No Penalties Vehicle Shelter FIFA

Thank you, Chair. Vancouver is facing a housing crisis, and some residents are relying on vehicles as a form of last resort shelter. Current bylaw practices can create challenges for people in this situation while the city continues to balance safety, mobility, and public space management. People who are unhoused in British Columbia have a life expectancy estimated between 40 and 49 years, emphasizing the urgency of policies... that affect access to shelter. As a FIFA host city, Vancouver has an obligation to uphold human rights while maintaining safe and functional public spaces. Council has recognized FIFA as a one-time extraordinary event, warranting exceptional measures. This motion directs staff to report back with practical, time-limited options to reduce harm, improve access to services, and explore safe parking solutions during FIFA and beyond. And I will note to colleagues on council that this version of the motion is drastically different than the draft motion based on feedback from staff. And just wanted to note that, you know, took the criticism and came up with something that I think is a little more...

What happened?

Okay, but that's okay. You can continue, Councillor. Oh, my timer reset. I can keep going. No, I'm just kidding. It's been a long night. Let's get to the speakers. Thanks.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, we have on the line Ryan, Kay, Fiona, and Athena.

Just say their name. Okay, I'm Kay. Thank you. I'm Athena.

okay thank you um good afternoon mayor and counselors i am speaking in support for motion six no no penalties for vehicle shelter during fifa my name is kylie and i work with a group of former crab park residents and the ice community bus ice is the squamous word for crab i'm here today because the issue is something that affects our group personally and is already happening i personally know of at least five former residents who have been displaced or threatened with displacement from an rv or vehicle where they are finding some safe or temporary shelter all of them are indigenous many are women and one is a veteran and in our group everyone has lived experience with homelessness housing instability and displacement For some people, an RV is the last form of shelter available, and yet the current bylaw framework, the maze of regulations, and enforcement makes it nearly impossible to shelter in a vehicle at night in Vancouver. Right now, bylaw enforcement focuses on vehicle size, time limits like the three-hour rule, and restrictions on parking near businesses or residences. The effect is to make sheltering in vehicles, particularly RVs, nearly impossible and subject to bylaw enforcement. So that means people are constantly forced to move with nowhere to go and also faced with targeted ticketing that spirals exponentially and ends up with towing, eviction, and loss of belongings. I just heard of another Indigenous woman, a mother, having her RV towed with all of her belongings inside. And I know of another who's been ticketed and terrified that by-law officers are going to show up late at night because they usually arrive around 10 p.m. and put her out on the sidewalk. As one former Crab Park resident said, as if we need more piled on our shoulders right now, how can we catch our breath and do anything about bettering our own lives when they keep us running in circles? Indigenous peoples disproportionately experience homelessness in Vancouver and due to ongoing impacts of colonization, residential schools and the 60s group and systemic discrimination. Courts have recognized this reality and they've also made it clear that governments must act with fairness, especially when enforcement affects vulnerable populations. When an RV is towed, someone doesn't just lose a vehicle, they lose their shelter, their belongings, and often their safety. That raises serious legal and human rights concerns, including the obligations under the Charter. However, the city has applied discretion in bylaw enforcement in the past. For example, the engineering department has stated that their practice is to limit RV impoundments during the winter. They've also extended consideration while someone is actively working on housing. And during the COVID pandemic, there was a temporary easing on enforcement. In fact, RVs were often used for quarantine in some cases. and there's a 2021 article in the thai where then sitting city councillor christine boyle visited an rv community and she commented on the amount of discretion applied in the bylaws so the question isn't whether discretion is possible it is

It also stands to reason that an extraordinary global scale event like the FIFA World Games in accompanying human rights obligations would also be a reason to extend added discretion. In the past, FIFA World Cup host cities, some visitors have ended up sleeping in cars or RVs when hotels are full. This is treated as a temporary and understandable. The difference is how they're treated. Tourists are accommodated or overlooked, while local people already living in vehicles face ticketing, towing, and displacement. At the same time, with a major global event approaching, there is a real fear in the community about being swept away, increased enforcement of displacement, and being pushed out of sight. What we are asking for today is reasonable. This motion simply asks the city to explore options to report back on how discretion can be applied in a way that is fair and humane. And also, it's an opportunity in a changing world to show that Vancouver can balance the needs of all citizens, housed and unhoused. We are urging a temporary pause on enforcement during FIFA, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate practices and an Indigenous liaison, and basic access for RV shelters and others to washrooms, sanitation, and water. Extending across to washrooms, sanitation, and water would be an act of compassion and also an opportunity for lasting legacy after the FIFA games. We also urge you to consider leasing the parking lot at Crab Park for a tiny home village in RV Park. We urge you again to pass motion number six, no penalties for vehicle shelter during FIFA. Thank you.

Oh, hi there. This is Tanya. I'm here to speak in favor of Councillor Orr's motion.

We really have not addressed... this issue as a city. With rising cost of living, the average one bedroom is $2,500. People are being increasingly priced out of housing. So this isn't just seniors and low-income folks living in vehicles, which in itself is not a good thing. But there are also working professionals that have been priced out or choose to do that rather than paying 50% to 70% of their income on rent. I, in fact, have worked with people that I was quite surprised to find out that they were doing van life because they just... couldn't afford groceries and rent all the time this is part of vancouver's hidden homeless these are folks that aren't part of our thoughts when we think about our homeless population but they should be You know, I do have concerns about bylaw officers focusing and targeting ticketing in order to possibly enforce towing prior to FIFA just to remove people off the streets altogether. With this being such a serious issue, this is something that we could do to show compassion, to show that the city has compassion. This is just a temporary pause. You know, the city's rolling out the red carpet in every other way. All we're asking for for the community is a little bit of decency, you know, a little easement. I cannot tell you how awful it is to go talk to an Indigenous elder that's living in a rundown RV that keeps getting ticketed while she's trying to take care of three grandchildren on shelter rate survival. This is a real issue, and at some point, hopefully, the city can work together with some nonprofits, hopefully some churches, and we can actually find some real space to actually house people safely while we build supportive housing and get other places in place. I, of course, support the Crab Park issue for tiny homes or space for people to shelter safely. But again, I just urge counselors to please allow this little bit of decency into the organization and just allow a little gentleness for some people that are probably going through probably some of the hardest times of their lives.

Speaker three is not on the line.

Are you there, Chloe?

Okay.

Hello? Speaker six has withdrawn.

Number six.

No, it's Emily. Yes, yes, yes.

Thank you, thank you. Yeah, I definitely do not withdraw. It's an important motion. Thanks, Councillor Orr, for putting it forward. I'm sure we're all aware of how much it costs to attend FIFA, hundreds and hundreds of dollars, not to mention the flights and accommodation, and we're seeing... Increasing amounts of homelessness, cost of housing, despite media, it has gone down, like, a little bit, but it's still not. It's still people. You can't find a place if you're on disability or welfare. You really can't. Even though it's gone up, it went from up to 500. Like, good luck finding anywhere for 500. So people are sheltering outside in RVs, and... It's a very, very, very, very, very... It's just asking for a break. And, well, it's such a dichotomy of all these people coming to Vancouver, spending all this money, having all this money, and there are still people who are being harassed, who cannot afford a place. Please, please, just give them a break. It's really not too much to ask. It really, really isn't. There's empty space, a lot of empty space in the city. And the crowd parking lot has been empty. I know there are rules and regulations and whatnot that need to be met, but ultimately it is empty space and people have built their lives in RVs as an option. So it just makes sense to put those things together. So I, yeah, I really, I really hope that this goes through. And that's all. It's really not very much to ask for. It's simply a break. Please.

Thank you. My name is Chloe Leslie, Vancouver resident. I want to emphasize tonight that for some residents in our city, a car or an RV is not a choice. It's the last place they have to sleep. And while I know we all recognize the city's responsibility to manage public streets for safety, mobility, and access, I think we also have a responsibility to ensure that our actions do not unintentionally make an already really difficult situation worse. For me, this motion does not propose a blanket suspension of enforcement. It does not ignore public safety. But what it does is ask staff to come back with options. These options are targeted, time-limited, and grounded in both operational reality and harm reduction. This motion asks us to look at whether there are safer, more stable ways to support people who are already here. These people are Vancouverites. They are already struggling, and they are part of our community. But it also asks us to consider something really basic, which is just access to services, like washrooms, water, and sanitation. I think we can all agree here that these are not luxuries. They're fundamental to public health and dignity for everyone in the city, and everyone in the city deserves them. And importantly for me, this motion acknowledges that Indigenous people are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, and that enforcement practices on unseated territory can carry real and lasting harm. Our commitment to reconciliation and to UNDRIP should guide not only what we say, but also how we act. I know we're preparing to host a global event, and FIFA is recognized as a one-time extraordinary moment, and we're making many extraordinary decisions here. This motion simply asks that we apply the same lens in a way that ensures that we're not leaving our most vulnerable residents behind. At its core, I feel it's a modest and reasonable request. It asks for information, for options, and a more coordinated approach that balances public safety with compassion. I really do believe that we can do both and I hope everyone supports this motion. Thank you.

Chair, can I have a vote in opposition, please? Councillor Gribio. Okay, noted.