Saskatoon·NewAs temperatures plunge in Saskatoon, the city is asking people to report homeless encampments, citing safety concerns. But advocates say removing tents without enough spaces in shelters will leave people at risk of freezing to death. Advocates warn people could die if they can’t access spaces in sheltersAishwarya Dudha · CBC News · Posted: Dec 03, 2025 7:19 PM EST | Last Updated: 11 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Saskatoon fire department deputy chief Yvonne Raymer says tent encampments are dangerous and people should report any they see, so they can be shut down. (Aishwarya Dudha/CBC News)As temperatures plunge in Saskatoon, the city is asking people to report homeless encampments, citing safety concerns.But advocates say removing tents when shelters don’t have enough spaces will leave people at risk of freezing to death. At a news conference on Wednesday, fire department staff said there have been 90 encampment-related fires in the last two months. Deputy Chief Yvonne Raymer said inspectors are seeing more tents with makeshift heating sources — including propane heaters, butane torches and barbeques — as temperatures drop.“The risks of the number of encampments that continue to go up, the risk of fire is more imminent than ever. And we had two injuries recently. Luckily we have not had a fatality, but this is definitely something we want to prevent,” Raymer said. The fire department is aware of nearly 100 encampments and expects it will take five to six days to inspect and remove them, she said, adding that people who are removed from the tents will be offered transportation to shelters, warm-up centres or hotels if space is available.The fire department says there have been 90 encampment fires in the last two months and places like this are also breeding grounds for diseases, violence, overdoses and human trafficking. (City of Saskatoon)Not enough spaceAdvocates and community members rallied in frigid conditions outside city hall, demanding immediate shelter for people living outdoors.“I hate to say this, but I hope they have enough body bags and I hope that they can find out who can be held accountable for all these deaths,” said David Fineday, who has been supporting people experiencing homelessness.According to the city, Saskatoon’s two warm-up centres — at St. Mary’s Parish and the former downtown bus depot — have roughly 300 combined spaces, but no beds.Advocates say the three ‘enhanced emergency shelters’ are almost always full and have longer intake processes.The latest point-in-time homelessness count, conducted Oct. 16 by the city and the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership, recorded 1,931 people.Fineday said trying to “move” people into full shelters will only push them into more dangerous situations.“That is stupid. They’re displacing those people,” he said. “All these people, why are they out there on the street? Because they can’t afford that.”Jessica Laplante, who was also at the rally, said removing the encampments could put a lot of people in precarious situations.“With all the beds filled at the shelters? People are trying to find shelters in the ditches. How inhumane is this … in the frickin’ ditches?” she said.“They are not all drug addicts out there. There are elderly people out there, there are people that have lost their houses.” Agencies stretched thinUnited Way Saskatoon funds more than 20 community organizations that help people experiencing homelessness. Gary Beaudin, director of community impact and strategic partnerships for the charity, said long-term solutions are necessary. “We need to focus on prevention, otherwise we’ll be dealing with twice the enormity of this issue in 5-10 years,” he said.Prevention means improving graduation rates and employment opportunities for Indigenous people, expanding mental-health supports, and increasing access to affordable housing, Beaudin said.“This is going to keep growing unless the root causes are addressed.”ABOUT THE AUTHORAishwarya Dudha is a reporter for CBC Saskatchewan based in Saskatoon. She specializes in immigration, justice and cultural issues and elevating voices of vulnerable people. She has previously worked for CBC News Network and Global News. You can email her at aishwarya.dudha@cbc.ca
Saskatoon asks people to report homeless encampments, citing safety concerns
