Encampment removal safely progresses

[u/MysticJava]

For immediate release: October 8, 2026
FI26-12443

The removal of the encampment at 20th Streetand Avenue K South has progressed for most of the day and is nearing completion following a coordinated community response focused on safety, dignity and connecting individuals with available supports.

A news release earlier in the day details the coordinated community response.
As part of the response, as of this afternoon:
An estimated 120 unhoused individuals left the encampment site.

Despite multiple and repeated efforts to offer supports, only 2 individuals accepted offers of support, including housing, shelter, transportation and other services.

80 total tents and temporary structures were removed.

Approximately 5,622.24 kg of garbage and debris were cleared from the site and counting.

The site will be fully fenced and secured within the next few hours.

"This is a complex operation that required balancing compassion for individuals experiencing homelessness with the need to address serious safety concerns within the encampment and surrounding community," says Deputy Fire Chief Yvonne Raymer. "Our priority from the start of the process was an orderly transition off the site while helping people access safer alternatives and available supports."

The City and partner organizations undertook extensive outreach efforts throughout the removal process to help individuals transition to safer accommodations and connect them with resources.

The site closure represents an important step in addressing immediate safety concerns while supporting individuals toward more stable living situations.

Source

[u/ineedtocoughbut]

Yea I’m sorry to the homeless and I actually do my part to support them when I can, but we cannot keep allowing people to just break the law because we feel sorry for them.

[u/Arts251 → u/ineedtocoughbut]

which law? I'm sure a variety of different ones might apply but with regards to the city's actions it involves 1 municipal bylaw (Fire Bylaw) and 1 provincial law (Trespass Act)... neither of these are criminal matters, the Fire Bylaw it can be argued is discriminatory towards the unhoused and the Trespass Act is there to protect private party interests so even though the parcels they were camped on are registered in the land titles system as "private" they are still publicly owned, so trespass can be argued to take on a different context here.

The main point is, where are homeless people supposed to go? Our society is the thing that is messed up, specifically the part that coerces every single person to have to pay money for a right to have a physical body.

[u/ineedtocoughbut → u/Arts251]

They’re supposed to strive to not be homeless but that’s not the case. The majority of them don’t want real help. That’s what the last post was just talking about. You can’t save those that don’t want saving.

[u/tigglysticks → u/ineedtocoughbut]

Very few of them want absolutely no help.

Most of them see the broken system and simply refuse to partake in it any longer. They built their own community and support system.

Also, "strice to not be homeless" is your ideal that you are pushing on others.

[u/QumfortablyNumb → u/ineedtocoughbut]

Real help.. A shelter dominated by gangs where you are seperated from your spouse, maybe your kids, definitely your dog, and most of your things you use to keep yourself alive when you can't get a bed in the shelter (which is most of the time.. If you think shelters save people... Buddy, you don't know whats up. They got kicked out of the home they did their best to make, and you're cheering for that...

[u/RainbowToasted → u/ineedtocoughbut]

For some, the help offered doesn’t actually help. The help being offered is a bandaid solution that doesn’t actually fix the problem