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Photo by Ben Nelms / National Post

In a press release Friday afternoon, camp occupants said they were willing to work with the city to make modifications to their structures, but that they needed more than 72 hours to do so. Burnaby city manager Lambert Chu said in an email officials agreed to a meeting — which will take place Monday — but still expected Camp Cloud to comply with the order.

As the deadline loomed and anticipation grew, city officials declined to telegraph what enforcement actions they were prepared to take in response to the promised act of defiance. But it is clear they were facing increasing pressure from some nearby residents who said they were fed up with the growing “eyesore” that is the camp.

The city is in a bind: it has actually been a vocal opponent to the pipeline project, which would expand delivery of oil sands bitumen from Alberta to B.C.’s Lower Mainland, raising concerns about increasing oil tanker traffic. But officials said while they support the right to protest, they can no longer stand by as occupants of Camp Cloud — whose numbers hover around 15 to 20 on any given day — flout city bylaws.

Of major concern, said Chu, is the open fire; the smallest spark could ignite the area, which is surrounded by dense forest and large storage tanks labelled “flammable.”

In addition, protesters in recent weeks have constructed a two-storey carver’s cabin, installed a makeshift shower and put up several tents alongside the road without permits. Chu said the city made multiple attempts — in person and in writing — to work with the protesters to comply with bylaws but to no avail.