Cleanup crews tear down homeless encampments in Edmonton on Dec. 29, 2023. JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS
A man has been discovered dead at a homeless encampment north of Edmonton’s downtown, prompting city officials to briefly pause their plans to clear the camp.
Police say EMS were conducting wellness checks on residents following a propane tank explosion early Sunday, when they say the man’s body was found in a tent.
The city says in a news release that the discovery of the body and the tank explosion aren’t related, and city spokeswoman Janice Schroeder says there were no injuries reported from the explosion.
Police say the death doesn’t appear to be criminal.
Clearance of the camp continued later Sunday, and the city says 15 people were removed from the site as well as 10 propane tanks.
Schroeder says two people suffered burns and were transported to hospital after a fire at another homeless camp in the same neighborhood on Sunday, and she said the fires and explosions highlight the dangers of the camps as temperatures drop.
“The colder it gets, the more challenge there is with fires on site,” she said.
The camp that was cleared Sunday was the seventh that the city has dismantled in recent weeks in accordance with an interim court order, which was granted after city and a human rights group reached an agreement for eight camps that are considered a public safety risk to be taken down.
The interim order will last until Jan. 11, when court will hear an earlier injunction application from the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights, which has launched a lawsuit against the city over its policy of removing homeless camps.
The coalition said in a Facebook post Friday that the closures violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as fundamental human rights.
“Over the last few weeks, we have been supporting community members at the displacements and have seen firsthand how this policy is a failure, deeply colonial, and traumatic. People pack up only to set up a block away. This is not a solution,” the group’s post stated.
The city said that with the continued dry conditions in Edmonton, the risks of injury and death due to fires at homeless camps remain extremely high.
It was -16 C in Edmonton on Sunday, and the forecast called for overnight lows below -20 C for the coming week.
In 2023, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to 135 fires in encampments resulting in 22 injuries and three deaths.
The city says it is providing notice to camp occupants as well as social agencies prior to the closures. As part of the agreement to close the camps, the city says it is also making sure there is sufficient shelter space or other indoor space for residents.
If there is not enough space, it says officers will close a camp only if there’s a danger to public health and safety, and that the city will consider the cold weather in its decision making.
“As colder weather sets in and shelter usage increases, the city will review plans to ensure ongoing sufficient shelter capacity exists before moving forward with the final planned closure,” the city’s statement Sunday said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2024.
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