PARK IS A MARKET FOR DEALERS

City Plans To Focus On Jubilee

Charitable organizations should stop giving the homeless food and free
clothing in Jubilee Park, according to nearby businesses and neighbours.

Jubilee Park "is a broken park, and this situation has to be dealt
with, for it is driving away park visitors," said Coun. John Smith on
Wednesday. "Residents in the area are coming forth with concerns that
Jubilee is becoming a farmers' market for dealers."

Due to the high number of complaints, a meeting at Abbotsford City
Hall May 7 was called to address local concerns surrounding the
conglomeration of homeless people, addicts and drug dealers in Jubilee
Park.

"The reason for the meeting was because . . . more drug dealers are
being attracted to the park because there are more addicts and
homeless coming to the park as a result of these groups giving them
food and free clothes," Robert Bos, Abbotsford Downtown Business
Association president, said on Tuesday.

"We tried to explain to the church groups [at the meeting] that
feeding these people is realistically not helping the park's current
situation - it's making it worse."

Councillors Lynne Harris, Bruce Beck and John Smith asked the church
groups to be aware of the effect this is having on Jubilee Park and
its visitors, and should consider offering their services elsewhere,
said Bos, who attended the meeting. A representative from a seniors'
group that meets in the McCallum Activity Centre voiced concerns about
their members being intimidated while taking part in park activities,
he added.

"We applaud the church groups and charities for what they do and we
don't want them to stop, but many feel the problem will continue to
escalate if these groups keep attracting more homeless, addicts and
dealers to the area," said Smith. He suggested the churches offer
their charitable meals at their church properties.

"I don't think the park is going to get better if all the people with
good intentions leave," said Christoph Reimers, pastor for the
Abbotsford Peace Lutheran Church, which serves breakfast every
Thursday morning in Jubilee Park.

Reimers said he is checking with the church's elders and his
congregation to see if they would agree to offer their services in the
church's basement.

"We always leave the park area cleaner than we find it and I am not
convinced a cup of coffee, a bowl of Cheerios and muffins are what's
creating the problem," said Reimers.

The situation at Jubilee Park is much more complex than outreach
programs attracting people to the area, said Lilly Kaetler, a
neighborhood watch representative for the Clearbrook area. "I don't
think they can begin to fix the problem by simply asking these groups
to go somewhere else," she said.

"I told Coun. Lynne Harris at the meeting - if they are going to try
this and it doesn't work, then what plan do they have in place for
after the fact."

Smith said this idea would only be a partial solution to the
problem.

"The main problem is we need more facilities for these people to go,
but we are running on a tight budget."

These types of problems are supposed to be dealt with and funded by
the provincial and federal government, but "it's hard because the
problem keeps washing up on our doorstep and we're trying to keep up."

The parks management and maintenance and Abbotsford Police Department
are well aware of the problem and will be putting more emphasis on
cleaning and targeting dealers in Jubilee Park, said Smith. Smith said
he believes Harris will raise this issue and look for direction at the
next parks board meeting.

Harris, who is chair of the PRC board, said it's too early to comment
on the matter.