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The city of Edmonton began dismantling a homeless encampment and evicting occupants Friday as part of a sweep of “high-risk” camps set to extend into the New Year.

Next to Quasar Bottle Depot at 9510 105 Ave., many of those living in a cluster of tents had already left early Friday morning by the time Edmonton Police, a tow truck, and garbage disposal crews arrived to remove a camper van, along with piles of belongings, bags, furniture and debris.

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Some residents, including Frank, who declined to give his last name, were packing up their valuables onto carts pulled by bicycles amid a gaggle of reporters, advocates, onlookers and vocal protesters.

Frank, who has lived rough on the streets for about 15 years, said being pushed from encampments was sometimes a weekly hardship for him, but he managed to settle into this spot for about four months.

“It gets tiring. It just seems useless,” he told Postmedia, adding he expects to move to a spot nearby in the Boyle Street area for at least a few days.

“You just work your ass off trying to get your stuff moved, and then you get to a spot, and they get come and tell you you got to move again, and then you’ve got to lug all your stuff out of there again, and then each time you move you lose more and more stuff,” he said, surveying the mattress, bedding, and items stacked in his tent.

Bradley LaFortune, head of advocacy group Public Interest Alberta, said there may be bed space in shelters, but many avoid them, citing a lack of privacy and safety.

“You’ll see tents set up in this exact same spot tonight,” he said. He and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, which represents paramedics, have argued the sweep will put lives at risk, and further strain the city’s emergency health system.

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Jim Gurnett, with the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH), estimated that between 30 and 40 people had called the small gravel lot next to the bottle depot home at any given time. He said many residents will simply move to nearby spots on the other side of the LRT tracks, or outwards from the downtown core.

Ahead of the removal, he urged residents to bear witness to something that usually happens without public scrutiny.

“All it does is traumatize the people, and cause them to, over and over again, lose everything they have,” Gurnett said, arguing that without appropriate housing, the camping will continue, one way or another.

While the city and police initially planned to start takedowns on Dec. 18, a court injunction offered a short reprieve. Under the conditions of that injunction, in place until Jan. 11 when the issue is back in court, the city and police agreed to conditions, including ensuring there is sufficient shelter space or other indoor space, consider the weather risk, give 48-hour notice to residents and allow paramedics and firefighters access.

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The Coalition for Justice and Human Rights attempted to stop homeless camp evictions in court, arguing the large-scale removals would put occupants at risk of harm by increasing the potential for exposure to cold and deaths from drug poisonings, among other concerns.

But the city, police, and fire department worried allowing “high-risk” camps to stay creates serious safety concerns for people who live there, and the surrounding community. A lawyer representing the police said during the hearings there have been deaths from fires in some of the camps, and some sexual assaults, while other camps have links to organized crime.

Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee has argued that encampments in the Edmonton core are “volatile” and those who live there are vulnerable. “It’s not safe, period,” he said earlier this month.

Karen Zypchyn, spokesperson for the City of Edmonton, told Postmedia Friday an encampment is considered “high risk” if there is a risk of injury or death due to fire, drug use, gang violence, carbon monoxide poisoning, physical violence including weapons, public health or sanitation risks, environmental degradation, or criminal activity. Its proximity to things like schools, the size of the encampment, and how long it’s been set up also factor in.

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“Our top priority is the safety of people experiencing homelessness as well as the surrounding community. We greatly value our partners in this work and are working closely with social agencies in our response to those living in encampments within our city,” said Zypchyn.

While Edmonton peace officers and city operations staff are involved in encampment closures, Zypchyn said the city will not be commenting on the cost of encampment closures because of the ongoing legal proceedings.

She did not answer an inquiry from Postmedia about the city’s plan should residents return to the same encampment areas after the initial displacement.

ECOHH said beginning on Saturday, campers around the Herb Jamieson shelter will be evicted, followed by Dawson Park on Tuesday, and, on Wednesday, those west of Bissell Centre will be removed. Other sites at 95 Street & 101A Avenue, 94 Street & 106 Avenue, and the Kinnaird Ravine are also expected to be impacted.

Zypchyn did not confirm whether the locations of those encampments set for removal, but she indicated that eight sites have been defined as high risk, and four closures are planned between Friday and next Wednesday.

She said additional action in high-risk encampments after Wednesday will proceed “only after evaluation and impact assessment with partners.”

— With files from Lauren Boothby

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