‘Positive thinking’ for those dealing with cold weather at Camp Marjorie

People staying in Regina’s homeless camp in Pepsi Park are just trying to stay warm.

The temperature has been flirting around the -10 C mark through the last few nights, which has made donations like blankets and jackets crucial for people calling Camp Marjorie home.

Gavin Siggelkow is a homeless advocate who has been staying at the camp since its creation in mid-October.

He says spirits are high and people are strong despite the cold weather.

“I’ve got positive thinking,” Siggelkow said. “We’re moving inside soon. There’s going to be something going on. There’s going to be a building designated by the city, so we’re not going to be here much longer.”

Frost on top of the tents has not only made the desire for warm clothes greater, it also made the need for tarps more important.

Siggelkow says frost buildup on top of the tents has been turning into moisture by the morning when the sun comes out, causing people to get wet.

Blankets have been a casualty of the cold weather as a wet blanket does nothing to keep someone warm.

“We’re trying to keep these guys warm all night,” volunteer Norm Krueger said. “If you don’t have a tarp, it’s going right through your mesh and you’re waking up wet. We have to come up with new blankets because you can’t sit there in a wet blanket.

“This is a little community but we are always running out of material.”

Krueger says that volunteering at the camp has been an “eye-opener” and that everyone has been doing as much as they can to support one another.

An agency that serves those living in the camp expects the encampment will be able to move indoors within a week, which is welcome news for people as the weather gets cooler.

Regina city council has also been hoping to have residents of Camp Marjorie in a warmer site soon. Mayor Sandra Masters has said council has narrowed down its search of a new site to a final few choices.

Over the span of just a few short weeks the number of people staying in the encampment has grown exponentially from a few dozen to more than 150.

“I think we are at around 75 tents,” Siggelkow said. “Different crowds of people are here at different times. The real number of people that use this camp is substantially higher than the 150 that are here at any given time.”