Homelessness volunteer says Regina police chief's comments on city hall encampment concerning
CBC
A Regina homelessness advocate says the police chief's comments condemning a tent encampment outside city hall are concerning.
The encampment emerged after police and bylaw officials shut down a gathering in Pepsi Park providing free meals to mark the one-year anniversary of "the city's failed promise to end homelessness."
Organizers and attendees at Pepsi Park packed up all the supplies and moved to Regina city hall. The encampment has continued to grow since.
Police Chief Evan Bray spoke about it Thursday at the unveiling of the new Regina Police Service (RPS) headquarters. He called it more of a protest than an encampment.
Bray said he feels people are using it, "to exploit homeless people," and "using this as a grandstand to stick it to the government, to stick it to city hall."
"To me this is not about trying to do what's necessarily best for the homeless people, the people who need the help."
Bray said the RPS remains committed to helping people experiencing homelessness. He said many people at the encampment don't have pure intentions.
"There are people out there that go home to their beds at the end of the night that are using people in their most dire times to make political points," Bray said. "There are people even doing a speaking circuit now, talking about the work that they've done.
"It becomes very self-serving and that very much frustrates me."
Alysia Johnson, a volunteer with Rally Around Homelessness in Regina, said the police chief's comments were disheartening.
"Lots of us aren't sitting atop of this in a place of privilege where everything is about politics and messaging is everything," Johnson said. "We are people who fundamentally are driven to take care of neighbours and take care of each other."
Johnson said Bray's words hurt people that are doing their best to support the city's most vulnerable population. She said many have experienced homelessness themselves — including her.
"It's just a shame to throw helpers under the bus, who have already endured so much trauma and been through so much," Johnson said.
Johnson said the homelessness crisis in Regina is getting worse. She attended the gathering in Pepsi Park and said hundreds of meals were served.
After walking a few laps around the shop, Maria Castagna picks up a glass ornament in the form of a pink, sparkly ice cream cone and smiles widely.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he has much unfinished work from his first term in office, as he prepares to make his pitch to voters ahead of the 2026 election.
Moving to Canada from Singapore meant losing close social connections for Iris Akbar, but Akbar says the gift was in finding an affirming space with friends that became like family.
Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children.
A man from Powell River, B.C., is thankful to be alive after a stranger helped him while he was choking at a restaurant during a visit to Whistler.
When it comes to Hamilton readers' favourite library books of 2025, romance and mysteries are in close competition.
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.