The City of Vancouver apologized for harm caused during daily “street sweeps” of the Downtown Eastside and vowed to find an alternative way to keep the streets clear in a statement sent to CBC Wednesday.
The apology follows a motion before Vancouver city council Tuesday evening calling for changes to the way sweeps are conducted.
During these sweeps, which occur daily from Monday to Friday, city workers accompanied by police officers clear debris from sidewalks of the Downtown Eastside.
The city said their crews are trained to remove litter, garbage, and structures that are abandoned, but not items that are “clearly personal belongings.”
But advocates say the sweepers sometimes throw out items
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