Eviction day at controversial homeless encampment in Penticton – Okanagan

Residents of Penticton’s homeless encampment at Fairview were forced to pack up and leave Friday, as a court order cleared the site after months of safety problems.

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RCMP officers were on scene to ensure everyone’s safety as outreach officers helped about a dozen residents evacuate the property.

For John Tanghe, the eviction happened and there was little time to think about what would happen next.

“They decided on Monday that we had to leave, and then on Friday we had to get out of here,” Tanghe said.

Because residents were packing up and there were no reports of resistance, authorities allowed residents to stay beyond the noon deadline while they worked to clear the site.

But the move has drawn criticism from some Penticton residents, who question the timing of the eviction as temperatures drop as November approaches.

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“This is not going to solve the problem. This is very inhumane. This is not a humane approach,” said Danielle Savage, a concerned resident.

Savage, along with two others, stood near the encampment Friday to call attention to the impact on those displaced.

“This was in November. The weather was very cold, and people had little money to stay warm, and the temperatures have been shattered right now,” he said.

The evictions follow increasing safety concerns around the encampment, including several fires. One fire last year spread to the neighboring Leisureland RV Center property, destroying two recreational vehicles.

For Leisureland owner Yvonne Marsden, the removal of the campsite has been a long time coming.

“This has been going on for a long time,” Marsden said.

While he welcomed the move from a business perspective, Marsden also expressed concern for the people who were forced to leave.

“As a business owner, I’m happy to see this happen. But personally, the support for them – where are they going to go? And I feel the same way about them,” he said.

Questions remain about what additional support will be available for those forced to flee. With shelter space already at capacity, the province won’t say whether more resources will be provided, given its post-election caretaker status.

This latest eviction is reminiscent of efforts to clear the same camp in June 2025. Despite those efforts, not everyone left, and the camp eventually flourished again.

This time, however, a court order gave authorities the ability to remove the occupants from the property.

For some Penticton residents, the focus remains on whether eliminating encampments will address the broader challenges facing homeless people.

Concerned resident Jeff Andrew said it would take more than just cleaning up the site.

“I just don’t see how tearing it down now is going to make anything better,” Andrew said.

He said the community needs a broader range of services, including shelter options and treatment facilities.

“We need dry shelters, wet shelters, we need detoxification centers, we need places for people to go during the day and set up at night,” he said.

For Tanghe, his main worry was finding a place to go.

“We don’t know yet, so I will start at City Hall. Yes, that’s where I will go,” he said.

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