CANMORE – In order to ensure a new Safe Park program to be introduced in May is functional, the Town of Canmore has created a new no camping bylaw.
The camping bylaw was unanimously carried by council in its regular meeting on Tuesday (May 3), which would prohibit camping anywhere in town aside from designated areas identified in the Safe Park program.
“I feel strongly that Canmore is responding to an issue that a number of communities are dealing with,” said Mayor John Borrowman, referring to the Safe Park program aspect of said bylaw.
“I know it’s not going to be perfect, the concerns in the communities aren’t going to disappear this year, we’re working through a process.”
The camping bylaw would prohibit people from camping anywhere in Canmore between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. unless a permit has been issued.
The legislation will replace previous legislation passed on May 7, 2019, which told those camping in their vehicles to vacate municipal lots, such as Save On Foods and Elevation Place, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
As it stands, the traffic and road use bylaw already prohibits “recreational vehicles from parking on a roadway or public place other than in a campground between midnight and 8 a.m., unless it is parked on the area of the street immediately adjoining the owner or operator’s place of residence and it is parked for a period for no longer than 36 consecutive hours.”
Town councillors and administration feel the only way the Safe Park program will be effective is if a camping bylaw exists.
“Just to be clear … the camping bylaw now requires people to be either in the safe park program or in a regulated campground, is that correct?” asked Councillor Vi Sandford.
Greg Burt, the Town of Canmore’s manager of protective services, said that is correct. He said it’s an entirely new bylaw that would prohibit camping in any shape or form within the town outside of the municipal campground or the Safe Park program designated spots between the aforementioned hours.
Coun. Sandford asked multiple times if the bylaw would enable the Town and local RCMP to enforce the rules on residential streets.
“And so if people sleep on residential streets or in the downtown core, what is the new mechanism for enforcement? People call bylaw…” She asked.
Burt said the Town’s Community Peace Officers and Canmore RCMP would enforce it, with RCMP handling any complaints throughout the night and bylaw officers doing an early morning patrol. Those who violate the camping bylaw would be fined $100.
Councillor Karen Marra said she has already heard concerns within the community about the Safe Park program.
“I have a question that was asked of me – in the designated spots, say up at the ball diamond area … They’re in the permit program, they’re required to leave in the morning,” she asked.
“If they just move out of their spot over three spots… is it just whatever the regular rule is?”
The primary focus of the bylaw, Burt said, is to keep the larger vehicles out of the downtown core during peak hours when the new paid parking program would be in effect.
“The primary focus [of the Safe Park program] was on the downtown lots, addressing paid parking,” he said.
“We’ll also be issuing conditions upon the permits [for the Safe Park program] and if the conditions are not met the permit could be revoked”
The new camping bylaw went through first, second and third reading on Tuesday.
For more on the Safe Park program, visit canmore.ca/safepark.
