A man being let through the fence at the Kelowna rail trail encampment on March 27, 2025.

(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)

Kelowna officials from numerous departments tore down the rail trail encampment yesterday, and now the city is putting in a host of new rules.

Cops, bylaw officers, fire department members, private security contractors and more were at the rail trail today to usher in a new era for the site.

The City of Kelowna’s community safety director Kevin Mead said the goal is to make the site more regulated like an indoor sheltering site. This announcement came at a press conference, the second one in as many days, after the controversial cleanup operation began yesterday.

“The tone on the site yesterday was unsettled, and reasonably so,” Mead said.

There are going to be 60 sites where people are allowed to stay long term, and then a space designated for temporary overnight stays where people will have to pack up all their belongings and leave during the day. The last rough estimate of people living on the rail trail was more than 80. 

“These 60 sites will be offered to people who commit to following some basic site conduct rules and are actively participating in case work that mirror much of what is expected to shelter indoors,” Mead said at the press conference.

The temporary overnight site is going to be open for use from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. and people are expected to pack up and go to day sites like those operated by Metro.

He said there is going to be a code of conduct for the site, and people will be searched for presumed stolen items as they would be in an indoor shelter.

Mead said the announcement about the changes to the site weren’t made yesterday because the city wanted to be able to share the news with folks living on the rail trail in person, rather than have them find out from a news story online.

There were a total of seven arrests made at the site yesterday and another one this morning for crimes ranging from assault to an outstanding warrant.

READ MORE: Arrests made during Kelowna rail trail homeless encampment 'spring cleanup'

The site is currently closed to the public and fenced off, but it’s still visible from the road.

There are numerous police officers, bylaw officers, and private security guards standing by to make sure only approved residents of the rail trail are allowed in the site.

Mead said an incident that emphasized the need for so much security was a group of people who came to the encampment to try to intimidate the people living there.

“The night before last we received anecdotal reports from site users that there was a group of approximately 10 people that came to the site late in the evening and early hours of the morning for the sole purpose of intimidating site users. This was one of the people who thanked the team yesterday for the increased sense of safety that they have at the site because of the fencing in place,” he said.

The size of the tenting areas is also being reduced from 12 square feet to 8 square feet and tents will be provided by BC Housing.

Mead said the goal is to serve homeless folks as well as the surrounding community.

“We are trying something different and somewhat innovative as we try to serve the whole community, not just one side of the coin or the other,” he said.

Mead did not disclose how much the city is spending on security guards, and had no definitive answer about how long the site would be fenced off. He said there is a parks and recreation bylaw that allows the city to fence off an area and restrict access. 

A temporary stamp system is being used to screen people who are allowed to come and go from the site and Mead said the system would likely only be in place today.

There has been criticism of the way the city has handled the site, including comments Mead referenced about the rail trail turning into a “concentration camp” and a “cage”.

“The alternative of doing nothing and permitting those sheltering outdoors to fend solely for themselves would lead to truly inhumane conditions, extreme harm, and cause increased risk to people and a loss of a sense of what Kelowna is,” he said.

The other group of people who Mead said need the site to be safer is outreach workers, including workers from the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society who work with Indigenous folks experiencing homelessness.

“About a month ago, Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society's outreach team chose to stop serving the site after one of their workers was threatened. And as a result of the measures we put in place yesterday, that outreach team voluntarily came back out on site,” he said. “They could come and start serving again to provide that Indigenous space.”

Mead said the previous methods for managing the site have run their course and it’s time to try something new.

“The city is transitioning to a hybrid model of sanctioned outdoor sheltering where it will provide a safer space for those who are wanting to peacefully shelter and pursue indoor shelter and housing options with a more controlled environment, while ensuring there is still a space for others to shelter overnight and continue to have access to the range of services offered, including the daytime options,” he said.

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