Saskatchewan

Homelessness volunteer says Regina police chief's comments on city hall encampment concerning

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray called the encampment outside city hall more of a protest than an encampment and a way to exploit people experiencing homelessness.

Chief Evan Bray called tent encampment a protest, said it exploits people experiencing homelessness

Tents and people serving food outside of Regina City Hall.
A tent encampment outside of Regina city hall is growing. (Alexander Quon/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."

Chief Evan Bray
Regina Police Service (RPS) Chief Evan Bray commented on the tent encampment outside of Regina City Hall on Thursday at the unveiling of the new RPS headquarters. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

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."

Woman sitting down with two signs. The top sign says help the homeless. The bottom sign says one paycheck from being homeless. She is sitting outside of Regina City Hall. People are cooking in the background,
Marjorie Ford poses with a sign she made while at city hall on June 16. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

Advocate troubled by Bray's comments

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."

Woman standing in a park
Alysia Johnson is a volunteer with Rally Around Homelessness in Regina. She said she was disheartened by Bray's comments. (Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC)

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.

"We are already in a crisis but we are heading into very dangerous territory if someone doesn't intervene."

Hundreds of people lining up for free meals at Pepsi Park in Downtown Regina on Thursday night.
Hundreds of people lined up for free meals at Pepsi Park in Downtown Regina on June 16. The park used to be home to a tent encampment called Camp Hope. (Alexander Quon/CBC)

She said city hall was chosen for the encampment because bylaw enforcement officers can't evict them from that spot.

"It's also an opportunity to confront it head on, be real about the seriousness and gravity of the [homelessness crisis]," Johnson said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Will McLernon is an online journalist with CBC Saskatchewan. If you have a tip or a story idea, send him an email at [email protected]

With files from Laura Sciarpelletti