After over 40 days of tents being set up in front of City Hall, Regina’s city council is set to hold a special council meeting about the encampment.
The special meeting will be held Thursday at 2:00 p.m. with council set to provide “direction regarding how to address the encampment in the short-term,” given the challenges associated with the encampment continue to evolve.
Mayor Sandra Masters called the special council meeting to address the growing tent encampment at Regina City Hall.
Masters calling of the meeting comes as city administration is seeking direction.
Administration has outlined two options, either maintain the status quo through summer and fall or take additional/alternative actions specifically intended to expedite decommissioning of the camp.
However, ‘decommissioning’ the camp comes with its challenges, as recent court rulings in other jurisdictions have found that evicting people from encampments violated their Charter rights if insufficient indoor shelter spaces are available.
The meeting will also come just a week after one person died of an overdose while staying at the encampment. To date, 20 overdoses have been reported in the camp, with at least three cases of treatment being refused.
The encampment started on June 15, shortly after the City enforced a bylaw that night that required individuals who had gathered and erected a tent at Pepsi Park to vacate the park at 11 p.m.
According to the latest City update on July 25, the City reports 83 tents in the encampment, with an estimated 30 to 76 individuals on site.
“Since the start of the encampment, public urination and defecation have drastically increased, as have discarded needles and general waste,” a report from city administration said.
The City’s cost to date related to the encampment, including additional security, service delivery, maintenance, and repair costs, is approximately $55,000.
The cost is projected to be approximately $40,000 to $70,000 per month as long as the encampment continues.
City staff have been in direct contact with camp volunteers several times weekly and continue collaborating with provincial government agencies and community-based organizations to connect camp residents with support and services.
As of July 24, The Ministry of Social Services mobile outreach workers have interacted with 49 individuals, two of whom accepted shelter/housing support and 47 who refused or indicated they did not need shelter support.
Delegations wishing to address City Council are asked to register with the City Clerk by the 11:00 a.m. deadline on Thursday.
