By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald The City of Penticton is moving forward with a major update to its parks bylaw, bringing it in line with legal precedents that have made a blanket ban on overnight sheltering by unhoused individuals unconstitutional. Since 1974, the City’s bylaw has prohibited any form of overnight camping in all city parks. However, a series of court rulings over the past 15 years have established that such prohibitions violate Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when there is insufficient indoor shelter space available. “The legal landscape has changed considerably since these regulations were enacted in the 1970s,” said Julie Czeck, Penticton’s general manager of public safety and partnerships, during a special council meeting Wednesday. “B.C. courts have determined…
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