City of Saskatoon cancels in-person count of unsheltered people over safety concerns
The point-in-time count was scheduled for Tuesday, and about 250 volunteers had been trained.
Concerns are 'related to protest activity,' city says
Halyna Mihalik · CBC News
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The City of Saskatoon says it won't fully conduct its in-person point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness this year.
The count was supposed to happen Tuesday, with about 250 trained volunteers attempting to quantify the number of people in the city who don't have homes.
In a Friday news release, the city said the decision to cancel the in-person count was made due to "safety concerns related to potential protest activity which may affect the safety of volunteers, staff and community partners participating in the count."
The city said safety concerns have been heightened in recent weeks.
The fire department had warned that it planned to remove a west-side encampment occupied by more than 100 people, but the removal was paused after protests from those living there and the people who support them.
“If they want to say that, it’s like a kick in the head,” said David Fineday, an advocate who lives in the encampment.
“It’s giving these people a negative message … It’s not a protest, we’re not marching anywhere, we’re standing up here for our rights.”
Advocates filed an application for a court injunction to stop the fire department from removing part of the encampment, but that was rejected by a judge.
“The safety of volunteers, community partners, staff and people experiencing homelessness must come first,” Lesley Anderson, the city's director of planning and development, said in Friday's news release.
“We are grateful to everyone who was prepared to take part in this year’s Point-in-Time Count. Their continued commitment helps Saskatoon better understand homelessness and advocate for the coordinated supports our community needs.”
The release said the city will work with the fire department to estimate the number of people living in Saskatoon's various encampments and will also count the number of people staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing and other systems.
“Why are they studying us?” Fineday asked. “Maybe instead of doing a PiT count and spending a quarter of Saskatoon’s budget on the police, maybe they should spend that much on affordable housing.”
The primary limitation to the change of plan is that the 2026 count will not include information collected directly from unsheltered people.
The city's release said a more comprehensive version of the point-in-time count, including a full enumeration and survey, is already planned for 2027.
The 2025 count identified 1,931 homeless people in Saskatoon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Halyna Mihalik is a journalist and weather specialist for CBC Saskatchewan. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Regina. Halyna enjoys stories about advocacy, local politics and rural communities. Send Halyna news tips at halyna.mihalik@cbc.ca
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