Abbotsford gives homeless campers 24 hours to clear out

The City of Abbotsford has given a group of homeless people 24 hours to vacate a controversial camp where the city dumped chicken manure earlier this year.

Officials from the city put up signs yesterday giving the campers until 8 a.m. PT Thursday to vacate the Gladys Avenue site, citing health and safety concerns.

Its not clear what will happen to those who choose not to leave, but on Wednesday morning it appeared most people were still inside their tents at the makeshift campsite.

Homeless advocates say they understand the citys concerns but wonder where the people will go.

"The problem comes with whats the solution?" said Ward Draper, a local pastor. "We still havent got a solution to stop this cycle of just kicking people around from one location to another."

Earlier this year, it was revealed chicken manure was dumped at the site in order to deter homeless people and apparent drug users from congregating there.

Both the city manager and mayor apologized for the incident.

• Abbotsford, B.C., sorry for using manure to drive out homeless
• Many implicated in manure dump at B.C. homeless site

Emails later obtained by CBC News show managers from Abbotsfords bylaw, forestry and parks departments were all involved.