Sarah Mills: There are always things for which we should be grateful
Sarah Mills says that even in tough times, we all have things we should be grateful for over the Thanksgiving weekend.
One day after the City of Saskatoon had the encampment at Avenue K and 20th Street cleared, the property remains fenced. However, some tents remain nearby.
Some people who were in the encampment haven’t moved too far away, setting up camp on the curbs along Avenue K.
Piles of people’s belongings stretch down the street on the grassy curbs and signs have been put up on telephone poles, saying things like “Resistance is not violence! The problem doesn’t change when you keep slashing tents.”
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One day after the encampment on Ave K & 20th St was cleared by the city, the space is still empty but tents and people’s belongings remain on Avenue K, some in people’s front yards. @CKOMNews https://t.co/7QDY4u2bvU
— Libby Gray (@libby_gray9) October 9, 2026
Michael Isaac said he was surprised when carts, tents and piles of things showed up on his lawn.
On Thursday, he saw the trucks and the area sealed off when the city was clearing the encampment. It wasn’t until after the encampment was cleared that the things showed up in his front yard.
He said he doesn’t want the stuff in his yard, but hasn’t talked to the people in the yard yet about moving. While he’d prefer the stuff wasn’t there, he isn’t overly bothered by the situation.
Outside the encampment across the street from Station 20 West, along Avenue K, tents and belongings take up most of the curb space on Oct. 9, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)
Janelle Henry had concerns about the encampment, which her home backed on to. She reported finding needles around her property.
In recent days, Henry said her concerns had grown, witnessing several more fires set around her home as a result of the encampment.
“It was just getting scary because it’s so close to the house here,” Henry said, holding her one-year-old son.
However, aside from some commotion outside her home at night, Henry said she hadn’t been otherwise displeased by people in the encampment.
“It’s not like they were super loud and everything, but just occasionally, it’d just be people yelling in the yelling around over there, or like just having little arguments.”
Henry shared her surprise when they noticed the police in the field on Thursday begin to start clearing the encampment. She said she didn’t expect to see action taken so soon, especially with news of a second injunction set to come before the courts about the tent city.
“They never really bothered us,” she said. “They didn’t really do anything, so not like a huge difference (now that the encampment is gone).”
She feels sadness for the people who had to find a new place to stay.
“I hope something gets done for them, though, because it’s sad. It’s a sad situation,” Henry shared, acknowledging the situation is a complex one to remedy.
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