New bylaw to prohibit temporary overnight sheltering in Fort St. John parks

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Temporary overnight sheltering is to be prohibited in Fort St. John parks and open spaces as part of a new bylaw. 

At the regular council meeting on April 28th, the City of Fort St. John’s community safety manager Erin Ferris presented the Parks and Open Spaces Bylaw.

It applies to all community or neighbourhood parks and natural areas within the city, which are referred to as ‘municipal parks’ in the bylaw.

Key points of the bylaw include:

• Municipal parks will be open between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., to ensure public safety and prevent criminal activity. 
• Temporary overnight sheltering is prohibited in any of the parks and open spaces.
• Unattended items in parks and open spaces will be disposed of in a timely manner, as identified in the Traffic Bylaw.

Signage will be installed to indicate the access periods and activities allowed in municipal parks.

The work on this began in July 2023, when residents and businesses complained about the proliferation of tents springing up in parking lots, alleyways and empty lots throughout the city.

Councillor Trevor Bolin proposed a resolution intended to deal with the issue.

The resolution, included in the bylaw presentation on Monday, read: “Council direct staff to review current city bylaws to determine options to manage soft-sided (tents, tarps, lean-tos) camping on public property and properties zoned commercial, and that staff provides a report for council’s consideration.“

The Public Safety Department conducted a pilot project throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2024, where staff entered semi-established temporary outdoor sheltering locations to learn about the different challenges individuals in these locations were experiencing.

From their research, which ended in November 2024 when people experiencing homelessness and living in camps relocated indoors as winter temperatures arrived, staff determined the emergency shelter had capacity to support those who were previously living outdoors.

With no encampments in the community, Fort St. John doesn’t meet the threshold for an encampment strategy to manage soft-sided camping in parks and open spaces. 

Instead, the city says the Parks and Open Spaces Bylaw is intended to encourage the shared use of parks and open spaces through an accessible and inclusive mix of activities, and ensure users are respectful to each other and the environment, leaving them in a healthy condition.

“With ongoing growth in both population and green space, the City of Fort St. John is committed to ensuring that parks and open spaces remain safe, inclusive and welcoming for everyone,” said Ferris.

“The bylaw is designed to maintain the thoughtful balance, protect the cleanliness, safety and accessibility for shared spaces for all.

“With regard to items that have been left in parks and open spaces, we will be responding to them under the Traffic Bylaw as a chattel.”

Councillor Trevor Bolin asked: “Where do campers go? Because the province states that this bylaw would only be allowed to be in place if there was somewhere to go.

“Is there somewhere for them to go?”

Ferris replied that housing is a provincial responsibility and the city is regulating what happens only in the parks and open spaces. 

Although the presentation said staff would review the bylaw outcomes throughout the next 12 months, they will report back to council on initial progress this fall.

“I believe it will be important to come back to council in the fall, as we have seen that people who were deciding to sleep outside moved inside during that time,” said Ferris.

“It will be important to review it during that period, and in 12 months from now, we would come back and present.”