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Writer's pictureCanada Confesses
Dec 12, 20246 min read

Canadian Cities: Pushing Homelessness Out of Sight, Out of Mind

An analysis of an article by CTV, Canada’s largest news network, titled “'Elaborate Encampment' with Solar Panels and Mini-Power Grid Dismantled by Edmonton Police” discusses a few interesting perspectives (CTV News Edmonton, 2024). The article details the surprise of the Edmonton Police upon discovering the level of amenities in a homeless encampment they had previously dismantled in October 2024. The encampment is described as a multi-level living space surrounded by a fence, featuring stone floors, stoves, a fridge, and washing machine, hooked up with electrical and water utilities from nearby solar panels and a makeshift dam (CTV News Edmonton, 2024). According to a quote from the article: “Police say the people living inside the encampment were offered services and support but they refused.” (CTV News Edmonton, 2024). Considering the tone of this statement within its context, it portrays the Edmonton Police, the very group responsible for dismantling the highly sophisticated, albeit amateur, shelter, as the charitable hand. Meanwhile, the individuals who had been living independently within that shelter, are depicted as uncooperative for having refused amenities that they previously achieved on their own before its seizure.

If that was not already outrageous, the very next sentence reads: “The encampment caused “significant environmental damage” to the trees and roots.” Here, it appears that the article deems the condition of nearby plants more notable than obtaining a single anecdote from the late-encampments residents, a perspective that was decidedly absent from the article (CTV News Edmonton, 2024).



An image of the encampment interior captured by the Edmonton Police Service in October 2024, shared on X (CTV News Edmonton, 2024)

While this CTV article does not necessarily represent the whole of Canadian journalism and public opinion, it is exemplary of the general attitude of superiority and dismissal in regards to homelessness in Canada. While it is unsurprising when a suburban home has a washing machine and stove top, the discovery that a homeless population has access to those same appliances under the radar is somehow worthy of national news. When encampments are dismantled, and the people within evicted without any designated place for them to go, the common justification is that “officials evaluate[d] whether it poses a safety risk, including for fires” (Global News, 2024). Imagine, for instance, that everytime there is a residential evacuation due to a fire risk, the evacuation officials demolish the evacuee’s houses. Would that be a proportionate and justified countermeasure?

Using a performative display of “concern” for encampment residents’ safety as a means to evict them, rather than fortifying their constructions with safety measures, or creating designated encampment permits with regulated utilities, reveals that there is no real intention of protection or care for these people. It is interesting that urban resources are lacking when it comes to building more housing and shelters, but plentiful when unproductively evicting people from encampment to encampment, of which the City of Montreal has done 110 times between just January and March of 2024 (Global News, 2024).



Montreal police and firefighters moving people's belongings out of the Notre-Dame Street encampment in September 2020, captured by Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada (CBC News, 2020)

The repetitive disenfranchisement of makeshift shelters makes it so that there is no option for independent stability for people without a home. This begets an understated conundrum, as those experiencing homelessness must deal with the public image of irresponsibility, unkemptness, and being labeled as “free-loaders,” who rely on tax-funded hand-outs, all while also being prohibited from developing possible means of self-sufficiency on their own. The comforts of running water, electricity, and hot meals are treated as privileges, granted only to those who humble, and submit themselves to the social support systems. Although living in an encampment can be a dangerous and unforgiving lifestyle, an estimated 20-25% of Canadians experiencing homelessness choose the autonomy of an encampment, where they can control their surroundings, as opposed to a designated bed in a shelter (World Socialist Web Site, 2024). Additionally, many shelters are selective about who can access their services, leaving ineligible people, such as those who suffer with addiction problems, to find other means of shelter.

Despite the federal government’s declaration of housing as a basic right in the 2019 National Housing Strategy Act (NHSA), the growing number of encampments across the country alongside the sky-rocketing price of rent and home-ownership makes it clear that the current options afforded to people are inadequate  (World Socialist Web Site, 2024). In effect, dismantling encampments only serves to make the growing problem of inaccessible housing less visible to those who wish to ignore it. The “not in my backyard” sentiment among Canadian citizens further hinders housing and social service developments, which could help leverage people away from living on the streets, and instead promotes political agendas that prioritize the preservation of class hierarchy and privilege (CBC, 2021).



"Not In My Backyard" image captured by Cole Burston/Toronto Star (8).

However, there is good news as cities across Canada implement new initiatives to tackle this ever-growing crisis. Notably, the City of Halifax created designated encampment zones with access to toilet facilities, potable water, and harm reduction supplies (Global News, 2024). The City of Toronto has also made some efforts to decrease encampment evictions by taking a more “people-first” approach, focusing on prioritizing the needs of individuals in an effort to provide them with the support and stability required to improve their lives, rather than focusing on eviction, or removal from public spaces (Global News, 2024). Organizations such as the Federal Housing Advocate, a division of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, emphasized the importance of ceasing forced encampment evictions on public land in their 2024 Final Report, in an effort to protect the dignity, rights, and safety of people experiencing homelessness (Federal Housing Advocate, 2024).

Granted, establishing secure encampments, which do little to protect inhabitants from harsh weather and violence, is an intermediary goal. Ultimately, the “Housing First Approach,” which centers providing people with permanent, stable housing, and additional psychosocial care, has been shown in published research to be the way forward for addressing homelessness (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2023). A study on chronic homelessness done in Canada by Baxter et al. found that a “Housing First Approach” increased the proportion of people achieving stable housing by 73% (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2023). Other findings compiled from multiple studies found that “Housing First” programs reduced the use of hard drugs, improved the health of people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduced the cost of emergency medical services (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2023). 


Conclusively, in lieu of the escalating housing crisis, decisive action is needed to ensure every Canadian is delivered the promise of rights, freedom, and dignity. Canadian citizens can help by supporting local movements such as “Yes In My Backyard,” and “Vote Housing”, as well as being vocal about encampment evictions and stigmatization against people experiencing homelessness. To become more involved for the advocacy of people experiencing homelessness, check out the following organizations: 

  • Shelter Net BC Society: An advocacy charity in Vancouver, BC 

  • Homeless Connect Toronto: An advocacy charity in Scarborough, ON 

  • Hockey Helps the Homeless: An advocacy charity in Richmond Hill, ON 

  • Homes First Society: A charity that provides support to people experiencing homelessness or mental health issues 

  • Quest Food Exchange: A Vancouver charity that provides surplus food and other goods to people living on a low income 

  • Action-Logement / Action-Housing: A charitable organization that helps people and families access and maintain affordable, secure, and adequate housing 

  • Covenant House Toronto: Canada's largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked, or at risk 

  • CAEH: An organization that provides training and technical assistance to communities and organizations to help end homelessness 

  • Canada's Homelessness Strategy/Reaching Home: is a community-based program that provides funding to help address homelessness across Canada. 


If you or someone you know is currently struggling with homelessness, you can reach out to the following resources:

  • 211: Call 211 or use HelpSeeker to find out what's available near you 

  • The Homeless Hub: The world's largest homelessness research library, with resources, stories, and best practices 

  • Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy: A community-based program that provides funding to help address homelessness 

  • CAEH: Helps communities end chronic and veteran homelessness with training and technical assistance


Author: Maya Matsuki



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