Photo: Aaron Young

A Kelowna man says he’s concerned about what his future holds after city services dismantled his makeshift home.

Aaron Young has been living in the tent city of Kelowna for a year, in a shelter made up of two pavilions covered with tarpaulins. Over the weekend, there were warnings that the structure was collapsing due, potentially, to the way it was built.

“They said they were going to tear it down at 9 a.m.,” Young said. “I don’t understand why they’re going to do this. We built a habitable living space and they targeted us.

Young said the arrival of city departments heading to the tent city to confiscate goods is not new, although it is frustrating for those who live there.

“We can’t have couches, we can’t have heat,” he said. “Basically, they are evicting us and we will have no shelter. »

He said local shelters are not appealing because he and his girlfriend were injured while staying at those shelters, and it’s a last choice.

“It’s snowing and I’m not looking forward to not being able to be anywhere in the snow, all our stuff will be gone,” he said. “Bylaws are tyrants…I understand it’s a frustrating job, but still. »

While Young has his concerns, city bylaw manager Kevin Mead said the focus is on “the health, safety and security of those who use and those who provide services at the site.”

“The City Services Encampment Response Unit is working with people sheltering outdoors at the city’s designated temporary outdoor accommodation site to ensure it is managed in the best possible way ” said Mead.

“Guidelines are published on how to mitigate health and safety risks, and Bylaw Services works daily with community partners to promote alignment with these guidelines. Individuals housed on site must maintain their allocated space in accordance with guidelines, and if the space deteriorates to the point of requiring intervention, a replacement tent will be coordinated and provided by outreach partners as needed .

Mead stressed that the “constant accumulation of materials” poses an increased health and safety risk.

“For example, we are seeing an increase in fires at the site as the temperature drops,” Mead said.

Not only does the accumulation of materials increase the fire load, but when combined with unauthorized possession of materials such as propane tanks, the risk of injury increases not only for those sheltering, but also for frontline workers and first responders present on site. site.”

It is also necessary to ensure that waste on site does not accumulate and to ensure that a level of hygiene is maintained.

Ultimately, he said, they strive to find the best possible balance between the needs of the entire community.

Numerous fires have been reported in Kelowna’s tent camps over the years.