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Earlier in the day, De Genova said B.C. Housing and the provincial government had gone to great lengths to find housing for everyone in the park, but some people had declined housing and the number of tents in the park had only grown.

According to the city, 130 campers accepted offers of shelter last month, but there were still 120 tents on-site.

“Every day that this encampment continues, it’s a situation that’s not safe, and I’m concerned that will be serious injuries beyond what we’ve heard so far,” she said. “There could even be a death — we saw that at Occupy Vancouver — and that’s not fearmongering, that’s what we’ve heard from the Vancouver Police Department, as well as our city staff.”

Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

De Genova said she hoped the park board would see the strain the situation at Oppenheimer has had on the city’s resources, which she would instead like to see used to address the overdose crisis.

“It’s not just about a death in Oppenheimer Park — that would be terrible,” she said. “It’s about serving the entire Downtown Eastside and also (about) finding the money for this.”

NPA commissioner John Coupar said he and fellow NPA commissioner Tricia Barker had requested Thursday’s meeting.

Coupar said the park board had worked well with the city during previous injunctions to remove people from the park in 2008 and 2014.

But the board’s seven elected commissioners, representing three civic parties, have already rejected Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s request to temporarily cede control over Oppenheimer to the city, and voted against city staff’s recommendation to seek an injunction this time.

Coupar, who was in the minority supporting an injunction, still thinks an injunction is necessary.

“There was no reason to change the jurisdiction at that time, I don’t believe there’s any reason to do it now,” Coupar said.

“Now that we’ve seen this increase in criminal activity and people aren’t feeling safe in the park, I think it’s time to move forward with an injunction. But I’m only one of seven votes. I can only advocate for what I think is right and see where it falls.”

With files from Dan Fumano

dcarrigg@postmedia.com

neagland@postmedia.com