Penticton, British Columbia is not immune to homelessness crisis, but the city's latest plan to address it is raising some concerns—not so much about what's being planned, but about how the city plans to do it.
“We didn't have any consultation,” said Stacy Rempel, a concerned resident.
The City of Penticton wants to build a tiny residential community for homeless population on a plot of land along Dartmouth Road.
Although the area is mainly industrial, the residential area of Wiltse is only one and a half kilometers away.
“There is a kindergarten and schools less than 1,500 meters away.” – Rempel said.
Rempel said the plan, announced last week, provided little information for area residents.
“The notification came out very quickly. It came out on the 24th,” Rempel said. “The notice was only issued to locations within 100 meters of the site, which is very close, and there was quite a bit of shock at the lack of consultation.”
Rempel said she took matters into her own hands and notified those who work and live in the area.
“Over the weekend, I started walking the streets with leaflets to attract public attention,” she said.
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Lynn Kelsey lives across town but pays close attention to civic issues.
She says more community involvement is needed.
“They haven’t given people the opportunity to have input into having people live here and work here,” Kelsey told Global News.
“They didn’t have a chance to share their thoughts and feelings about it.”
Rempel said what's even more frustrating about the public consultation portion is how quickly the project can move forward.
The council is set to vote on the temporary permit next Tuesday.
In response, Rempel launched an online petition called “Supporting security in the Wiltse and Industrial Penticton area”which collected more than 1200 signatures.
She hopes it will delay the vote and bring attention to the area, which already houses a shelter for the homeless population.
“I think that, you know, just loading solutions into this community over and over again in this small area has a huge impact,” Rempel said, citing incidents of theft, break-ins and biohazardous waste.
Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield was unable to respond to concerns raised.
However, in a statement to Global News, the city said, “The city has met all legal requirements to obtain a temporary use permit, including public notification.”
He added: “This decision is about land use and the process follows the rules set out in provincial legislation.”
The City also said written comments can be submitted to the Corporate Director by 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 4, by email at: [email protected].
If the council votes on the temporary use permit next week, city officials said the tiny apartment complex could be up and running by spring 2026.
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