Vernon City Council has moved to ban overnight camping at a small, neighbourhood park after local residents highlighted growing safety concerns and hazardous debris at the site.

The decision was made during Monday’s regular city council meeting where resident Drake Mason, who lives near Hidden Park on 33rd Avenue, spoke about issues related to overnight sheltering.

“These include increased fire hazards due to open flames in an heavily-treed area, there are sharps and hazardous materials regularly left behind [and] conflicts and disturbances that neighbours feel unequipped to manage,” Mason said.

“It is a difficult situation but it has affected families, seniors, children. I have personally talked to people that have just refused to go there anymore.”

Petition signed by more than 100 residents

Since 2017, Vernon has allowed overnight camping in city parks for people unable to find space in shelters, with the exception of eight specific park areas where the city prohibits camping.

Mason presented council with a petition signed by more than 100 residents who live and work near Hidden Park that asked that the space be added to the no-camping list.

“Our request today is not made in opposition to people who are experiencing homelessness but rather in support of appropriate land management and the safe use of public spaces,” Mason said during the presentation.

City staff told council the area has seen an increasing number of bylaw complaints in recent years, with an average of about 40 calls to the city each year related to issues in the park.

“Most of those are related to what we call street-entrenched files,” said Kevin Poole, director of public services.

The struggle over park space is a long-standing issue in Vernon. In 2019, Vernon council rejected a controversial proposal to ban camping in all public parks and move shelters to the grounds of City Hall.

More recent data from a 2025 point-in-time count shows that the overall number of people in Vernon experiencing homelessness, which includes those who were in shelters and those who were unsheltered, dropped by nearly 30 per cent over the last two years. The number of people who were unsheltered, however, actually increased.

On the night of the count, 85 people were found sleeping in parks, vehicles, or on the street, highlighting a persistent shortage of low-barrier shelter beds.

Councillors praise resident’s tone

Councillors were quick to praise the tone of Mason’s presentation, noting it balanced the needs of the neighbourhood with the reality of the city’s housing crisis.

“I found [your presentation] educational and compassionate, which is always what I hope to see, especially regarding sensitive subjects like this one,” said Coun. Teresa Durning.

Coun. Kari Gares shared that perspective, and acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue of homelessness.

“This is obviously a very difficult subject for a lot of people to bring up,” Gares said.

“We don’t always know the little things that are happening, and it takes a community to come together and present that to us.”

Coun. Kelly Fehr voted for the ban, saying the small park was not an appropriate place for camping, but he was critical of what he called a “constant tradition … of pushing people from [a] park to downtown.”

After some debate, council moved to add Hidden Park to the list of no-camping areas in the city.

Staff have been directed to amend the city’s parks bylaw, with the change to be finalized at a later council meeting.