City Statements

With the coordinated support of several community-based, Indigenous and provincial government organizations, the process of removing an encampment on private property at 20th Street and Avenue K South began this morning.

“Encampments are removed because they begin to become unsafe for both the residents living in them and the schools, services, businesses and neighbourhoods around them,” says Deputy Fire Chief Yvonne Raymer.

“Every agency involved in this has the same goal: to ensure people are safe and that they are living in a safe environment,” Raymer says. “We connect people to housing, shelter, health services and other supports as part of addressing the serious safety concerns at the encampment site.”

The partner agencies acknowledge this action is an emotional and complex issue and are determined to approach it with respect and compassion.

Our community has heard a lot of talk in the news and social media that encampments or “Tent Cities” are a reasonable solution to the shelter and housing crisis Saskatoon faces. A few seconds of video on a digital platform often does not tell the full story though.

Encampment sites can present significant fire, sanitation and public safety risks. Safety concerns increase as encampments grow. These concerns are clear and present at encampments and the risk is the same for 20th Street and Avenue K South.

“Since midnight October 5, we’ve been called to four fires at encampments,” Raymer says. “One destroyed a tent and spread to nearby trees in Optimist Park, another, just six hours later, spread to brush and trees in the same park and another in the backyard of a vacant property destroyed a makeshift shelter and damaged a fence and just last night one got out of control in a park off Idylwyld Drive.”

Other activities observed and documented at and very near the site include: possible gang activity, suspected domestic violence, assaults and open drug use.

Encampments where people are living outdoors without access to basic amenities and services are not a long-term housing solution, especially as the weather grows colder and potentially fatal. The City has an important role to play, but lasting solutions require coordinated action among governments, Indigenous organizations, housing providers and community agencies.

Tribal Chief Mark Arcand of the Saskatoon Tribal Council says encampments are too dangerous and he does not support them.

“At the Avenue K site, there’s too much violence and gang activity, including drugs and sex trafficking happening there, and it is spilling out onto our other programs.

“We offer supports at our outdoor washroom project just a block away; we have supportive housing just across the street and we have the Sawēyihtotān outreach program. Some relatives in the encampment had been seeking supports, but in the last few weeks, we have seen an escalation of violence throughout that neighbourhood and seen that relatives who had been interested in supports are now refusing them.

“The real solution is for people to access the supports they need, to get housing, addiction treatment, medical care, and connection to culture, in a safe environment. This won’t happen as long as they are at an encampment. Instead, the most vulnerable relatives will continue to be at risk from the activities occurring there and their cycle will continue.”

The Saskatoon Police Service stresses safety for everyone is top of mind.

“Our Service is committed to working with our partners to ensure we maintain peace and prevent violence,” says Saskatoon Police Chief Cameron McBride. “Officers are tasked with ensuring we assist in an orderly and peaceful transition for residents from the encampment.”

Partner agency supports are available: Before any site response, efforts are made to connect individuals with shelter, housing, transportation and other services.

Today, there are community organizations able to provide social service and sheltering opportunities for anyone at the encampment who wants them and transportation to connect people to these important supports. These organizations include: The Saskatoon Tribal Council - Sawēyihtotān, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), Salvation Army caseworkers and the Ministry of Social Services income assistance and housing case workers.

Ministry of Social Services staff will continue to connect with individuals to provide income supports and emergency shelter options. This includes referrals to available shelter spaces, friends and family, detox services or hotels if available shelter spaces did not meet their needs. They will also help make connections with other human service providers and community-based organizations providing services such as mental health and addictions and medical supports.

“We are concerned for the health and safety of everyone living in the encampment, particularly as winter approaches,” says CUMFI President Shirley Isbister.

“While the closure of an encampment is never the complete solution, I’m hopeful that this is an important step in connecting people to housing and supports.

“CUMFI is ready to assist through housing navigation, cultural supports and connections to services that can help them move toward greater stability. We want people to know there are supports available, and they do not have to navigate these challenges alone.”

To reiterate, removing an encampment alone does not solve homelessness. That's why the community response includes outreach, supports and ongoing collaboration with community partners.

While we recognize the challenges people face, we also have an obligation to address significant wider community safety risks and work toward safer, more sustainable alternatives.

The City of Saskatoon acknowledges today's decision by the Court of King's Bench and appreciates the Court's consideration of this matter. 

The City's approach to the encampment has consistently focused on connecting individuals with available supports and services while addressing significant health and safety concerns for people staying at the site, the nearby school, neighbouring residents, businesses and the broader community.

The City remains committed to working with community partners to support vulnerable individuals and to uphold its responsibility to maintain safe public spaces. 

We will continue to follow established encampment response processes and work closely with partner agencies to ensure supports remain available for those who need them.

2:00 p.m. - Updated Statement

The clean-up and fencing activity for the encampment at 20th Street and Avenue K has been paused.

The level of aggressive protest from community advocacy groups has made any work at the site unsafe.

Fire and partner agency workers report most of the protest activity does not involve homeless occupants.

Crews had been prepared to clean up two vacant lots on 19th Street and Avenue K however, protesters encircled contractor vehicles, going so far as to climb on top of the fencing stacked on one of them.

Saskatoon Fire Department, police officers and other partner agency staff were confronted by aggressive protesters directing profane, derogatory and vulgar comments at them.

As a sign of good faith, the Saskatoon Fire Department was opting to forgo a clean-up of 301 Avenue K South as that address is the subject of a court application that will be heard next week.

We know this is frustrating for many in our community, notably the St. Mary’s school families and staff who have been asking for officials to take action for the past year.

City and partner agencies are planning next steps

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9:15 a.m. - Statement

We know you have heard or seen some news stories or social posts about how the City has dealt with an encampment at 20th Street West and Avenue K South.

Some suggest that people be allowed to live in small communities of tents to address the lack of adequate housing.

At face value, that might seem like a reasonable response, but it has many risks and dangers, which is why the City takes a different approach by removing encampments from private or public property under the Property Maintenance Bylaw.

The City’s encampment response prioritizes outreach and connecting people with available supports and services such as access to shelter, housing, food providers, transportation and medical care.

Each response follows four phases, with outreach offered throughout the process.

Individuals are then granted some time to gather their belongings and vacate the encampment. Anything left behind is removed by City staff or contractors.

However, in light of a recent King’s Bench court filing, the lot at 301 Avenue K south will not be cleaned up. Two other adjacent lots will be cleaned.

Here are the facts:

The situation at Avenue K and 20th Street has resulted in escalating safety concerns each day. The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) has received a high volume of calls, emails and concerns from residents, nearby businesses in addition to the parents and staff of St. Mary’s school, two blocks away.

The Salvation Army has been on scene since August 5, twice a week to connect people living at this site with housing, transportation, outreach and other supports. Many have accepted support.

The City relies on Saskatoon’s Property Maintenance Bylaw because it enforces safe and adequate housing.

Encampments do not meet this standard because:

• There is no access to utilities – water, sewer, heat or electricity
• There is nowhere to remove yourself from the elements

Encampments that remain in place may grow over time and increase risks such as:

• Accumulated human waste, garbage and discarded needles
• Rainwater causing contaminated waste to pool
• Attraction of pests and rodents
• Unattended or uncontrolled fires
• Increased drug use and overdose-related calls
• Reported gang activity
• Reported concerns about human exploitation or trafficking

There are growing concerns for public health as fire inspectors have observed human waste and rotting food which have attracted insects and rodents.

The City’s goal is to always support the safety and well-being of people staying at the site, but also support the safety and well-being of neighbouring residents and businesses, St. Mary’s School students and staff as well as the broader community.

Here is the background to today’s action:

On September 10, 2026, a Notice to Remedy (under the Bylaw) was issued for the Avenue K parking lot.

By September 15, the SFD reported encampments at the parking lot had grown, with additional encampments on three nearby vacant lots.

In recent weeks, The Salvation Army has noted that some people who had previously accepted support, participated in case management or used Mobile Outreach services are now declining assistance. Some individuals have told outreach workers they plan to remain at the encampment now because they believe support will be available there at the vacant lots. As a result, planning for winter supports and connections to services has stalled.

On September 21, the SFD attended the site to assess the number of structures and identify what support may be needed. At the time there were 51 structures.

The Salvation Army returned to the site on September 22 and spent four hours offering supports. SFD also served notice that a cleanup would take place and offered help to connect people with services. No one accepted supports during that visit.

SFD returned to the site on the morning of September 23 to again offer support and help people access available services.

The Ministry of Social Services was also scheduled to attend the site at 11:00 a.m. on September 23, alongside Mobile Outreach, SFD and the Saskatoon Police Service. The group was forced to leave because they were confronted by some people at the encampment who were acting aggressively, using profanity and capturing video.

SFD staff also noted community advocates appeared to outnumber the individuals who were staying in the encampment.

Following the City Council approved processes, a cleanup is scheduled for September 24. Contractors have been arranged, and fencing will be installed to help prevent future use of the site.

In response to recent media activity, the City wants to provide additional background on Modern Erratics, a public art project installed at the end of June at the Material Recovery Centre, Diefenbaker Park and Forestry Farm Park.

Modern Erratics includes three permanent public artworks inspired by glacial erratics found across Saskatchewan. Created by artist duo Sans façon, the sculptures use discarded plastics and recycled materials connected to their locations, including decommissioned carts, bottle caps and agricultural grain bags. Modern Erratics was commissioned as the public art component of the Material Recovery Centre capital project through the City’s Public Art Policy, under the Civic Capital Project Public Art funding stream. This stream supports site-specific public art integrated into designated civic capital projects.

Under the policy, designated civic capital projects with a City contribution of $5 million or more “will integrate a public art or artistic design element.” The cost of the art or design element is to be up to one per cent of the total capital project budget, to a maximum of $500,000. City Council approves capital projects to which the one percent for public art contribution will apply.

In June 2021, City Council approved the Material Recovery Centre capital project budget adjustment to $37.5 million: Recovery Park Project Capital Budget Adjustment. At this same meeting, $310,000 of the project budget was allocated for public art to be integrated into the facility. The Material Recovery Centre project was funded through a combination of some borrowing and operating contributions, reserves and funding from the federal-provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) as follows:

In April 2022, a change to the public art project scope associated with the Material Recovery Centre was approved. The scope changed from one artwork focused on environmental sustainability to three smaller works: Recovery Park Public Art Scope Change The intent was to create public artwork that would reflect the role of the Material Recovery Centre, incorporate reused or recycled materials, and provide a clear visual and thematic connection to waste reduction and environmental sustainability.

The Modern Erratics project cost was $297,490, which represents approximately 0.79 per cent of the approved capital project budget.

The artists were selected through a competitive, juried process supported by the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee.

More information about the artworks, materials and locations is available in the City’s news release, website and City Stories article:

• News Release (issued June 22, 2026): Modern Erratics sculptures transform discarded plastic into public art
• Public Art Webpage – saskatoon.ca/publicart
• City Stories Article: Public art meets sustainability: Modern Erratics arrive in Saskatoon

The City of Saskatoon would like to provide clarity and reassurance regarding Federal funding for the Link Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program.

All current Federal funding for the project remains fully in place. This includes the City’s funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). There have been no changes to the ICIP program, and work related to platform construction and the bus procurement process is proceeding as planned.

Funding through the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) also remains secure. While the Federal government has announced a national reduction to the CPTF from $30 billion to $25 billion over ten years, this change does not affect Saskatoon’s allocation. The City will continue to receive $3.35 million per year for the next 10 years, and this funding will be fully honoured.

As a result, there are no financial impacts to the City’s BRT plans, and the confirmed funding will ensure the project continues.

All ICIP and CPTF commitments remain intact, and the City will continue moving forward with the Link BRT program as approved.