Vancouver Park Board issues restrictions on unhoused belongings

Vancouver Park Board rangers are at a Downtown Eastside park on Friday morning, enforcing a newly issued restriction that targets unhoused people’s belongings.

The new rule affects the number of items people sleeping rough can have with them in Oppenheimer Park.

As of Friday, people are only allowed to have a single tote’s worth of belongings. Anything more than that may be confiscated.

People camping in city parks are already required to pack up and move on during the day, in a move to limit the creation of encampments within city limits.

Some critics believe the latest limitation being placed on those experiencing homelessness is part of a “drawn-out, slow-motion decampment,” meant to pressure people out of the park ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver next year, but “avoid attention.”

The extra restrictions come as the city opens a new playground at Oppenheimer Park on Friday morning.

“So far, residents have actively complied with restrictions, hoping to keep their relationship with the Park Board positive; residents even do their own wake-up calls to get their tents and belongings packed up before Park Rangers arrive at the park,” Oppenheimer Park community spokesperson Ryan Sudds said in a release.

“In response to this new restriction, residents of Oppenheimer Park will be asking Vancouver Park Rangers to cease the escalation and any confiscation of belongings. Instead, they will be asking to meet with Amit Gandha, Director of the Park Board to discuss a compromise that will allow residents to keep their belongings,” Sudds added.

According to Sudds, the community had already asked to meet with Gandha on May 14.