Smaller Alberta cities, towns fed up with encampment issues

Homeless encampments are no longer limited to Alberta's big cites. Medium-sized cities and towns are also grappling with an issue that has become too complex and costly for municipal governments to handle. 

Municipalities like Slave Lake are pushing back, saying emergency shelters are a provincial responsibility. Others say the province needs to set standards for shelters and update regulations that push some people to live in encampments. 

Homelessness is expected to be up for debate this week at the fall convention of Alberta Municipalities, an advocacy group that represents cities, towns and villages in the province. 

The City of Red Deer is bringing a resolution to the conference that calls on the provincial government to create an emergency shelter strategy, which would lay out standards for shelters and clarify responsibilities of the two levels of government. 

"It is time for a very consistent, well thought-out, well-communicated provincial plan," Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston said in an interview with CBC News. 

The province has offered Red Deer $7 million in capital funding to build a permanent homeless shelter. But over the last four years, council has encountered numerous problems, including community pushback, in its quest to find a suitable location. 

Johnston said a provincial strategy could help. He noted the province uses standards when planning schools and hospitals. Shelters should be the same. 

"We don't have that consistency," Johnston said. "This is why communities are struggling, especially with the public now who really sees this very much as a safety issue, very much as an imbalance in their neighbourhoods."

The resolution is part of the city's efforts to to deal with homeless encampments. Another Red Deer resolution asks the federal and provincial governments to increase funding so municipalities can build supportive housing to provide homes for hard-to-shelter individuals. 

A recent report prepared by Red Deer city administration said that a lack of supportive and affordable housing is hurting efforts to reduce homelessness.

Cleaning up encampments without giving people a more stable housing option continues the cycle of more encampments, the report said. 

People stay in encampments because they don't feel safe in a shelter or they can't conform to the shelter's requirements, Johnston said, and a new provincial policy needs to consider pets, partners, possessions and privacy.

Towns hire security firm

The encampment issue is no longer limited to Alberta's largest cities. Peace River and Slave Lake are two towns which have grappled with the issue over the past two years. 

After running the local shelter with $900,000 in provincial money over the last year, the Town of Slave Lake decided last month to pull out of the project. 

Mayor Francesca Ward and other members of council said the town was not capable of providing the social supports required to help people once they leave the shelter. 

The provincial government is now talking to local non-profits about operating the shelter. Ward, through a city manager, declined an interview with CBC News. 

In recent months, Slave Lake and Peace River have hired Grande Prairie-based firm Apex Security to temporarily manage the encampment and homeless populations in their communities. 

The security staff deal with harassment, loitering and encampments in town. More serious incidents get referred to the local RCMP detachment which is short several officers. 

Peace River Mayor Elaine Manzer said response from the public and downtown businesses about Apex staff has been positive.

"They're two uniformed people at a time walking around, driving around town in their Apex truck or on their Apex bicycles," Manzer said. 

Apex staff have also come to know some of the regulars in the encampments, she added. 

"Making some relationships with them sometimes makes it a little easier to deal with people if you want to move them along from where they shouldn't be."

However, the biggest impediment to Peace River and Slave Lake has been the cost. 

Peace River's three-month contract with Apex ends on Oct. 15.  Manzer said the pilot cost the town $225,000. She doubts the town has the fiscal capacity to extend the contract. 

"We just can't afford that," she said. "If we want to afford it, the tax situation is going to be kind of horrendous in 2025 and that won't go over well with anyone."

Manzer is planning to talk to Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis at the Alberta Municipalities meeting. 

The town has been concerned that staff at the nearby Peace River Correctional Centre, which also serves as a regional remand centre, has been dropping people released from the centre in Peace River which has contributed to the town's homelessness problem. 

Manzer said the local friendship centre has helped transport people from nearby communities back home. 

Manzer expects ministers will hear from municipal politicians at the convention about encampments and homelessness.

"The issue isn't going away in cities like Red Deer or small towns like Peace River," she said.