After a fairly uneventful stay at Gyro Park in Saanich, a roving tent-city is on the move again.
It's now at the Cedar Hill Park and Golf Course, a municipal park, at the south end near Finlayson.
"What we've been doing is working with them through the police department, " says Mayor Richard Atwell. "One of the concerns residents had was with mess and hazardous waste. So, what the police department has done is put in a port-a-potty everywhere they've gone so they have facilities to use.”
When the pop-up tent city was in Oak Bay, police complained of human waste left behind as well as problems with discarded needles and vandalism. So far, no such trouble has been reported in Saanich.
"It's important to note that it is temporary, that it is not being set up permanently and that it's an awareness campaign. Given the limitations of law and the bylaws we have we've been working with them to minimize the impact until they move on," says Atwell.
The organizers of the camp say they're protesting against homelessness.