'Where are we gonna go next?': Cycle begins again after latest Regina homeless encampment dismantled

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 17, 2025 6:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

An encampment of astir 30 stateless radical successful Regina's Heritage neighbourhood was forcibly disbanded connected Tuesday, restarting a acquainted rhythm for those who unrecorded connected the streets and the radical who enactment them.

The encampment was successful an empty, privately-owned batch connected 12th Avenue, adjacent to Carmichael Outreach for a fewer months. On Monday evening, residents were informed that they would request to dismantle the encampment.

Some radical surviving astatine the abstraction began packing up immediately. Others waited until police, occurrence and bylaw officers arrived conscionable aft noon CST connected Tuesday. 

"Where are we gonna spell next?" asked Denise Ryder, a nonmigratory of the encampment. "They should bash their occupation and assistance america [by] uncovering a place."

Some supporters and assemblage organizers lent a manus arsenic residents took down tents and lean-tos. Others stood by to observe and show arsenic officials talked with residents astir their adjacent steps.

For many, it's the latest lawsuit of a acquainted signifier that has played retired repeatedly successful Regina implicit the past fewer years.

Encampments outpouring up and exist for a fewer weeks oregon months, lone to beryllium taken down astatine the absorption of spot owners oregon the City of Regina. Many of the residents scatter successful the contiguous aftermath, lone to relocate to a caller determination erstwhile different bare batch is found. Then the signifier begins each implicit again.

"There's nary solutions enactment successful spot for folks to go. So they find places wherever they consciousness safe," said Tiro Mthembu, a assemblage organizer.

"If not here, where? Where should they go?"

Since 2015, the fig of stateless radical successful Regina has jumped by 255 per cent, according to the astir caller point-in-time count. The fig of stateless radical climbed to 824 arsenic of December of past twelvemonth from 232 successful a erstwhile count.

Florence Stratton, an advocator for the homeless, said nary 1 is taking work oregon enactment successful effect to the escalating crisis.

"We're present to basal successful solidarity, to witnesser what goes connected contiguous and past to outcry adjacent louder, 'Housing, housing, housing. People request housing,'" she said. "That's what they need. They don't request to beryllium thrown retired of encampments."

Regina's caller permanent emergency structure is acceptable to unfastened successful July. However, it won't mean an summation successful the fig of structure beds disposable successful the city.

The city's lease for its existing structure astatine The Nest is acceptable to expire astatine the extremity of the month. The caller 50-bed shelter, located astatine the former Eagles Club gathering connected Halifax Street, volition lone regenerate the existing one.

The City of Regina has already secured $3.5 cardinal from the national authorities to assistance offset the outgo of addressing encampments successful Regina.

It's not wide however acold on the metropolis is on its effect plan. The metropolis told CBC it would not beryllium capable to supply answers connected that taxable — including whether it has hired an encampment effect co-ordinator — until Wednesday.