Encampments in Kamloops are entrenched and well-built along the riverbanks as spring approaches.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Although it's a far cry from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, Kamloops is no stranger to entrenched encampments in the city.

Whether along the riverbank in Valleyview, at Overlander Park or along the Tranquille Corridor, it's not uncommon to find tents pitched as people who are homeless seek shelter for the night.

Kamloops firefighters are responding to an increasing number of fires homeless people use to simply keep warm or to cook, while bylaws have seized dozens of propane tanks from riverside encampments.

That doesn't mean bylaw officers, or community service officers as they are called in Kamloops, will be enforcing the city's rules around removing encampments each day.

The department's acting manager Will Beattie said the city's goal is to connect people with shelter or housing rather than forcing tents and camps to come down. He cited a B.C. Supreme Court decision, which prohibits a municipality from evicting campers from public spaces when they have no other place to go.

READ MORE: Back on Vancouver's Hastings Street with no tent, no mattress and nowhere to go

The City of Vancouver evicted campers along the Hastings Street corridor on April 5 in response to increasing dangers within those camps, including fires, theft, violence and sexual assaults, according to statement from Mayor Ken Sim. It's not clear how many people were impacted and now have no place to live.

One major difference, besides population, is that most encampments in Kamloops are along riverbanks and spread across the city. One such encampment is along the South Thompson River near Valleyview.

Between Kelly Douglas Road and Vicars Road, there are multiple, well-built camps. They're built into the riverbanks and at least one tent had a chimney.

No one was there when iNFOnews.ca visited the Valleyview camp along the former Jack Gregson Trail, but there was a threatening sign for anyone who arrived uninvited.

"Anyone that goes past this point when nobody is here deserves to be shot and if caught will get their ass handed to them," the cardboard sign read.

There were motorcycles, bicycle parts and propane tanks at the camps, and at least two tents had makeshift chimneys. There were not only tents but tarps strung to trees and shelters dug into the dirt. 

At least three camps were built along the small Valleyview stretch, but there were several other spots with what appeared to be tent pads. The ground was flattened and walls were dug into the riverbanks with only bottle caps, tin cans and old propane tanks were left behind.

READ MORE: Overcrowding making tent city part of Kelowna’s Rail Trail experience

Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson said it would be the wrong approach to do something similar to Vancouver's mass eviction.

"It's not going to help here," he said.

Hamer-Jackson has recently gone to the riverside encampments and spoken with residents. He said multiple people claimed they were banned from city shelters.

"They're human beings, man. If a dog bites you in the ankle, are you going to ban it from your house forever?" he said.

Hamer-Jackson has long advocated for a "review" of the local non-profit services for people who are homeless, and he voiced concern about whether or not the people in camps had proper services.

He wasn't sure whether there has been violence within Kamloops encampments, as Sim suggested on the Downtown Eastside.

READ MORE: Decades of downloading on cities led to homelessness in Kamloops, Okanagan today: report

The city designated areas along the riverbanks for temporary overnight shelters. They must be "small and tidy" and temporary, according to city documents. They also have to be detached from other shelters and no fires are allowed.

Beattie said they're meant to be removed by 7 a.m. each day, but bylaw officers don't take a strong approach to enforcing those rules since there's no other space for the campers, despite the permanent nature of some of the camps.

As the water rises along the river, those living on the Thompson's banks will make their way back into the city. It's not clear how many people are living there as opposed to elsewhere in the city, but shelter operators routinely say they're full and there isn't enough space for everyone.

There are around 200 shelter spaces in Kamloops. It's not clear how many people need those beds on a regular basis. The city will soon conduct another point in time count to survey the local homeless population, getting a renewed estimate of the population without permanent shelter.

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