By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald The City of Penticton is moving forward \u00a0with a major update to its parks bylaw, bringing it in line with legal \u00a0precedents that have made a blanket ban on overnight sheltering by \u00a0unhoused individuals unconstitutional. Since 1974, the City\u2019s bylaw has prohibited any form of overnight camping in \u00a0all city parks. However, a series of court rulings over the past 15 \u00a0years have established that such prohibitions violate Section 7 of the \u00a0Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when there is insufficient \u00a0indoor shelter space available. \u201cThe \u00a0legal landscape has changed considerably since these regulations were \u00a0enacted in the 1970s,\u201d said Julie Czeck, Penticton\u2019s general manager of \u00a0public safety and partnerships, during a special council meeting \u00a0Wednesday. \u201cB.C. courts have determined… <\/p>\n
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Penticton Herald The City of Penticton is moving forward \u00a0with a major update to its parks bylaw, bringing it in line with legal \u00a0precedents that have made a blanket ban on overnight sheltering by \u00a0unhoused individuals unconstitutional. Since 1974, the City\u2019s bylaw has prohibited any form of overnight camping in \u00a0all city parks. However, a series of court rulings over the past 15 \u00a0years have established that such prohibitions violate Section 7 of the \u00a0Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms when there is insufficient \u00a0indoor shelter space available. \u201cThe \u00a0legal landscape has changed considerably since these regulations were \u00a0enacted in the 1970s,\u201d said Julie Czeck, Penticton\u2019s general manager of \u00a0public safety and partnerships, during a special council meeting \u00a0Wednesday. \u201cB.C. courts have determined... <\/p>\n