Downtown Edmonton homeless encampment given removal notice

The closure of one of eight homeless encampments in central Edmonton that are under a court-ordered injunction is expected Friday.

Removal of the encampment near the Quasar Bottle Depot is expected after 48-hour removal notices were given to people living there on Dec. 26.

A large-scale homeless encampment takedown was originally slated for Dec. 18 but was put on pause during a court battle led by the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights — a group that advocates on behalf of people living in tents in the city. 

Sam Mason, the coalition's president, says social agencies haven't been given a clear reason why there's an urgency to clear the encampments now.

"They could have still done it before Christmas, but they were able to wait. So we're still confused as to what the immediacy is for needing to clear them," Mason said in an interview Wednesday. 

"Dangers shouldn't be different today, as they were a few days ago, and so we're wondering why more can't be done to ensure that these encampments are just made safer instead of having to disband them altogether."

Interim injunction

Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Davidson granted an interim injunction earlier this month that places restrictions on how 118 to 135 structures at eight sites can be taken down. 

Lawyers for the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Police Service and the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights agreed that tent removals by police can proceed if there are imminent health and safety risks to people. 

Otherwise, police and city staff must give 48 hours notice to encampment residents if their site is slated for takedown and find out whether there is enough shelter or other indoor spaces available to accept people who will get displaced.

Police and the city must also factor in the cold weather before proceeding with evictions.

The interim injunction will be in place until Jan. 11, the day that the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights goes to court for a previous application for an injunction to stop encampment removals city-wide. 

The request is part of a larger lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city's policy on encampment removals, which the coalition initiated.

Co-counsel Avnish Nanda said Wednesday that there's been questions raised regarding how the city measures shelter space capacity. 

"Funded spaces doesn't mean available spaces. So it could be that the city is claiming that there's adequate number of alternative shelter spaces based on those figures, but not all those figures are actually available for those people who'll be cleared," Nanda said.

"Our biggest concern is clearing folks with no other place to go and they're just going to set up encampment somewhere else. It doesn't really solve the problem."

In a statement to CBC, Karen Zypchyn, a spokesperson for the City of Edmonton, said that four "high-risk" encampments are expected to be closed between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3.

"Additional action in high-risk encampments after Jan. 3 will proceed only after evaluation and impact assessment with partners," she said. 

Carolin Maran, a communications advisor with Edmonton police, said in a statement that the city leads encampment closures.

"And any assistance provided by the EPS is part of a coordinated effort lead by them. As is the case with many encampment cleanups, the EPS attends to ensure the safety of all parties," she said.

In a news release, the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness invited Edmontonians to witness encampment closures, including the one at Quasar Bottle Depot on Dec. 29. 

Other encampments covered by the interim injunction near the downtown core include those at social agencies such as Hope Mission's Herb Jamieson Centre and the Bissell Centre.

Other locations are 95th Street and 101a Avenue, 94th Street and 106th Avenue, and the Dawson and Kinnaird ravines.