GNWT sets out what will happen next with encampment about to close

A tent encampment in downtown Yellowknife must be dismantled by Tuesday and territorial officials say they have no intention of re-establishing the camp at a new location.

At a public briefing on Friday about homelessness and the encampment, located on 51 Street, John MacDonald – deputy minister for the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs – said all encampment residents had indicated they are able to move to shelters or stay with family members.

“It’s our intention to help them facilitate access to those,” he said.

The GNWT will help people move their belongings to shelters or access funding to reach their home communities if they are not from Yellowknife.

Katie-Sue Derejko, territorial director of integrated service delivery, said they had already accommodated two people living at the encampment who were difficult to house as they had a pet.

MacDonald said in the short term, the NWT government is working with non-government organizations to temporarily expand capacity at existing shelters in the city to meet demand as the weather gets colder.

In the longer term, he said the territory plans to increase supportive, transitional and affordable independent housing options.

“Our goal is not to have encampments. We don’t think they’re a solution, they’re not what we want to see,” he said.

NWT not offering new space for camp

The encampment was first established in an alley between the Breakaway Fitness gym and the Discovery Inn in July.

It moved to a privately owned lot on the corner of 49 Street and 52 Avenue, then settled at its current location the next block over last month.

As of mid-August, the NWT government estimated 17 to 25 people were living at the encampment.

The territory provided portable toilets, a garbage bin, and fencing between the encampment and a back alley, but told residents they would have to vacate the Housing NWT-owned lot by September 10 to allow for renovations to the nearby Aspen Apartments.

Several encampment residents and their supporters issued an open letter to the territorial government earlier this week asking for other locations to use and support moving there.

MacDonald said the NWT government planned to formally respond by the end of Friday. He said while some people may choose to continue camping elsewhere, the territory would not be establishing another camp.

Great Slave MLA Kate Reid has raised concern about what she described as a lack of communication with and support for neighbours of the encampment, who have complained of issues including defecation and drug use.

MacDonald said there was “a difficult balance” between the needs of people in a vulnerable situation and those living near the encampment, and acknowledged there was room for communications to improve. He said nearby residents and landlords had been notified about the territory’s plans to dismantle the camp next week.

“It’s not an ideal situation and I would be the first to admit that we haven’t communicated perfectly,” he said.

“We’re learning in real time … Ideally, if we had to do it again, we would do some things differently.”

‘A lot of lessons learned’

MacDonald said an ad-hoc working group on the encampment, consisting of the NWT government, City of Yellowknife, RCMP and non-government organizations, formed on August 14 and has been meeting weekly.

He said that has helped to build relationships and governments have learned more about the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

MacDonald said given the “complexity” of the issue, he envisions the group will continue, and there is room for the public and businesses to contribute.

“In working with the population we’ve learned a lot, to be frank, and I think a lot of common assumptions that had been made were wrong,” he said.

McDonald said some barriers to shelter use identified during the encampment’s existence include a lack of secure space to store belongings, chaotic environments that can overwhelm people, and policies that shelter users are searched for drugs or alcohol.

He said the territory is working to address those challenges and ensure people have options.

A larger issue

Advocates said in June that Yellowknife’s shelter system is in crisis and facing overcrowding.

According to MacDonald, emergency shelters in the city can currently accommodate 68 people while transitional housing has space for 108 people. He said that leaves 30 to 60 people who remain unsheltered.

“The past few years have provided a perfect storm of circumstances that have contributed to the level of unhoused people we are witnessing today,” Premier RJ Simpson said at the same Friday briefing.

“Covid-19, floods and wildfires have put pressure on a population already experiencing shortages in suitable and affordable housing and increasing drug potency and toxicity.”

The premier said the NWT government is taking a “whole-of-government approach” to addressing homelessness. He pointed to integrated service delivery’s focus on the issue, a service that aims to cut red tape and give people easier access to support.

“This is not a new issue. This is an ongoing issue that people are dealing with. There is no silver bullet for it,” the premier said.