Campers at the expanding tent city in the Downtown Eastside’s Oppenheimer Park have no plans to vacate the premises despite eviction notices from the city and neighbourhood events scheduled at the space this weekend.

The encampment had grown to about 40 tents and a teepee erected in a circle around a campfire as of Thursday morning. It started last week in protest of the city’s failure to end homelessness or provide adequate housing for low-income residents.

“They promise this, they promise that, but here we are three years later with nothing,” said Synthia Cardinal, who is homeless and camping at the park.

The campers have had positive conversations with the city, but don’t intend to leave until there is action, Cardinal said.

“We don’t want to be walked over, we want to be heard,” she said, adding the tents are on unceded First Nations land.