The decision to remove a 'tent city' from a wooded area on private land near the Lac La Biche downtown has been halted.
Under the authority of Lac La Biche County council, on Tuesday March 23, municipal peace officers were to dismantle the the latest version an outdoor transient encampment that has been in place since before Christmas. Those plans didn't come to pass, says Lac La Biche County mayor Omer Moghrabi, after the property owners told municipal officials their involvement was not needed.
“They're still up there on private land," the mayor told the POST on Saturday, explaining the land owner halted any plans for the takedown, "and, once he's done that, then we don't have the authority to go on there.”
The camp, made up of cardboard and rough-wood structures, tarp-covered area, as well as firepits and a washroom area, has only a few full-time occupants, with some estimates as low as three people or up to nine. The area does attract significantly more people who are not staying there full-time.
Moghrabi, who spent years as the director of housing at Portage College, says he recognizes that many people forced to be at the camp are vulnerable and are in need of a full range of assistance programming. He says the situation isn't going to get any better until community-wide programs can offer the vulnerable population services to help them move forward.
“One thing we need is wraparound services that address addictions, mental health and homelessness,” Mayor Moghrabi said.
There is currently a community-based committee looking at the need for transitional and temporary housing — as well as services — for residents in need. Moghrabi says those plans are moving along quickly and will be available for people who are willing to use them. It won't happen overnight he says, but the focus is on creating a working strategy in the very near future.
While the strategies and programming plans are moving along quickly, the municipality has also set aside $500,000 in its local budget to go towards the 'bricks and mortar' infrastructure of a housing plan. The money will be put towards a joint plan with provincial and federal governments to create the needed housing infrastructure. When the other levels of government come forward, the municipality is ready, said Moghrabi.
More help needed
The involvement of all levels of government is the right plan, says one advocate watching the local situation.
Lisa Marie Bourque is a representative of the New Dawn Metis Women's Society. She says the Federal government needs to get involved as the tent issue pertains to Indigenous people and homelessness.
“Lac La Biche is my ancestral community, I encourage the council to implement the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples in Canada.” Bourque told the POST, expressing her initial displeasure that plans had been put into motion to tear down the camp. “These people deserve a chance at life, and they belong here, just like everyone else.”
Bourque says a total of nine people sleep at the camp — and they treat it like home.
“It’s clear of garbage, and they take pride in what they created to dwell in,” she said, adding that she is currently writing a letter to the Federal government to seek assistance in helping the Indigenous people of the area who are forced into a certain way of life because they have nowhere else to go. “The County thinks the people need to go home to their families. There are broken down systems, severed family ties, addiction, mental health issues, lack of support systems and resources in the community.”
Vulnerable occupants
Social issues aren't the only considerations when it comes to the camp, however, say local authorities. Legal, safety and health factors for the occupants and all community residents must be considered. Councillors say the liability associated with such an encampment on an private land was a huge deciding factor in their initial decision to remove it.
Bourque too realizes the owner of the land does not want to be responsible for any injuries or if anything happens to the people staying on the land, and says the decision to hold-off on the take-down is a show of good-faith and compassion.
“I think the land owner backtracked on his decision to evict the unwanted squatters from his property,” Bourque said. “I am grateful — more love and kindness, please.”
The plan
The long-term plan for homelessness, vagrancy, drug, alcohol and mental health issues are part of the mandate for the new Transitional Housing Committee in the community. Area stakeholders on the new committee have just begun discussions on the issue, with some initial strategies expected in the coming weeks.
Not everyone is on board with the new committee, however. Bourque says she believe the task force is biased because it has been appointed by the County.
“I believe the stakeholders and chairs of various boards should sit on the task force, not staff that are paid by the County,” Bourque said. “It's too biased.They have to do better, what they are doing now by handpicking a task force, with the same people who continue to create more trauma on the homeless issues, it is completely biased. They need people who will work for the people. How they have things set up now is clearly not working.”
Despite Bourque's comments, the task force's terms of reference call for the appointment of members from the Region One Metis Nation of Alberta office, the Out of the Elements local homeless shelter, the Lac La Biche Canadian Native Friendship Centre, FCSS, Alberta Addictions and Mental Health, the local RCMP and Portage College Student Services.
The terms of reference also clearly state that members to the board should be "community members with a passion to support vulnerable populations, professionals with specific expertise, and someone with lived homeless experience" Referencing municipal staffing involvement on the task force, the document that was approved last November states: Lac La Biche County staff would provide support to the society and board until they are firmly established, at which time we would withdraw on-going involvement."
Local stakeholders continue to explore the homeless and social well-being issues highlighted by the encampment and the varying responses hit has created.
“We have a number of people on the task force that are from different agencies that do deal with these people,” Mayor Moghrabi said, adding that the short-term plan would be finding a place for homeless people to stay. “We do have to find a place that they can stay. If we move them from there, they are going to be somewhere else.”
The mayor doesn't want to continue a build, remove and chase situation. He wants to find a solution.
“Short term, we’ve got to find a site,” Moghrabi said. “The problem is a lot of people’s response is not in my backyard.”
When asked if municipal land could be put aside for part of that short-term solution, the mayor said that was part of a discussion for municipal council, administrators and task force stakeholders.
Recent images released onto social media by Bourque over the weekend show several parts of the encampment. One image shows a solar-power panel which helps to provide some power service to the occupants.
As the discussions continue, Bourque says she will be making a call in the near future to Marc Miller, the federal minister of Indigenous Services.
*With files from Rob McKinley
