canada for the Williams Lake area is showing a 40 per cent chance of flurries Tuesday, Nov. 14, with a low of -5C, a chance of flurries on Wednesday, Nov. 15 with a low of -7 C and flurries for Thursday, Nov. 16 with a low of zero.
City council and BC Rail had been under mounting pressure to do something with the camp, as businesses in the area raised concern about an increase in thefts they said were linked to people staying in the camp.
It is unclear if people remained in the tents on Tuesday.
An attendant in the parking lot at the Station House Gallery and the parking lot next door told the Tribune no photos allowed and no comment, and that the parking lot was private property.
The Tribune has reached out to BC Rail for comment.
With files from Ruth Lloyd
READ MORE: Industrial location chosen for Kelowna tiny home village raises concerns
READ MORE: Williams Lake unhoused can access services as temps drop
Don’t miss out on reading the latest local, provincial and national news offered at the Efteen. Sign up for our free newsletter here.
