City cancels special council meeting on homeless encampment

Regina’s city councillors will not be meeting Thursday after all to discuss the fate of the homeless encampment in front of City Hall.

In a media release, the city said the special council meeting had been cancelled “due to lack of quorum.” It’s unclear if the meeting was being rescheduled.

Regina Fire and Protective Services put out a fire in a tent at the homeless encampment at Regina City Hall on July 27, 2023. (Nicholas Iatropoulos/980 CJME)

Mayor Sandra Masters, city manager Niki Anderson and Fire Chief Layne Jackson are to hold a media conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the cancellation of the meeting and to provide details about a reported fire in a tent at the encampment early Thursday morning.

The city announced the special meeting Wednesday, saying councillors would be considering a report on the tent city that has been in the courtyard in front of City Hall since June.

The agenda for the meeting said city council would be asked to provide direction on “how to address the encampment in the short-term, given the challenges associated with the encampment continue to evolve.”

According to the agenda, council has a choice to make about the encampment’s future.

“The direction sought by Administration would, from the broadest point of view, fall into one of two categories: Either maintain the status quo through summer and fall or take additional/alternative actions specifically intended to expedite decommissioning of the camp,” the agenda said.

“The option to provide Administration with more specific direction related to either of those broad categories lies within Council’s discretion.”

The report said the city has paid $55,000 to date to cover the costs of additional security, service delivery and maintenance and repair. The report said the cost to the city is projected to be about $40,000 to $70,000 per month for as long as the encampment continues.

The encampment sprang up in June to raise awareness about homelessness in the city. The report said that as of Tuesday, there were 83 tents on the grounds of City Hall with a point-in-time head count of 28 people at the site.

The report also said 20 overdoses had been reported at the camp to date. One of them was fatal.

More to come.