Occupants of an encampment outside of Abbotsford City Hall will not be forcibly removed or arrested on the deadline set out in an eviction notice they received last week, but it鈥檚 not yet clear what the next steps could be.

A 鈥渘otice of trespass鈥� was issued by the city last Thursday (Sept. 19), indicating that occupants of the camp must vacate the site by 11 a.m. Monday (Sept. 23).

But Const. Art Stele, media officer with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), said there is no plan on Monday for officers to arrest those who do not leave.

Stele said the APD is taking direction from the city on the timeline for the notice of trespass.

鈥淎bbyPD鈥檚 role will be to maintain the peace while the City of Abbotsford effects compliance with the notice of trespass,鈥� he said.

鈥淯nless and until a court says otherwise, the city鈥檚 bylaws and the notice of trespass are valid and enforceable.

鈥淗owever, acknowledging that homelessness is a complex issue, the Abbotsford Police Department is committed to working with and maintaining dialogue with the City of Abbotsford, local service providers and appropriate levels of government working toward finding a more long-term resolution throughout the process.鈥�

City spokesperson Melissa Godbout did not say whether the occupants could be forcibly removed or arrested on another date. She said the city's park bylaw legally prohibits camping at city hall.

She said once the encampment is cleared, the area will be fenced off and closed to the public for remediation, which is expected to be complete around Oct. 2.

"Following remediation, the space will reopen for public use, but as per our bylaws, camping is prohibited and any protests will be required to apply for a permit," she said.

Godbout said the city has worked with Cedar Outreach to provide support for the campers as they relocate from city hall. She said individuals are being provided with storage bins for their personal items, and vehicles and trailers are being provided to help with the move.

Godbout said city staff have met regularly with protest organizers and have arranged meetings with the organizers, BC Housing and ministry of housing staff "to ensure the concerns of the protesters were shared with the appropriate level of government."

"The protest organizers have acknowledged that this is a provincial government issue to address," she said.

Meanwhile, at the site on Monday morning, a few people had gathered in support of the camp occupants.

Britanny Maple, an advocate for the group and program coordinator for the Abbotsford Drug War Survivors, said about five individuals had packed up their belongings and accepted shelter options in the last few days, but most are staying in place.

She said a letter signed by 75 people was submitted to the city on Saturday, challenging the eviction notice and saying the campers' Charter rights were being infringed upon.

鈥淲e鈥檙e asking that the city continually bring this before the courts so that all evidence and Charter issues can be heard by an impartial party,鈥� Maple said.

She said the city responded, saying they believe the bylaws don鈥檛 鈥渄isproportionately affect people with disabilities or Indigenous people because they are applied equally to everyone.鈥�

Maple said the shelter options being offered to people in the encampment are limited.

鈥淭hese shelter spaces are what we would call 鈥榥ot accessible鈥� and don鈥檛 typically meet the needs of many of the people who are falling between the gaps who are staying in camps like this,鈥� she said.

鈥淭hose aren鈥檛 typically sustainable options, and so we would anticipate that a number of those individuals will end up back here in short order.鈥�

The group, calling themselves a 鈥減rotest camp,鈥� first set up in Babich Park in east Abbotsford in late June after being forced to move from their prior setups on Gladys Road.

The group remained in Babich Park for a few days before moving to the current location outside of city hall.

The city said on Friday (Sept. 20) that the eviction notice had been issued due to 鈥渟afety concerns鈥� about the growing encampment.

Stele said there has been an 鈥渆scalation in violence鈥� over the past few weeks and an increase in calls to the police about the camp, although he did not have exact numbers.

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