As overnight camping in city parks increases -- so is the demand for service to clean up the mess left behind.
On Thursday, the Victoria parks department will ask council for an extra h $100-thousand-dollars to help cover the cost of two full-time employees and several portable washrooms.
Staff do security patrols of Beacon Hill Park each night, and remove garbage left behind from campsites in the most popular parks each day.
Greater Victoria Parks, Recreation and Facilities Director Thomas Soulliere says there are three problem parks in particular: Beacon Hill, Topaz and Stadacona.
"We have extended washroom hours in Beacon Hill Parks, along with security during that time. We've also added some portable washrooms in the other two parks."
Soulliere says his staff remove trash left behind daily.
So far this year, staff have received an average of 294 calls-for-service each month.
That's an increase over the previous two years.
Soulliere says the city was hoping an investment in housing would reduce the number of homeless people sheltering in parks, but that hasn't occurred.
Council has already approved a budget of $200-thousand-dollars for the parks-clean-up program for 2018, but that money is projected to run out by the first week of September.