Courtney Dickson

The City of Quesnel is cracking down on people who loiter or panhandle on city street or engage in&nbsp;behaviour it says&nbsp;may discourage residents&nbsp;and tourists from using&nbsp;the downtown.&nbsp;

Anyone caught sitting on sidewalks or sleeping on the grass&nbsp;will face a stiff fine after the city's nuisance bylaw was amended this week.

Fines of up to $500 will be issued by city bylaw staff if people are found loitering in certain areas of downtown, causing a disturbance, panhandling near bus stops, and drinking alcohol in public.&nbsp;

"The public is increasingly feeling unsafe because of aggressive panhandling, because of public use of illicit drugs," Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson told CBC's Betsy Trumpener.&nbsp;

"Our community members feel that they're under assault."

'They trust us': New homeless outreach team formed in Vernon

A group of volunteers has banded together in the North Okanagan to form the Vernon Homeless Outreach Team Association. Every Thursday night, they pull carts around the the city carrying food, hygiene products, Narcan and other supplies, offering assistance to people who are homeless.

Members of the Vernon Homeless Outreach Team Association hand out supplies to people in need one night a week. 

Vernon Homeless Outreach Team Association

Simpson said the city has been under pressure from both the business community and the public to do something about ongoing crime and drug use.

 to tell city council and administrators that they don't feel safe.&nbsp;

Fines target vulnerable, says&nbsp;professor

But not everyone is in favour of the fines. Quesnel resident Heather Peters called&nbsp;the changes shocking.

"What they'll mostly do is increase the amount of stigma that people face," Peters, a professor of social work at Quesnel's&nbsp;University of Northern B.C. campus, told&nbsp;

"They risk criminalizing perfectly normal behaviour of needing to sit down to rest."

People who spend time loitering downtown are often homeless or in other vulnerable positions, which means they likely won't have the means to pay any fines, she said.

"People that are already vulnerable and marginalized end up feeling even worse about themselves," Peters said.&nbsp;

Kamloops group hopes mural makeover for 'ugly' buildings stops vandalism

The McDonald Park Neighbourhood Association in Kamloops is fundraising to install two new murals on the outside of the park's washroom and change room buildings,in the hope it will help deter vandalism.

Kelly Wright shows a sketch of his mural design for the outside of the change room in McDonald Park. 

Mural design

But Simpson said the city wants&nbsp;to create safe spaces in downtown Quesnel.&nbsp;

Peter argued that the city&nbsp;needs to consider creating more shelter space, and a place for people to be in between accessing services, instead of changing the nuisance bylaw

Sitting on the sidewalk and panhandling near bus stops could land people in Quesnel a fine of up to $500 after amendments were made to the city's nuisance bylaw. 

Quesnel to fine people for sitting on sidewalks, sleeping on grass downtown

Fines target vulnerable, says professor

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