'PETTY CRIMINALS' RUNNING PARKS STAFF RAGGED

The maintenance supervisor in charge of Jericho Park says the
squatters in the park are not homeless people. They are petty
criminals and drug addicts.

"This is not about the homeless," said Mike Mackintosh, supervisor of
maintenance for Queen Elizabeth District. "These camps are all about
petty crime and drug use and that is not acceptable under any circumstance."

Mackintosh said the squatter camps he sees have an obvious criminal
element. During a visit to Jericho Park earlier this week, the
Courier saw bolt cutters and numerous bike parts strewn around one
deserted camp. A second camp had a suitcase and was carpeted in
children's toys. Used hypodermic needles were visible at both camps.

"It's mostly stolen stuff like backpacks, wallets, bike parts, lots
of bike parts, small stereo parts, beer cans and drug paraphernalia,"
said Mackintosh. "I find the drug paraphernalia the most disturbing."

Mackintosh said the number of squatters sleeping in the park has
gotten so bad, he's needed to hire a private contractor experienced
in picking up hazardous waste, such as used needles, to come in once
a week to clean the garbage left behind.

"It became too time consuming for my staff," he said. "For some
reason this year is worse than others and I don't have an answer why.
They come in outbreaks and move from site to site."

Mackintosh said he and his staff are doing what they can to rid
Jericho of illegal campers with regular checks of the park followed
by regular cleanups, but he says the squatters return as quickly as
they are removed.

Across the city Eric Meagher, supervisor of maintenance for Stanley
Park, said some of the Jericho squatters could be transplants from
his district.

"Our numbers are way down," said Meagher. "A couple of years ago we
developed a formal program and that seems to be working."

Four times a year, Meagher and a team, which includes a social
worker, members of the Vancouver Police Department's mounted squad
and several sanitation workers, do a sweep of the park. Meagher said
the team makes direct contact with squatters, gathers information
about them and suggests alternative places to sleep or live.

"The last tour was about three weeks ago and we only came across
eight people," said Meagher. "And even taking into account the ones
we didn't see, I'd say there's probably only 12 [squatters] at the
most in the park. But I know numbers are up at Jericho."

Earlier this week the Courier reported that members of a conservation
group that helps look after Jericho Park are concerned about the
squatters living in the park.

Dawn Hanna of the Jericho Stewardship Group estimates there could be
50 people living in the wooded area west of the duck ponds. Hanna
wants the parks board, city and police to work together to solve the problem.

NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton, a former parks board commissioner, said the
problem is being dealt with at several administrative levels.

"We have a whole team of people who deal with these issues," said
Anton, who chairs the city's planning and environment committee. "But
they don't know about them until the public complains and then they
spring into action."

Anton believes the problems at Jericho got out of hand because, until
now, the squatters were "flying under the radar."

"People don't go into the middle of parks, they stay on the trails,
so they don't see the camps," said Anton.