Protests erupt at Edmonton police commission meeting over homeless encampment teardowns

Speakers-turned-protesters at the City of Edmonton's first police commission meeting of the year on Thursday made the recent dismantling of homeless camps their main point of contention.

Shouting interrupted the afternoon meeting at city hall during Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee's first speech of the year to the commission, which came following 45 minutes of remarks from nine public speakers who mainly criticized police involvement and conduct during work tearing down the eight 'high-risk' camps.

The protests were the third such disruption at city hall this week regarding encampment policies.

Police and the city dismantled the camps over 12 days starting Dec. 29. The plan to remove the camps came to light in mid-December. It went ahead after an interim injunction against police and the city delayed action.

McFee said following the commission meeting he does not have concerns with officer conduct.

"I think, from everything I’ve seen, our members acted with great professionalism," McFee told media. "(Are) there hot tempers on these issues from those who are strongly opposed? Yes ... and there’s going to be. It’s a difficult situation."

When asked why the police commission hadn't called an emergency commission meeting before actions that led to police and the city moving to break up the encampments — a question posed by one public speaker at Thursday's meeting — chairman John McDougall said the schedule around Christmas made it difficult to call one.

"There’s been some light communication, but you have to appreciate it was Christmas holidays," he told media following the meeting. Everybody was away: council was away, officers were on vacation, members of our commission were on vacation. We’re all volunteers, so we have to ensure that we're able to balance that work and recovery time off.

"Nothing has blindsided the commission. We have been kept in the loop with the actions the service has taken in conjunction with the province and the city."

The police commission meeting comes a day after the province opened a support centre downtown to help people living in homeless camps by connecting them to services for help finding shelter, housing, financial services, Indigenous cultural support, pet support and addictions treatment.

The city provides free transportation to the provincial 'navigation centre.'

Now that the centre is open, police have promised more camp teardowns, something that at least three homeless advocacy groups oppose. They have put out a joint statement opposing the zero-tolerance policy for homeless camps.

Sam Mason, president of the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights — a group whose lawsuit against the city claiming the eviction of homeless people from camps violates their rights was dismissed Tuesday in an Edmonton court — told CTV News the level of crime being claimed in the camps is being overblown and questions why police rather than social agencies are leading the charge.

"I'll hold out hope that, potentially, it is different, but it just seems like more of the same," Mason said. "It seems like adding (police) intervention seems ... outside of their scope.

"We know that they already were only involved to sort of support city operations, so to see more powers being given to police when what people need (are) social services and health care and those types of things, it's concerning."

The scale of encampments ranges from a single person in a tent to a community that takes up an entire lot. Police say they come with different risks but are adamant that violence, sexual assault and other crimes are happening.

"We found an abandoned tent that we believe was a tent for gang activity," Deputy Police Chief Warren Driechel said to media. "We call them taxation tents, where they come in and they’re staying in that encampment, and they’re taking money and ... victimizing the people in there."

Jason Nixon, Alberta's minister for community, seniors and social services, said that police must check encampments before social workers can go in.

"We have a responsibility to our workers," Nixon told media on Thursday in Edmonton while announcing a review panel of the province's seniors lodge program. "Certainly, they’re not going to be the first point of contact into areas with weapons like we’ve seen, and some of the violent circumstances that we’re hearing about." 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Craig Ellingson