Regina mayor calls special council meeting to address city hall homeless encampment
CBC
Regina city council will hold a rare special council meeting Thursday as it attempts to give direction to city administration on what to do about the homeless encampment outside city hall.
Mayor Sandra Masters called the special meeting while city council is in the middle of a month-long summer break. Under the province's Cities Act, Masters would have had to have a majority of council sign off on the plan.
The news of a special meeting was a shock to at least one person who volunteers at the camp.
Kale MacLellan admitted the city doesn't have an obligation to give the encampment or its volunteers a heads up, but said it would have been appreciated.
"There's tons of residents who are willing to share exactly what they need to be successful in transitioning out of the tents into shelters," she told CBC on Wednesday.
Since being established on June 15, the encampment outside city hall peaked at 83 tents on July 25, according to a report being presented to city council.
The number of residents at the camp fluctuates daily and hourly.
During the past two weeks, the city's count has ranged between 30 and 76 people.
The report also highlights there have been 20 suspected drug overdoses at the camp — one of which was fatal.
A vigil was held earlier this week for the woman who died, Elisa Tuckanow. The 27-year-old was a mother of four, who is being remembered for her love of beading.
Tuckanow was the first person to die at the encampment.
MacLellan said the focus on how many overdoses have occurred at the encampment misses the broader context of issues throughout the city.
"These numbers are not giving us the whole picture," MacLellan said. "We're in the middle of a serious drug toxicity crisis and these overdoses would be happening anywhere."
MacLellan added that volunteers make it known to the residents of the camp that naloxone is available if they want it.
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