‘We just couldn’t ignore it’: Calgary dismantles southeast encampment due to safety concerns

Calgary police have partnered with other city organizations for ‘Operation Encampment’ Monday, targeting one of the biggest encampments for the unhoused.

The initiative aims to remove the “large amount of [refuse]” left in an encampment at Deerfoot and Glenmore.

An encampment was removed in the area of Deerfoot Trail and Glenmore Trail in the southeast on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 by Calgary Police, Alpha House, and other city organizations. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews image)

Piles of trash, scrap metal, propane tanks, shopping carts, and even Pepsi machines are some of the many items found at the encampment.

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Two unhoused Calgarians at the encampment told CityNews they have been in the area for the past two years and say they like the area because “we can almost forget that we’re in the city.”

“Holding space here has been really, really fun. It looks like a disaster, but we’ve seen this cleaned up lickety-split within two weeks, it’s back to being a forest,” said a woman living at the encampment.

“We’re not digging into the earth. We’re not oil spilling.”

Meanwhile, District 1 members are working with Alpha House, conservation officers, city community standards officers, nurses with the Police And Crisis Team (PACT), and disposal services to remove the refuse.

“We just couldn’t ignore it. It had to be dealt with for the safety of the public, the safety of the people,” District 1 Community Resources Calgary Police Service Sgt. Robert Gray told CityNews.

He says recent grassfires have heavily influenced the effort.

“It’s a huge safety risk for a lot of individuals. I mean, we’ve had two fires so far now in this encampment area that have literally blown across onto the Deerfoot, which is a major safety concern for drivers and motorists.”

Officers say roughly 12 unhoused Calgarians have been living in the encampment this summer, with Gray adding the partnership with the Alpha House is for support.

“We do have our Alpha encampment team here… What they do is speak with all of our unhoused population here,” he explained. “We know them all on a first-name basis.”

An encampment in the middle of a tear down in Calgary on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (Tate Laycraft, CityNews image)

Meanwhile, Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld also took to social media to talk about the situation, saying the city “can’t allow encampments to become entrenched” in Calgary.

We can’t allow encampments to become entrenched in #yyc. Health/safety concerns, refuse, violence and criminality/stolen property are issues that quickly arise when we don’t address them early. Often those sleeping rough are in desperate need of supports and intervention.

— Mark Neufeld (@neufeld_mark) August 28, 2023

“Health/safety concerns, refuse, violence and criminality/stolen property are issues that quickly arise when we don’t address them early,” he continued. “Often those sleeping rough are in desperate need of supports and intervention.”

Dismantling efforts at the encampment are expected to continue through the rest of the week.

Housing support has been offered to the 12 people, but whether or not they will take the offer remains the question.

One person told CityNews they still plan on living outside and setting up somewhere else in the city.

Others say they will take the chance with housing. When asked about missing the encampment, one person said, “No.”