Ministry of Transportation working on resolutions for large encampment near Penticton

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) has confirmed activity pinch section officials to find a solution for a well-known and ample bum encampment conscionable northbound of Penticton, B.C.

The encampment is located extracurricular of nan City of Penticton’s jurisdiction on Highway 97 and falls nether MoTI. The area is besides monitored by nan Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and nan Penticton Indian Band.

“The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure continues to activity intimately pinch nan Ministry of Housing and different partners erstwhile responding to encampments connected its lands,” said MoTI successful a statement.

“With respect to nan encampments successful nan region, MOTI is actively engaged pinch different provincial ministries, section governments, RCMP, and Penticton Indian Band to find resolutions for concerns astatine these sites.”

Global News did scope retired to nan City of Penticton for comment, but they declined. Global News besides reached retired to nan RDOS, but they directed our questions to nan Ministry.

According to RCMP, nan Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure had planned to commencement clearing retired nan encampment connected Monday but delayed those plans for information reasons amid nan power warning.

Meanwhile, nan Ministry said that respective meetings were held this week involving each agencies, “with a extremity to guarantee a compassionate and respectful outcome.”

“While this activity is carried out, MOTI continues to show nan business to guarantee location are nary information concerns for nan walking nationalist aliases members of nan encampment,” said MoTI successful a statement.

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John Tanghe started nan encampment astir 2 years agone and since then, it has grown substantially arsenic galore different group began frequenting nan area.

Piles of garbage person accumulated. And different items person been brought to nan encampment complete nan years, including aggregate beds, bikes arsenic good arsenic bins of apparel and toys.

“I telephone it location and I really don’t cognize what I americium going to do,” said Tanghe. “I’ve been location because I can’t find housing. I don’t want to spell to nan shelter because it’s for illustration a jail, and they sewage truthful galore rules.”

The encampment is correct supra nan road and surrounded by bush, which has sparked immoderate concern, particularly arsenic wildfire play approaches.

Just past year, crews responded to a ample occurrence astatine nan campy that could beryllium seen from crossed nan lake.