By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/Penticton Herald
A Penticton senior, recognized and appreciated for his long-standing efforts to pick up trash and remove invasive weeds along the Penticton Channel Parkway, was verbally attacked Wednesday by three homeless individuals from a controversial encampment. This incident occurred just two weeks after he was physically assaulted by another person from the same site.
Allan Garland, 82, is a familiar figure to many local motorists as the tall, older gentleman who has been collecting trash between Warren and Fairview Avenues for the past decade.
As he has done regularly for years, Garland was weeding along the channel parkway Wednesday morning when he was confronted by two young men鈥攚hom he had never seen before鈥攁nd a young woman he had previously encountered. She had earlier threatened to sic her pit bull on him.
鈥淚 was near a campsite鈥攎ore like a storage area鈥攐n the east side of Ellis Creek in a willow patch that we鈥檙e trying to restore,鈥� said Garland. 鈥淭hese campers have destroyed a lot of the willows, but they鈥檙e regenerating. There are willows and roses in there, and the beavers are active.
鈥淚 had already removed the campers鈥� belongings. I didn鈥檛 know who they belonged to鈥攋ust some clothing, a few bags, a wheeled suitcase, and other items. I had taken this material out of the willow patch on the side of the creek, which is government land.鈥�
He had placed the items into a shopping cart.
Garland was joined by a fellow volunteer鈥攕omeone he doesn鈥檛 know personally鈥攚ho drives around Penticton collecting abandoned shopping carts left by homeless individuals.
鈥淭his fellow dropped in to see if there were any carts to pick up, but there weren鈥檛,鈥� said Garland. 鈥淭he two of us were on the east side of the creek near the willow patch when the young woman and two young men from the west side of the creek crossed over and began making a big fuss about me handling the campers鈥� goods.鈥�
While he was not physically harmed, all three individuals were verbally aggressive, said Garland.
鈥淭hey started attacking both of us verbally,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were swarming us and using a lot of foul language.鈥�
Garland clarified that online rumors claiming he was physically assaulted during this encounter are inaccurate.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 pushed or touched,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he younger man who collects carts told the RCMP officer that he had been pushed, but I didn鈥檛 see it. I told the officer that if it was an assault, it was a minor one.鈥�
Even though he wasn鈥檛 physically harmed, Garland emphasized that being verbally harassed by strangers while trying to clean a public space was still disturbing.
He also raised concerns about the fire risk posed by the growing encampment, particularly with the onset of warmer weather.
The woman who yelled profanities appeared to be in her mid-20s, and the two men seemed a bit younger, he noted.
鈥淚t lasted maybe two or three minutes,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 afraid. The woman didn鈥檛 have her dog this time. She owns a pit bull. We crossed paths a couple of weeks ago, and I dared her to set the dog on me鈥攂ut she turned and walked away.鈥�
Two weeks ago, Garland was out on another patrol, enjoying a coffee south of Ellis Creek near the Warren Avenue oxbow, when he was physically attacked by a young man camping alone.
鈥淗e was upset that I had moved some abandoned items several days earlier on the east side of the creek,鈥� Garland recalled. 鈥淗e climbed up the embankment and hit me. That incident was captured on dashcam. The people in the car gave the footage to the police.鈥�
The attacker was wearing mittens reinforced with metal plates, said Garland.
鈥淎s far as I know, police went down and evicted him later that day. His campsite was removed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 chose not to file a report myself, as I wasn鈥檛 seriously hurt, though I still have a scar on my knee and one finger from hitting the pavement. He split my lip, which is almost healed. He definitely deserved to be spoken to by police.鈥�
Garland estimates that 40 to 50 homeless people are now sheltering along the channelway.
鈥淚t鈥檚 getting a little rough out there,鈥� he said. 鈥淢any are not courteous鈥攖hough some are very nice. One fellow always asks me how he can help.鈥�
As a longtime B.C. Parks volunteer, Garland admits he has told some campers they should leave.
鈥淚f I submit a formal notice, it goes through head office in Victoria and then back to the local director in Penticton,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ately, with the encampment growing, I haven鈥檛 seen the director take any action.鈥�
Garland said he鈥檚 likely to avoid working near the encampment for now.
鈥淚 think a few of these people are becoming more bold or empowered,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome are getting aggressive.鈥�
Despite the negative encounters, Garland said most of the people he meets at the encampment are friendly and cooperative, though a few seem to be looking for trouble.
鈥淭here are quite a few who have been there a long time and try to be respectful and keep the area clean,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut there are a few who just aren鈥檛 very nice.鈥�
Garland plans to attend a site cleanup of the encampment area today (May 31) from 1鈥�3 p.m., organized by 100 More Homes Penticton in partnership with the City of Penticton, Penticton Indian Band, and the provincial government.
鈥淩esidents of the encampment have been asking for an opportunity to dispose of items, and we are thankful to the province for providing this resource, which was advocated for by our 鈥楲ived/Living Experience Table,鈥濃�� said 100 More Homes in a Thursday news release.
A major part of Garland鈥檚 volunteer work involves removing invasive species such as knapweed and Russian thistle, which can cause ecological damage if left unchecked.
鈥淚 do it every other day or so,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 like to get the knapweed when it鈥檚 young. My career background helps. These weeds blow along the highway and spread easily. They have to be removed.鈥�
Garland spent much of his youth in Penticton after his parents moved from Winnipeg in the 1970s.
鈥淚 came here for about a year and a half to help them settle in and ended up working in orchards, which led to my job with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,鈥� he said.
In his view, it鈥檚 time to take action before the encampment becomes even more of a hazard.
鈥淚 think people in authority need to act,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he government has resource officers, but when I submit a note, it has to go through Victoria.
鈥淧eople are allowed to camp on government land for two weeks鈥攂ut after that, they鈥檙e no longer legally allowed to be there.鈥�
After retiring to Penticton in 2007 following a long career with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Garland joined the South Okanagan Naturalists鈥� Club and became actively involved in their work.
鈥淚鈥檓 a proud B.C. Parks volunteer鈥攑robably the only one you鈥檒l meet in Penticton,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for the past 10 years. Last summer, the Conservation Officer Service even gave me an award for my volunteer work.鈥�
Knapweed, he noted, is a particularly problematic weed that continues to grow through the winter and produces thousands of seeds. It displaces native vegetation and contributes to erosion and runoff.
With the Ministry of Environment鈥檚 approval, Garland began removing weeds along the highway between Warren and Fairview. He has pulled tall mustard, prickly Russian thistle, and countless knapweed plants.
鈥淚 also noticed a lot of human trash鈥攕o I started picking that up too,鈥� he said.
