Oppenheimer tent city must go, says Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson

Due to policing costs, serious concerns over health and safety of campersand due to the recent change in weather,the City of Vancouver says the time has cometo strikecamp at Oppenheimer Park.

MayorGregorRobertson held a press conferenceThursday to explain some of the reasons whythe city is seeking an injunction from B.C. Supreme Court to have the campsite dismantled.

"It's really time that the encampmentcomes down and the park is returned to its natural state for the community," he said.

"We're looking forward to a peaceful resolution, but we want to ensure that we've gone through theright process with the courts."

Robertson said conditions at the site have deteriorated and the city and police needto ensure that people are safe.

One of the many allegations made in a policeaffidavit supporting the removal of the Oppenheimer Park protest camp is that one of the tents may containevidence of a homicide.

The affidavit of Insp. Howard Chow also claims that, among the various actions police have undertaken around the tents and campsites, officers seized various weapons andcaught aconvicted sex offender in the park's playground.

In total, the Vancouver Police Department says it estimates it hasspent $75,000 on overtime since the camp sprung up in mid-July.

Robertson said the city wants to ensure that the homeless people who are camping at the park find appropriate places to go.

The City of Vancouver says shelter spacesare availableand that 40 campers havealready left the park and moved into housing with the assistance of B.C. Housing and the city's housing outreach team.

Robertson said thereare still 50 people on a waiting list to move from the park into housing, and there are possibly another 50 or more people in Oppenheimer Park who are believed to behomeless.

Representatives from the city will be in B.C. Supreme Court Monday seeking theinjunction.

• On mobile? Click here to read VPD Insp. Howard Chow's affidavit, one of a number filed in support of the City of Vancouver application for an injunction