SASKATOON, Sask. — The government and opposition remain at odds over homelessness after the city cleared a large encampment last week, intensifying debate over how to find solutions as winter weather creeps in.
About 120 people were displaced when the encampment near 20th Street and Avenue K South was cleared, and about 80 tents and temporary structures were removed. The City of Saskatoon reported that more than 5,600 kilograms of garbage and debris were collected at the encampment.
The province’s Ministry of Social Services said homelessness is complex and that the government takes it very seriously, working with municipalities, Indigenous organizations and community agencies to address it. Municipalities lead responses to encampments and co-ordinate local outreach efforts.
“The ministry supports these efforts by working alongside municipal and community partners to connect with individuals to provide income supports and emergency shelter options,” said the ministry in a statement.
Support for people living on the streets or in temporary spaces includes referrals to available shelter spaces, friends and family, detox services or hotels when available shelter spaces do not meet their needs.
The ministry added that its staff also help connect people with other human-services providers and community-based organizations that provide services such as mental health and addictions support and medical support, and that they have been actively working to connect with individuals at the encampment to offer services and supports to those who will accept them.
Shadow Minister for Housing April ChiefCalf, the Saskatoon Westview MLA, said the province must move beyond short-term crisis management, such as warming centres and additional shelter spaces, and instead invest in solutions that offer people stability and security.
She emphasized that the government needs a long-term solution instead of circling the same problem, one that addresses its root causes, as concerns grow about where displaced residents will sleep as temperatures drop. The debate centres on whether emergency assistance is enough or whether the province needs a more comprehensive housing strategy.
“We need to have other things in place to make sure people have long-term solutions to housing, such as transitional housing and supportive housing. We need to open our social housing and make it available to people who need it. They [government] need an action plan to house people on the streets this winter in the best circumstances they can,” she said.
“And then they need to be working on it right away, because what I see happening is we spend all winter crisis-managing houselessness and all summer crisis-managing wildfires. Why can't we get ahead of these things? They need to get ahead of it, and they need to have something that's going to be in place for next fall.”
She again called on Premier Scott Moe and Social Services Minister Terry Jenson to act immediately to ensure everyone displaced from the encampment has a safe place to stay. She asked how many people had secured stable housing and how many remained outdoors after the tents were removed.
“Taking down tents was not solving the housing crisis. It doesn't put a roof over someone's head, and it doesn't make the problem disappear,” ChiefCalf said, adding that the government must deliver a plan to house those displaced, along with regular public reporting on how many people have found housing, how many are still sleeping outside and what supports they are receiving.
While warming centres and emergency shelters are necessary during extreme weather, she argued they cannot substitute for permanent or transitional housing. She also called for an action plan to house people over the winter and develop longer-term measures before the next cold season arrives.
“We need to have other things in place to make sure people have long-term solutions to housing, such as transitional housing, supportive housing,” she said, adding that vacant social housing units should be repaired and made available to people who need them.
The government, however, said direct payments for rent and utilities have been available since November 2021 for Saskatchewan Income Support clients who need them. The ministry said direct pay remains an option for all Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability clients.
“Most SIS clients pay their own rent and utilities, and household budgeting is a critical skill for building a better life and achieving independence. It is also not new for clients to pay their own bills. Seventy per cent of clients under previous programs also paid their own rent and bills,” said the ministry.
The ministry emphasized that addressing homelessness requires co-operation among municipalities, Indigenous organizations and community agencies. According to its statement, municipalities lead responses to encampments and co-ordinate local outreach, while the province works with those partners to connect individuals with income assistance and emergency accommodation.
Available options can include shelter spaces, stays with friends or family, detox services and hotels when appropriate accommodation is unavailable. Ministry staff also connect people with organizations that provide mental-health, addictions and medical supports.
The contrasting positions highlight a fundamental disagreement over what an effective response to homelessness should look like. The government points to existing income supports, emergency accommodation options and partnerships with local organizations as part of its response. But the opposition argues that these measures must be backed by more social housing, supportive and transitional accommodation, stronger rental protections and a public plan for displaced residents.
