'It's just not safe': Edmonton police chief says encampments shouldn't be tolerated

Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee said he wants to send a message that encampments shouldn't be tolerated in the city.

At a police commission meeting Thursday, he said the city can no longer "do nothing" about clusters of tents where people are sleeping rough through the winter, because it isn't safe.

"It starts with saying, 'No more camping.' It's just like 'No more use of drugs in open air downtown,'" he said.

"The encampment strategy is, quite frankly: it's just not safe to be camping outside right now. How many fires do we actually have to see here?"

Earlier this month, two people died after fires in central Edmonton encampments, and one person was left with serious burns.

On Tuesday, two people were taken to hospital after another tent fire in central Edmonton. One was in serious condition, the other was in serious, life-threatening condition when they were taken from the scene, Alberta Health Services said.

People who live in encampments, and advocates for those on the streets, say sleeping rough during the winter is dangerous. But some don't feel safe staying in local homeless shelters either.

David Jones, the City of Edmonton's branch manager for community standards and neighbourhoods, told the police commission that the city has received close to 15,000 complaints about encampments so far this year.

"That's astronomical numbers," he said.

"Last year smashed all records with 9,000 complaints, and we're looking at almost doubling that again this year."

McFee said there are complex issues at play, and there are community partnerships working to address the issues.

"It starts with the action to say, 'This isn't going to be tolerated.' You don't wait for infrastructure."

Edmonton Police Service Insp. Angela Kemp manages the Healthy Streets Operations Centre, a hub aimed at addressing crime and disorder in core neighbourhoods. The initiative, started in 2022, sees police, social agencies, paramedics and other emergency responders work together in teams.

Kemp told the commission that encampments are one of their biggest concerns.

"The police can't force people to go to resources. But what we want to make sure is that they understand the dangers they're placing themselves in when they're choosing to live in encampments," she said.

Additional shelter beds are supposed to be open in Edmonton this winter, with funding from the province helping to increase capacity. Kemp said the hope is that will help more people leave the streets.

EPS says operations hub getting results

Kemp said the Healthy Streets Operations Centre is seeing success. According to EPS statistics, crime severity in the neighbourhoods they cover has been down this year.

"Obviously, we do have a lot of work to do. There's still problems within the communities," she said.

She said community workers are seeing more vulnerable people reach out for resources since the teams have spent time building relationships. 

Advanced care paramedics have also been helping people on the streets get immediate care. That helped defer 381 ambulances since November 2022, according to EPS.

EPS plans to continue funding the hub, initially created as a pilot project, in 2025 and beyond.

City council put $15.2 million toward setting it up in 2022. Kemp said EPS is still in talks with the city about further funding after next year.

There are currently two teams of police, outreach workers and first responders working in the Healthy Streets Operations Centre, Monday to Friday. By May, there will be four teams working seven days a week, 22 hours per day, on rotating shifts.