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Needles, feces and garbage piling up at homeless camp near Trail park

The camp is near the shore of the Columbia River and jurisdiction falls to the ministry
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Images of the site taken from Facebook on Sept. 10.

What can the City of Trail do about dirty needles, feces and garbage in a homeless camp near Gyro Park?

Turns out, not a whole lot if it is on Crown land and not city proper.

“This site was reported to us a couple weeks back,” confirmed Corporate Administrator Michelle McIsaac. “And because it is located on the foreshore, which is Crown land, we’ve been in touch with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations about it.”

In terms of responsibility for enforcement, it really depends on the location of the campsite as to whether it falls to the city or another authority for action, McIssac said.

“We deal with any instances of trespass that fall under the city’s jurisdiction, (meaning) on municipally owned/controlled lands and within city boundaries,” she explained.

“However, if the campsite is on Crown land as is the case here, then it is more so a provincial responsibility and we refer to the above-noted ministry.”

Click here for more info: Reporting natural resource violations

That said, dealing with the issue of homelessness requires a multi-jurisdictional response and so a variety of agencies such as municipal, provincial, RCMP, and social services may be involved.

Passersby have reported a considerable number of pallets piling up around the site as of late.

With weather cooling and open burning prohibited year-round in the city, any fires should be reported to the city.

To report a complaint like this to the municipality, contact Trail bylaw enforcement at (250) 364-0833 or email bylaws@trail.ca

Use the toll free RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277 to report to the province.

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Sheri Regnier

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