Safe Public Places

This bylaw seems to be specifically targeting unhoused populations. While it is excellent to see that the city is now seemingly more supportive of the access to supervised consumption and/or safe injection sites, the city needs to support actually building these services in accessible areas prior to penalizing individuals for not using them. Similarly, the housing crisis for marginalized and vulnerable populations needs to be addressed. Our current model seems to move problems around and this "bylaw" seems to reinforce the current model that is clearly not working. Where are these individuals going to relocate to when they have nowhere else to go? This is also represented in the issues with penalizing people for using the streets as a washroom when accessible washrooms are very limited in their use as well as removing belongings from individuals. When personal belongings, tents, or "assumed stolen" items are removed, people are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour because they have no financial opportunity to lawfully replace these belongings. Removing them continuously just reinforces the "need" to engage in unlawful behaviour. As a community, Penticton continues to further stigmatize and segregate vulnerable people from society; if we continue to do this, what is the incentive for struggling people to engage peacefully in our society when we aren't willing to provide the same kindness back? The COP needs to stop penalizing those who struggle and instead give back to them. We all want this community to feel safe and to showcase the beauty of Penticton; punishing the vulnerable has not worked and will not work with this "new" bylaw.

Safe injection sites allow use of drugs in a supervised manner which prevents deaths from overdoses and provision of syringes, swabs and needles prevents infections. Addiction is a mental illness and those affected need care, treatment and compassion. Stigma will only decrease when education and knowledge of the general population increases.

Absolutely agree. In order to stop individuals from doing what we don’t want them to do in places we don’t want them to do it, we need to provide places for them to carry out basic biological functions as suggested. This whole bylaw is punitive, marginalizing of those already marginalized and untenable because it provides no solutions. The cart (bathrooms, showers, supports, housing, treatment for mental health issues which includes addiction) needs to be put before the horse. This bylaw is like a stick rather than a carrot and doomed to failure.

Regardless of what's wrote in here.
What does Victoria say about the proposed changes to the powers of bylaw officer?
It's Victoria that licenses us and regulates the industry, not the city.. if Victoria says no, then we put ourselves at risk of law suits or worse

Will it only be a bylaw infraction for unhoused people to sit on a sidewalk or will this be enforced against, say, folks sitting and watching Ironman or a parade etc.

In general, I think this proposed bylaw, as written, is untenable. It is also does not provide actual solutions to Penticton residents concerns. While most of us do not want people to be homeless and have nowhere to sleep, nowhere to go to the bathroom, and nowhere to address their health issues, the answer is not making bylaws where the perpetrators of transgressions have no other alternatives. If you don't have a home, where are you supposed to sleep? Where are you supposed to go to the bathroom? Where are you supposed to use drugs until you can get treated for your addiction? If you have a mental illness that results in unacceptable public behaviour, but you can't get treated and you don't have a home then the symptoms WILL be displayed in public. This bylaw will change nothing unless the root problems are addressed and will only further stigmatize and alienate the people who need our help the most.

I am very concerned about this bylaw because it seems like it will disproportionately impact people who are unhoused, poor, and/or suffering from addiction. These are members of our community who deserve kindness, respect, dignity, protection and support.