The day after a B.C. Supreme Court judge allowed homeless to sleep in Victoria parks, the City of Vancouver distributed an “issue brief” to staff carrying “key messages” about a homelessness protest on the grounds of City Hall.

The city document contains five key messages for staff:

• The B.C. Supreme Court decision that allowed homeless in Victoria to sleep in parks is limited to City of Victoria bylaws. It highlights that the City of Vancouver and the park board operate under different legislation and have different bylaws.

• These bylaws will be enforced.

• The bylaws prohibit people from putting up structures or tents on city lands or in city parks.

• If structures are put up, the city may “need to have them taken down”.

• City lands and parks are for everyone.

There are also three questions and answers, including this one:

Q. Don’t you think people deserve housing?

A. The City continues to work with senior levels of government to develop low-income housing and homeless initiatives. Between 2005 and the end of 2010, over 3,800 social housing units will be added to the stock, resulting in a net increase of about 2,000 units targeted to the homeless. There are 746 shelter beds in Vancouver.

The document does not say if the City will take action against people who are believed to be sleeping in Stanley Park, which is managed by the Vancouver park board.

Last March, the Metro Vancouver regional steering committee on homelessness reported that 2,592 homeless people were counted during a 24-hour period from March 10 to 11.

One of the volunteers, SFU researcher Michelle Patterson, told the Straight in April that the count likely missed many people; she estimated there are 8,000 homeless people in the region.