Community fights back

A group of north end Kelowna residents are mobilizing after a tent city was moved from Leon Ave. in downtown Kelowna to two locations in their neighbourhood.

The group plans to meet Saturday morning at the Gather Cafe, located inside the Innovation Centre at 640 Doyle Ave at 10 a.m. The call to action, making the rounds on social media says, "we need to rally together to figure out how to get Knox Mountain tent city decommissioned. Our voices need to be heard!"  

The Kelowna Downtown Knox Mountain neighbourhood association representative, Amanda Poon, says, "we are currently seeking feedback and suggestions regarding the Leon Avenue relocation." Poon says she will be meeting with several Kelowna councillors next week to encourage transparency and to explore alternative options particularly for the Knox Mountain location, "keeping our park safe from fire hazards is key, and the location does not make sense for tents as it is windy and cold."

Poon acknowledges the lack of options for those forced to live on the streets and she is looking for new strategies and ideas, "given the experiences of other local associations, as well as in other municipalities who’ve taken cities to court, written petitions, been dismissed, etc, I believe it’s important to engage in this matter strategically. Unless we bring constructive criticisms and alternatives to the table, we will not be heard."

The organizer of the GoFundMe page seeking to raise funds for a class-action lawsuit known as "Buddy Booty" tells Castanet they are encouraging local RCMP officers to support their cause, "we'd like to make an appeal to Kelowna's law enforcement and law enforcement across the country to support us along with our community in our endeavor for a new way forward."

As of Friday morning, the GoFundMe has raised $460  of their $50,000 goal.