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Growing homeless camp set up in downtown Williams Lake park to be dismantled: City

Williams Lake CAO Gary Muraca said they will work with agencies to remove the camp Monday, April 17
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A homeless camp along Oliver Street in Williams Lake is highly visible to the public. (Angie Mindus photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

Williams Lake city staff will be working with other agencies Monday, including the RCMP, to remove a new homeless camp set up in Herb Gardner park, just below city hall.

“It’s grown exponentially and has become a safety concern,” confirmed Williams Lake CAO Gary Muraca Saturday, April 15.

Muraca said in the week or so that the tents have been there, they’ve witnessed open drug and alcohol use, public nudity and defecating in the park and around city hall itself.

“It checks every bylaw offence in the books … we can’t turn a blind eye to it.”

Last month, city council directed staff to remove a small homeless camp along the Scout Island River Trail network.

READ MORE: Williams Lake city council directs staff to remove homeless camp along Scout Island trail



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Angie Mindus

About the Author: Angie Mindus

I began my journalism career in daily and weekly newspapers in Alberta.
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