Regina to clear city hall homeless encampment over 'imminent risk' to safety
Fire officials say it's a matter of public safety after a tent fire Thursday
Regina police and fire officials received a hostile reception Thursday after informing residents of the homeless camp outside city hall that they plan to clear the space in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Officers were shouted at as they attempted to deliver verbal notices to residents of the encampment.
Some residents screamed in frustration, saying they felt more comfortable at the encampment than elsewhere.
"I'm so incredibly angry and so incredibly heartbroken for all the folks here," said Kale MacLellan, a volunteer.
The decision to shut down the encampment caps off a frantic week of Regina city politics focused on an encampment that, since being established in mid-June, has grown to 83 tents and had a population that ranged between 30 and 76 people, according to a report from city administration.
Mayor Sandra Masters had called for a special council meeting to be held on Thursday on less than 24 hours notice, relying on powers provided to the mayor under the Cities Act.
The goal was to direct city administration on how to deal with the encampment where Elisa Tuckanow, a 27-year-old mother of four, died from a suspected overdose last week.
The meeting was cancelled just hours before it was supposed to begin after it became clear there would not be enough council members to form a quorum. A majority of councillors — many of whom are on summer vacation — told Masters that they would not attend.
At least three councillors found out about the meeting, the surprise cancellation and the plans to shut the camp down through the media.
In the end, a fire on Thursday at the encampment appears to have taken the decision out of council's hands.
'Imminent risk' to safety
The fire destroyed a tent, but no injuries were reported. Regina Fire and Protective Services Chief Layne Jackson told media it was a "very, very close call."
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Jackson said his department had become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a significant fire after responding to three fires at the encampment over five days.
As a result, Jackson said he was exercising his authority under the Fire Safety Act, saying there was an "imminent risk" to the inhabitants and that decommissioning the camp was the best way to save lives.
"Effective immediately they need to start collecting their belongings and vacating the the property," Jackson said. "If they don't, we have plans to clean up the property."
While media were inside city hall at a news conference, police and fire officials began providing notice to the residents of the encampment that they were required to leave.
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Masters said it's "unfortunate" that the residents are being required to leave but that Fire and Protective Services have her "full support."
Jackson said city hall will be closed on Thursday and Friday and will be reopened once the encampment is taken down.
The decision has left residents and volunteers like MacLellan with a sour taste in their mouths.
"We've done everything in our power to make sure that they were safe, as safe as possible. There's things we cannot prevent, unfortunately," she said.
"We've got safety measures in place and so to say that a single fire was the cause of this is outrageous and it is the easy way out. This is an easy way to force us out."
MacLellan says police told residents of the camp that they would have to leave immediately but had no answers when asked where people were going to be sent or how they would be connected to housing or assistance.
"They said 'That's not our job, that [the Ministry of Social Services] is supposed to do it, the government is supposed to do it,' which is understandable, but this was clearly so poorly thought out," she said.
Residents have repeatedly said the city hall encampment served as a gathering place for the homeless because it was safer than being alone and they had access to necessities like food and water provided by volunteers.
Some residents have said they have no plans to leave. MacLellan said volunteers plan to stand with them. Volunteers said shuttering the encampment will force the city's most vulnerable back to camping in alleys or vacant lots.
Masters said she believes the city's bylaws will ensure that another encampment does not spring up in a park somewhere else in the city.
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