The growing 'tent city' that has taken shape on the sidewalks on the 200 block of Leon Avenue has been busted-up by the city. Today, the RCMP and by-law enforcement officers forced people to pack-up their tents while offering them new alternatives in different parts of the city. 

"Today we're affecting a transition," said City of Kelowna Community Safety Director Darren Caul. "We have a situation on Leon such that it's no longer safe or tenable for people to continue to shelter on that street so we're moving them to designated locations."

David Braun was among the people evicted from the sidewalk on Leon Avenue this morning. He believes the city's solution will make things worse for the homeless. "We're just going to be out of everybody's sight, that's all. They're just shoving us way away and nobody will be able to see us," he said.

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Donna Dafoe was even more upset. "I think what they're trying to do is get us so ramped up and without stability," said Dafoe, "that we'll just have no ground to stand on."

The designated sites each have a secure container, where people's belongings can be stored for the day, and portable toilets. One of the two spots is a baseball field behind the Kelowna Curling Club and the other is at Poplar Point at the base of Knox Mountain, and just steps from the home of Shane Braund-Read. "It's going to be complicated," said Braund-Read. "I'm worried about crime obviously." He also pointed out the frigid breezes that come of the lake in the winter and how it's not an ideal place to pitch a tent at this time of year.

Photo credit: NowMedia

Photo credit: NowMedia

The City has marked each location with notices about time restrictions.

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Tents cannot be set up until after 7 pm and they have to be taken down by 9 am. "The 7 pm to 9 am is an essential part of the transition," said Caul. "This is consistent with both case law and best practices in other cities."

After 9 am, people will be given access to a secure container to keep their belongings safe.

Many of the homeless see it as systematic harassment. "We've got to take everything out of our tent, disassemble it," said Braun. "For what? I don't understand why. I don't get it."

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Caul said they expected that kind of criticism. "The intention here is to ensure that we have a safe situation on Leon and elsewhere," said Caul. 

The action on Leon Avenue came after a unanimous vote by council that was held behind closed doors Monday morning.