Homeless Tent Cities in Canada
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
I’d prefer 24 Sussex, as the provincial parliament is in Wascana Park, and we just got rid of an encampment there in the last couple years that was there for 240+ days.
The parliament provincially is in the big park in Regina, that we ALL pay for and ALL get to use hopefully.
They had to dig the soil out at the Leg'. It was contaminate by every meth matters.
Crazy. Plus Wascana park is provincial & not civic apparently so different rules.
forums.canadiancontent.net
Urban Camping Wascana Park Style
Too bad I won't be here to see him go sit with the Injuns in Wascana Park and campaign on taxpayer dollars as there is an upcoming by election in Regina. What a creep. Using Injuns to up his game. REGINA—LUMSDEN—LAKE CENTRE Overview Province / Territory:Saskatchewan Elections Canada:Profile...
forums.canadiancontent.net
Remember the Wascana cops being same but seperate? Wascana Authority still exists.
No money management skills.
This woman makes $67K a year. She's couch-surfing until she can find affordable housing — CBC News
Teresa Chhina helps vulnerable people find affordable housing. Now, she's struggling to find something for herself.apple.news
Keep in mind this is from the CBC:
Dozens of tents remained up outside of Regina city hall on Friday morning despite residents being told they would have to leave the encampment.
Regina police and fire officials were met with a hostile reception on Thursday after informing residents they intended to clear the space by the weekend.
Some encampment residents said on Thursday they have no plans to leave. Volunteers have said they plan to stand with them.
"We have overdoses throughout the city. We have deaths throughout the city constantly because of the conditions of living on the streets," Mandla Mthembu, a camp volunteer, said on CBC Radio's The Morning Edition on Friday.
"To say that is a better option than the tents and the services and community we have developed here in the past 40 days — we just thought that was ridiculous."
The CBC office isn’t too for from City Hall, on the Broad Street edge of Wascana Park, & that might be some nice camping…
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Regina Fire and Protective Services Chief Layne 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 property," Jackson said. "If they don't, we have plans to clean up the property."
The announcement came after a special city council meeting planned for Thursday afternoon was cancelled because there wouldn't be enough council members to form a quorum. The purpose of the meeting was to direct city administration on what to do about the tent encampment.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said on Thursday it's "unfortunate" the residents are being required to leave, but that the fire department had her "full support."
City Hall is closed on Friday and will be reopened once the encampment is taken down.
Regina police make arrests as officers clear city hall homeless encampment — CBC News
Police moved onto the grounds of Regina city hall Friday to clear the dozens of tents that remained in spite of warnings from city officials. A fence has been erected to allow city staff to clean the area.
Mthembu said volunteers were consistently co-ordinating with emergency services and community organizations for the entire duration of the camp.
He added that he isn't confident the residents of the encampment will be safe if they have to leave.
"They said they're going to provide temporary shelter spaces and things like that, but they do that every time there's encampments and things like this," Mthembu said.
"The same time next week, we will have the same amount of people without anything and in the same position they were in before the camp started."
Since being established on June 15, the encampment outside city hall peaked at 83 tents on July 25, according to a report that was to be presented to city council on Thursday.
Mthembu said there are not enough shelter spaces to deal with the city's homelessness crisis and some shelters aren't equipped to support people with substance use disorders, but the camp is.
According to the report, as the encampment has grown, so have the concerns from employees at Regina city hall.
Mthembu would like to see more empathy for people who are experiencing homelessness or struggling with addictions.
"If any of us were living this day in, day out for months, years on end, I think we would demand the same for ourselves and want something beyond just knowing that we're going to be safe tonight," Mthembu said.
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A wall of police descended on an encampment outside of Regina city hall Friday, with officers arresting multiple people and dismantling tents and makeshift structures — some of which had stood for nearly six weeks.
On Friday, police officers moved in and were met by encampment residents, their supporters and volunteers who had helped to provide the homeless with food and water.
Some residents were assisted by volunteers as they chose to pack up their belongings instead of being forced out, while others refused to leave — prompting confrontations with officers as they moved in.
www.cjme.com
Then there’s this from the Mayor:
She said the people occupying the lawn around City Hall are incredibly vulnerable due in large part to substance use disorder, addictions and mental health issues.
Looking back to when the tents were first erected in mid-June, the mayor said her initial frustration was the fact that protesters who already had homes were putting up tents.
“We know that when you concentrate this type of behaviour… it starts to escalate … There’s always going to be safety concerns … There’s going to be violence and predatory behaviour by others,” she said. “That’s pretty much what happened over the ensuing weeks.”
According to the mayor, the encampment has cost the city $50,000 so far, with damage to the lawn and the facilities themselves not yet being tabulated.
Masters added many private businesses downtown have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on vandalism issues and hiring extra security forces.
“The issue of folks being out and using drugs or having psychosis or mental health issues has created just unsafe conditions in lots of ways overnight in back alleys and in buildings and what not,” she said.
There are resources available to those experiencing homelessness, but many people can’t access them because of issues regarding substance use, the mayor noted.
www.cjme.com
“We have a number of individuals in the city who are banned because of behaviour or violence against workers and so there seems to be no solution to that particular issue,” Masters said. “If we can connect folks to services, we can connect them to shelter space or housing and income assistance. I think that’s ultimately the goal.”
Damn….our home is east of the downtown area area…& I really don’t want them Moving in bulk in our direction…but time (hours?) will tell…
On Friday, police officers moved in and were met by encampment residents, their supporters and volunteers who had helped to provide the homeless with food and water.
Some residents were assisted by volunteers as they chose to pack up their belongings instead of being forced out, while others refused to leave — prompting confrontations with officers as they moved in.
Tents removed, arrests made at City Hall homeless encampment
Just after 4 p.m. Friday, the tent city at Regina City Hall and its inhabitants were gone from the property. I...
www.cjme.com
Then there’s this from the Mayor:
She said the people occupying the lawn around City Hall are incredibly vulnerable due in large part to substance use disorder, addictions and mental health issues.
Looking back to when the tents were first erected in mid-June, the mayor said her initial frustration was the fact that protesters who already had homes were putting up tents.
“We know that when you concentrate this type of behaviour… it starts to escalate … There’s always going to be safety concerns … There’s going to be violence and predatory behaviour by others,” she said. “That’s pretty much what happened over the ensuing weeks.”
According to the mayor, the encampment has cost the city $50,000 so far, with damage to the lawn and the facilities themselves not yet being tabulated.
Masters added many private businesses downtown have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on vandalism issues and hiring extra security forces.
“The issue of folks being out and using drugs or having psychosis or mental health issues has created just unsafe conditions in lots of ways overnight in back alleys and in buildings and what not,” she said.
There are resources available to those experiencing homelessness, but many people can’t access them because of issues regarding substance use, the mayor noted.
‘Unsafe conditions:’ Masters addresses issues caused by encampment
The lawn around Regina City Hall may no longer look like a campground by Friday afternoon. Mayor Sandra Master...
www.cjme.com
Damn….our home is east of the downtown area area…& I really don’t want them Moving in bulk in our direction…but time (hours?) will tell…
Two fires broke out in tents as the deadline approached: one large and with visible flames, the other just smoke.
Several police officers were stationed on the roof of city hall (???) as firefighters and volunteers fought the blazes. Other volunteers were helping camp members take down the remaining tents.
leaderpost.com
A “people’s forum” was held at noon with volunteers and camp residents taking the time to speak in advance of the deadline set by police and the RFPS.
Some residents screamed in frustration, saying they felt more comfortable at the encampment than elsewhere?
Except maybe in the above burnt tent…. Regina Fire and Protective Services said firefighters were able to get to the scene in about three minutes and extinguished the fire quickly.
Josh Campbell, who organized the forum, called actions taken by the mayor “totally undemocratic.” ??Who’s entitled to vote in this democracy?? ‘Cuz there’s 250,000 people in Regina & I can take a guess at what the reaction would be with respect to vote on this??
Mayor Masters admitted she has not met with any organizers or residents of the camp sitting outside her workplace, citing safety. She denied that she has been avoiding camp representatives, saying no invitations or “formal requests” to meet have been extended, to her or her office.
Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky also recently cited “safety concerns” when asked why he had not visited the camp himself.
“It’s probably not good form to talk about the physicality of any politician, but we’re talking about an offensive lineman,” Opposition leader Carla Beck said, in response on Thursday.
“If he’s afraid to walk through a camp where people are homeless … I don’t know. He is a minister of social services who has contributed to the problem. If it’s too scary and too dangerous for a former professional football player to even bother setting foot near, what is he doing to fix the conditions in our community?”
That meeting, called just 24 hours in advance, was cancelled less than two hours before, with a city press release citing a “lack of quorum,” meaning not enough councillors were able to attend.
Masters said six councillors said they didn’t want to attend a meeting “to interrupt what is clearly under the purview of (Fire Chief) Jackson.”
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.? Huh? Really? Did the city’s bylaws ensure that an encampment didn’t Spring up in front of City Hall for 7 weeks?
Several police officers were stationed on the roof of city hall (???) as firefighters and volunteers fought the blazes. Other volunteers were helping camp members take down the remaining tents.
Clearing the courtyard: 11 arrests during city hall tent camp takedown
After more than 40 days, the Regina City Hall tent camp ended with a showdown that saw several people taken into police custody.
Some residents screamed in frustration, saying they felt more comfortable at the encampment than elsewhere?
Except maybe in the above burnt tent…. Regina Fire and Protective Services said firefighters were able to get to the scene in about three minutes and extinguished the fire quickly.
Josh Campbell, who organized the forum, called actions taken by the mayor “totally undemocratic.” ??Who’s entitled to vote in this democracy?? ‘Cuz there’s 250,000 people in Regina & I can take a guess at what the reaction would be with respect to vote on this??
Mayor Masters admitted she has not met with any organizers or residents of the camp sitting outside her workplace, citing safety. She denied that she has been avoiding camp representatives, saying no invitations or “formal requests” to meet have been extended, to her or her office.
Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky also recently cited “safety concerns” when asked why he had not visited the camp himself.
“It’s probably not good form to talk about the physicality of any politician, but we’re talking about an offensive lineman,” Opposition leader Carla Beck said, in response on Thursday.
“If he’s afraid to walk through a camp where people are homeless … I don’t know. He is a minister of social services who has contributed to the problem. If it’s too scary and too dangerous for a former professional football player to even bother setting foot near, what is he doing to fix the conditions in our community?”
That meeting, called just 24 hours in advance, was cancelled less than two hours before, with a city press release citing a “lack of quorum,” meaning not enough councillors were able to attend.
Masters said six councillors said they didn’t want to attend a meeting “to interrupt what is clearly under the purview of (Fire Chief) Jackson.”
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.? Huh? Really? Did the city’s bylaws ensure that an encampment didn’t Spring up in front of City Hall for 7 weeks?
11 arrests made as police dismantle City Hall encampment
Six weeks after the first tent was pitched, the homeless encampment in front of Regina City Hall was dismantle...
www.cjme.com
We need to be able to build quickly just like the Chinese do. One - 10 story building can be built in 28 hours! I'll try to get the video. But I'd prefer Canadian ingenuity. I'm sure we could "steal" their plans & adapt to our construction practices. We're in desperate need.View attachment 18842
quickly11 arrests made as police dismantle City Hall encampment
Six weeks after the first tent was pitched, the homeless encampment in front of Regina City Hall was dismantle...
Built & assembled are two different things, but I hear you. Doesn’t look like an inexpensive process, but I’m assuming (yeah, I know, ass/u/me) the cost may be comparable to conventional construction?
We had one of those (about half the height of the one in the video) popped up in short order in Regina several years ago, and none since. No idea why. Maybe Petros might have some insight on this one?
Well, if you insist on a government solution (whiny socialists), 40-foot shipping containers are less than $2000 per (real money, that is).
Insulate 'em, heat 'em, run some plumbing and electricity. Should be able to git 'er done for less'n 5000 bucks a unit, move-in ready. Good enough for soldiers, good enough for "refugees." Set 'em up in lots of 100 or so.
Insulate 'em, heat 'em, run some plumbing and electricity. Should be able to git 'er done for less'n 5000 bucks a unit, move-in ready. Good enough for soldiers, good enough for "refugees." Set 'em up in lots of 100 or so.
FEMA Style, even as a temporary solution is still a step in some direction as opposed to no direction. If we grow & Evolve beyond needing these….They are shipping containers.…so they can be shipped elsewhere. I’m all for it.
Watched a show on HGTV regarding containers & they'd be a good option for sure!
With four councillors calling for immediate action to deal with the homelessness situation in Regina, the issue — one of the main topics for Wednesday’s city council meeting — was postponed to a later date.
apple.news
Mayor Sandra Masters told council that questions and discussions will be held until Sept. 13.
The mayor added that the city is doing what it can.
“We continue to work with the province and the federal government on the issue,” she said. “Clearly, it’s ongoing.”
Last year, city council passed a motion to eradicate homelessness but did not provide the funding for that program.
Topic of homelessness delayed at Regina city council — Global News
The topic of Regina's homelessness was delayed during Wednesday's city council meeting until Sept. 13, where four councillors want the city to declare a state of emergency.
The mayor added that the city is doing what it can.
“We continue to work with the province and the federal government on the issue,” she said. “Clearly, it’s ongoing.”
Last year, city council passed a motion to eradicate homelessness but did not provide the funding for that program.
That is not quite true. The building can be assembled in 28 hrs. But it takes months to make all the pieces and make a foundation.
Mostly what we need is for the government to quit "helping". High interest rates and endless red tape from multiple levels of government have put the brakes on many housing projects, leaving around 45000 construction workers unemployed.
Just one example of provincial government stupidity:
From todays Times Colonist. Nanaimo will not have to do a potable groundwater study before redevelopment of the downtown area. This has been a holdup for a number of years. No one drinks groundwater in the entire area, but the government bureaucracy has been insisting on a study for reasons known only to themselves.
We have a few of those springing up for housing homeless. Getting permits has been a major hurdle. Apparently, zoning and building codes are more important than housing homeless.
