Eight homeless encampments were dismantled between December 29 and January 3, during a series of interventions by the City and the Edmonton Police Service.
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The dismantling of the eighth and final homeless encampment subject to an emergency injunction began Tuesday morning in Edmonton.
Despite a legal challenge filed by the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights, the encampment located at the corner of 95 Street and Rowland Road in the Boyle Street area, is being evacuated by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS).
Some occupants of the encampment huddled around a fire and refused to leave when police began patrolling the encampment area.
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On Tuesday, an Edmonton encampment resident who refused to leave closed his eyes and chanted: “We stay in place [and] we will be as peaceful as possible. Be open to us and listen to our prayers. »
The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights, an organization that defends the rights of people in situations of difficulty ;homelessness, failed in its most recent attempt to stop the dismantling of encampments on Tuesday. The group alleges that the City and the EPS did not comply with the court injunction during the evacuation operations of the camps.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">According to the group, municipal authorities did not ensure that there were enough accommodation places to accommodate people evicted from the camps. The coalition also argues that the City relies on provincial estimates of Edmonton's capacity and that these reports do not accurately reflect the number of hospital beds. emergency available.
Chris Wiebe, a lawyer representing the coalition, told Radio-Canada/CBC that the judge had indeed rejected the request for a break presented by the group.
Instead, Judge Davidson decided to postpone any decision regarding the deportation policy until the coalition's initial injunction request […] is heard. and that a decision is rendered, he explains.
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The coalition of' ;Edmonton pleaded its case before Justice Kent Davidson of the Court of King's Bench on Tuesday. EPS declined to comment on the alleged violation of the court order and referred questions to the City of Edmonton.
On the other hand, during a press conference held on Tuesday, the deputy head of the EPS, Warren Driechel, indicated that the police are actively in discussion with those responsible for the city's accommodation centers.
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The chief Edmonton Police Service Deputy Warren Driechel held a press conference on the encampment dismantlings Tuesday afternoon.
On the other hand, during a press conference held on Tuesday, the deputy chief of the EPS, Warren Driechel, indicated that the police are actively in discussions with those responsible for the centers ;#x27;city accommodation.
He adds that agents of the Human-Centred Engagement and Liaison Partnership Unit (HELP), a human-centered intervention program (New window) to curb the cycle of crime, intervene and visit regularly in the shelters to ensure a police presence.
I think he “This is an important aspect [of policing],” says Warren Driechel.
Roy Cardinal has been living in the Boyle Street neighborhood encampment for six months now. He says he and other residents will hold on because the camp has become home to a tight-knit community of people who care about each other.
We are here and we will stay here, he explains, adding that the citizens of the encampment simply want a safe place to shelter.
We all want the same thing: for our streets to be safe .
A quote from Roy Cardinal, resident of an Edmonton camp
Despite the heavy snow that began to fall Tuesday noon, several residents of the camp refused to leave and many tents remain on the site, under the gaze of police officers.
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As of date as of Tuesday at 5 p.m., there were still tents pitched and a fire still lit with people sitting around it at the encampment on the corner of 95 Street and Rowland Road in Edmonton.
Chris Wiebe believes it is troubling and even frustrating to see the City move forward with closing the encampment.
We are very concerned to see the City move forward with this [dismantling] despite the cold weather, he says.
Jim Gurnett, spokesperson for the Edmonton Coalition for Affordable Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH), was present at the camp on Tuesday to offer support to those evicted.
But also to testify [ events] and get the message across, he emphasizes.
We treat some people in our community in truly inhumane and cruel ways, and that needs to change.
A quote from Jim Gurnett, ECOHH spokesperson
On Wednesday and Thursday, the City of Edmonton will go to court to respond to the complaint filed by the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights. The group claims that the City is violating the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms of people taking refuge in the encampments.
In a press release issued Tuesday by municipal authorities, it is stated: In responding to this legal challenge, the City does not seek to minimize the experiences and significant challenges faced by its residents who do not have access to ;#x27;accommodation.
However, the City states that it is seeking to ensure that the court has access to the portrait of' the whole situation, particularly from the perspective of people and organizations affected by homelessness.
The answer from the City to the camps recognizes that outdoor accommodation is not a safe or sustainable solution for managing homelessness, we can read in the press release.
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In its press release press, the City of Edmonton indicates that, although the number of beds in shelters varies from day to day, they had excess places throughout 2023 and that their capacity to reception will be even more important in 2024.
In a letter to Radio-Canada/CBC, the City states that it will continue to defend its approach to camp dismantling during Thursday's hearing.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The City unequivocally rejects the suggestion that our actions over the past two weeks have not been in compliance with the city's injunction December, we can read.
As for the coalition lawyer, Chris Wiebe, he asserts that the circumstances in which encampment evictions enhance population security are very narrow.
The Coalition knows that the camps present risk factors, he indicates. However, the camps are also the safest choice for many people in these circumstances, and evicting them does nothing to improve their situation.
In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, the Alberta government announced the opening of additional shelter spaces specifically for Indigenous and to homeless women.
It indicates that more than 150 new places in accommodation centers emergency clinics run by Indigenous organizations are opening in northeast Edmonton and, thanks to these spaces, there are currently over 1,550 spaces available in Edmonton .
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The City of Edmonton says the number of complaints related to encampments continues to rise, with 13,683 public complaints received between January 1 and October 22 of last year.
The press release specifies that this funding will enable the Pimatisiwin center of Niginan Housing Ventures and the Maskokamik shelter managed by the Enoch Cree Nation of& ;#x27;each offering up to 100 emergency accommodation places.
Indigenous people living on the streets have complex housing needs and have already been traumatized. So we want to make sure that they are not traumatized in their living environment, explains Keri Cardinal, managing director of Niginan Housing Ventures.
With information from Wallis Snowdon and Annie Verreault
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116
