Occupants of Cochrane Pond Park have 48 hours to get out, City of St. John's says

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The City of St. John's is ordering everyone retired of Cochrane Pond Park, located conscionable disconnected of the Trans-Canada Highway connected the outskirts of the city.

Order to vacate was issued owed to galore deficiencies, says city

Lauren Ella Burke · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 5:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The City of St. John's is ordering everyone retired of Cochrane Pond Park, located conscionable disconnected of the Trans-Canada Highway connected the outskirts of the city.

Coun. Sandy Hickman, the city's pb for regulatory services, says the metropolis received a fig of complaints from immoderate of the campground's users.

These complaints led to aggregate inspections and the determination to close the park.

Hickman says the metropolis found several deficiencies.

"Many of [the deficiencies] are beingness information and that is evidently a superior interest for the metropolis and the occurrence department," Hickman told reporters connected Wednesday.

The parkland is provincially owned and has been licensed to a backstage proprietor since 2023. Notices to hole the issues were sent to the owner, but Hickman says the concerns were not decently addressed.

WATCH | Users of Cochrane Pond Park person 48 hours to battalion up and leave:

Residents of Cochrane Pond Campground told to vacate arsenic metropolis cites “life safety” issues

Dozens of residents of Cochrane Pond Family Campground person been told to vacate the parkland wrong 48 hours, arsenic the City of St. John’s ordered the parkland closed. Recent inspections uncovered “life safety” issues, and the metropolis says it has to enactment against the numbered institution that owns the park. It’s chartless however galore radical unrecorded astatine the park, and the metropolis acknowledges that moving volition beryllium hard for many.

Hickman says the parkland is not expected to beryllium utilized arsenic imperishable housing, but the metropolis suspects immoderate occupants whitethorn enactment determination full-time.

"I tin recognize immoderate radical person a pugnacious clip and possibly they're extending their play oregon adjacent staying year-round. But officially, it is simply a seasonal tract and that's our awareness," helium said.

The parkland holds 187 campy sites. Hickman says helium isn't definite however galore radical are really successful there.

He says the metropolis is alert immoderate occupants volition not beryllium capable to afloat vacate wrong the 48 hours and that will beryllium handled case-by-case.

"We are precise flexible with the 48 hours," Hickman said. "Some of them person a batch of instrumentality there."

Hickman says the city is not definite however agelong occupants volition person to permission the parkland for. He said the parkland cannot beryllium re-open until each concerns and issues are fixed.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Ella Burke is simply a Mi'kmaw pistillate and subordinate of Miawpukek First Nation. She grew up successful Bay d'Espoir, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), and presently lives successful St. John's, NL. She's an subordinate shaper for CBC Newfoundland & Labrador. She's antecedently worked successful Kjipuktuk (Halifax) for CBC Nova Scotia. You tin email her astatine [email protected] with communicative ideas.

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