Homeless encampment residents resist eviction as advocacy group loses bid to stall removals

A homeless encampment in central Edmonton remains standing Tuesday after residents resisted the removal of their tents and belongings by police and city officials.

The cluster of makeshift shelters, in the area of 95th Street and 101A Avenue, was the eighth and final camp earmarked for removal by the city and police, which was scheduled for Tuesday.

The city decided to instead remove debris from the site it had deemed a danger to public safety.

Coalition for Justice and Human Rights had earlier in the day sought a court order to postpone the scheduled removal of the encampment. 

The advocacy group alleged the city and the Edmonton Police Service had breached an interim injunction by failing to ensure there was adequate shelter space to accommodate people being evicted from the encampments.

The Edmonton-based coalition argued its case before Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Davidson Tuesday. Chris Wiebe, a lawyer representing the coalition, told CBC News that Davidson denied the group's request for a pause.

The decision came as police officers and city crews arrived to begin clearing a central Edmonton homeless encampment a few blocks away from the Law Courts building. 

But the residents of the site would not be evicted.

Some camp residents, wrapped in blankets, huddled around a fire and refused to leave as officers began patrolling the area. Camp resident and Elder Roy Cardinal closed his eyes and shouted, "We're standing our ground. We'll be peaceful as much as we can.

"Be humble to us and hear our prayers."

Cardinal said he has been living in the camp for six months, He said the encampment has become home to a tight-knit community of people who care for each other. He said he decided to hold his ground the moment he saw officers move in that morning.

"We're going to be here and we're going to stay here," Cardinal said, adding that residents simply want a safe place to take shelter.

At the centre of the makeshift shelters, a tent was painted with the words "These are our homes."

Eviction notices were issued to camp residents Monday. Bright yellow removal notices were pinned to tents and tarps.

By noon, heavy snow began to fall and advocates from the neighbourhood showed up in support of the campers, while police stepped back and monitored from a distance.

Tents still stood Tuesday evening, and the city said in a news release that residents were not evicted from the site. Crews instead removed debris and vacant structures.

"While the planned closure was in full compliance with the city's obligations under the interim order, including providing advance notice to social agencies, the city adjusted its approach given the number of third parties onsite," the release said.

The interim injunction, granted last month, set a series of conditions to be met before eight homeless encampments deemed risks to public safety can be cleared, including a requirement for adequate shelter space.

The coalition argued that the city is relying on provincial estimates for Edmonton's shelter capacity and that the reports don't accurately reflect the number of available emergency beds. Displacing people from encampments is flawed, harmful and ineffective, the coalition said in a statement Monday.

"People in encampments have not been told the reasons for their clearance, and they question if an imminent risk exists."

The order is set to expire Thursday, when court will hear an earlier application from the coalition, which has launched a lawsuit against the city over its policy of removing homeless camps.

The city said in a news release it continues to abide by all conditions of the court order and will continue to defend its approach to camp removals,

The city and Edmonton police maintain that the encampments are dangerous to residents and the public.

At a news conference on Tuesday, police showed media an array of weapons found at encampments, including swords, knives and guns. Police also showed photos of people who have died from overdoses and been burned at camp sites. 

Deputy police chief Warren Driechel said they wanted to show the challenge and the risk to the occupants, workers and the public. 

"Is it worth it to keep doing? I believe it is." 

Driechel also said that removing encampments leads some to set up elsewhere.

"I think we struggle with this every time," said Driechel.

"The alternative is doing nothing and I know that's not the answer." 

In collaboration with the city, police continue to pressure and motivate people not to return or repopulate the encampments, he added.

"We're trying to figure out how to deal with that."

WATCH | Removal of encampment near 95th Street and 101A Avenue begins:

Encampment residents refuse to leave as site was supposed to be cleaned out

11 months ago

Duration 1:40

In downtown Edmonton, people living in a central encampment are supposed to leave after an advocacy group lost its latest bid to halt the evictions, however, some are refusing to leave.

Camps threaten the safety of the community at large, and people who sleep rough outside face "severe dangers," including the risk of injury from crime and cold weather, the city said in a statement sent earlier Tuesday.

"Evidence will be presented of examples of gang victimization, armed robbery, physical and sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sanitation issues leading to disease, frostbite and cold-weather injuries, and fatalities caused by tent and encampment fires.

"These risks will be shown to be attributable to outdoor sheltering, not the removal of encampments."

The statement said that in the last five years in Edmonton, at least seven people have died and 26 others have been injured in 276 tent or encampment fires.

Complaints about encampments have continued to increase, the city said. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 22 last year, there were 13,683 complaints from members of the public.

The city said it has relied on provincial data to ensure there is adequate shelter capacity for encampment evacuees, and that capacity has remained below 95 per cent during the removals.

"A person seeking indoor shelter in Edmonton will never be left without an indoor place to shelter," the statement said.

According to the city, 79 people have been displaced from seven different encampments since the evictions began two weeks ago.

The city said it couldn't confirm how many people went to shelters and how many moved on to other encampments.