A defiant Gordon Campbell expresses his concerns with “no overnight parking” signs and perceived police harassment. Campbell has been camping in his vehicle on the side of the road at Vaseux Lake, resulting in at least one complaint. Photo by Dan Walton
What Gordon Campbell calls urban camping the local RCMP considers squatting.
For over a month, Campbell has been living out of his 1994 white Pontiac van on a pull-off near the south end of Vaseux Lake. Shortly after arriving, he said the owner of nearby rental units asked him to leave.
Following that encounter, he was approached by local police and traffic services, as well as the warden of Vaseux Lake Park. He claimed they all agreed that his occupation of the land was legal, but about 10 days later, one of the officers returned to inform Campbell that a sign reading “no overnight parking” would be erected at the pull-off. Though, upon sharing that news, Campbell and the officer realized that such a sign had already been installed.
“How was I supposed to know it was there?” he stated.
Campbell said even with the new sign that forbids overnight parking, he refused to leave. By that point, it had become a matter of principle – the chief reason he refused to relocate was to defy the man representing the motel who told him he couldn’t stay there.
“I only stayed there because he told me I couldn’t. He said he would make sure I move.”
Campbell couldn’t recall exactly which property owner confronted him. Fernanda Ladeira, who manages Vaseaux Lake Cabins, said it wasn’t anybody from her place of business, although some of her guests have commented that they “feel a little unsafe” with someone just camping on the highway.
“They’ve had highway people come and speak with him, police officers, and he basically just goes away and drives on back; sets up again for a few hours,” she said. “With the amount of sun and the traffic, how could he be comfortable in that area?”
An operator from Vaseux Lakefront Resort said it was a neighbour, not anybody from his place, who complained to the police
“He just walked across the highway for a swim, he wasn’t hurting nobody.”
The following morning Campbell was given two tickets of $125 for failing to obey a traffic control device, one for each of the past two nights.
Campbell believes a sign prohibiting overnight stays on Crown land is in contradiction with Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, where section 7 reads: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”
Corporal Brian Evans of the Oliver RCMP said that while the implementation of the “no overnight parking” sign may have seemed like a reaction to Campbell’s camp, placement of the signage was administered by the Ministry of Transportation and the RCMP was not involved.
But Campbell believes the local RCMP are picking on him and are fully responsible for implementation of the new sign. He said he will be taking the tickets to court, where he believes the presiding judge will share his interpretation of the law.
But Cpl. Evans doesn’t see it Campbell’s way.
“The general rule is that you can’t just stay on Crown land – it’s called squatting.”
Evans said many recreation sites exist nearby where campers can legally camp for free or a small cost.
Campbell said he plans on leaving the area soon to tend to responsibilities in other parts of British Columbia, but plans on returning with his van to camp at the same pull-off. He has since changed his driver’s licence to list his address as Highway 97 and said he has nowhere else to go.
In another instance, Campbell said police came to the pull-off and turned over rocks in search of feces. He said urban campers never park far from toilets, but he felt as though he was being harassed when officers were inquiring about his waste management, so he decided to communicate with police via “quacking” noises.
By Dan Walton
