Saskatoon Fire Department wants people to report encampments

Saskatoon residents are asked to report encampments and people living in them to help connect them with safe supports, says the Saskatoon Fire Department.

“Encampments exist in every Saskatoon neighbourhood and we don’t always know about every single one,” says Deputy Chief Yvonne Raymer.

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“Reporting encampments through the City’s 24-hour Customer Care Centre helps us connect individuals living in unsafe conditions with supports. While we may not be able to respond immediately, we are doing everything we can to make sure people have a safe and warm place to stay.”

The fire department noted there are two overnight drop-in facilities where people can get food, warm up and be connected to other supports.

“We don’t want people living in unsafe conditions,” Raymer says.

“As the weather gets colder, we see risky heating sources become more common in encampments: that’s why the Fire Department is involved. Just in the past two months, we have seen 90 encampment fires and some came very close to being fatal.”

After the fire department consulted with other municipalities that allowed “large tent cities,” it learned this approach is “unsafe for those residents and surrounding neighbours, especially during winter when more fires are commonly used for warmth,” according to its statement.

Municipalities have reported significant risks associated with centralized encampments, including:

• Fires, explosions, and injuries to camp residents and emergency workers;
• Disease outbreaks;
• Rodent infestations and bites;
• Soil contamination from human waste and chemicals;
• Gang activity and unsafe drug use;
• Human trafficking;
• Physical assaults and social disorder;
• Theft and vandalism in nearby neighbourhoods;
• Feelings of insecurity for camp residents and broader community; and
• Emergency workers requiring police due to safety threats.

“Managing sanctioned encampments can cost municipalities millions of dollars. Once a municipality sanctions an encampment area, it becomes responsible for servicing the space and providing resources such as water, toilets, power and clean-up, in addition to emergency services including police and firefighters,” noted the fire department.

The fire department noted its current encampment response process works with community partners to engage with individuals in encampments and offer connections to health-related supports, transportation, and temporary housing options with the goal of transitioning to stable and longer-term housing.

“The city will be working to develop an updated Encampment Response Plan to address the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness,” Raymer says.

“It will be co-ordinated among the many different organizations currently involved in encampment responses, including the Fire Department, other departments in the City, the Saskatoon Police Service, the Province, and community partners.”

If residents see someone in unsafe outdoor living conditions, please do not approach the encampment. Report the information to the City’s 24-hour Customer Care Centre at 306-975-2476 to have your report added to the queue. Current response times for the encampment team are approximately one week and are prioritized according to levels of risks, noted the fire department.

The fire department currently has six inspectors devoted to clearing encampments. Demand for this work has continued to increase over the last four years.

According to the fire department’s consultations about costs accrued by municipalities for encampment management, removal and clean-up, it learned that Halifax spent $1 million on Victoria Park encampment cleanup, $771,000 on fencing, $172,680 on site remediation and $300,000 on garbage cleanup across designated and non-designated areas in 2024.

The consultation also revealed that Edmonton spent an estimated $2.1 million to operate a city-sanctioned encampment for 60 people over three months – including social supports and 24/7 security in 2022.