Camp cleanup pilot nears after EPC approval – Winnipeg Free Press

The City of Winnipeg is considering a new pilot project to clean up encampments in partnership with homeless service agencies.

The council's executive policy committee voted Tuesday to allocate up to $170,000 of the city budget to an agreement with Main Street Project, Siloam Mission and the Downtown Public Safety Partnership for the project.

While it's not yet clear how many encampments this will clear, Mayor Scott Gillingham said he hopes work will begin as soon as possible, preferably in early May, and continue through the end of October.

“It's really to help clean up the camps and meet the needs of the residents of the area and those living in the camps … We're looking at weekly cleaning or certainly regular cleaning (of several sites),” he said. Gillingham.

The mayor noted that connecting people living in outdoor spaces to permanent housing remains a top priority, and cleanup efforts will help reduce safety risks posed by discarded needles, flammable materials and other debris.

If the city council gives final approval to the plan, the city's chief administrative officer will work with the three social agencies to determine which camps should receive the most attention.

Gillingham said the pilot project essentially builds on the model used in the multi-day camp cleanup the agencies completed last year, where camp residents were contacted before the cleanup began to help determine what items could be discarded.

“I think it's right and proper … for agencies to help people in these camps identify things that belong to them, things that are important to them … People have rights. We want to make sure those rights are protected,” Gillingham said.

At one of the past cleanups, camp residents asked for supplies to help them complete the trash pickup themselves, Siloam Mission Chief Executive Officer Tessa Blakey told members of the Whitecloud EPC.

“The campers have a passion for a clean space, a clean space to live in… They've been very appreciative of our team,” Blakey Whitecloud said.

The proposed pilot project is based on a report by city staff on municipal work to clean up the encampments. In 2023, the city spent about $84,000 to clean up 162 encampments, and officials estimate it will cost $4.06 million a year to maintain weekly cleanups at the city's roughly 150 encampments.

Blakey Whitecloud said he believed effective clearing of the camps could be done much more cheaply. He said sites should require less response from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and the Winnipeg Police Service after they are frequently cleared of fire hazards and other debris.

“I think there's a way forward with much less significant costs than what's being proposed in the partnership, which will allow us to offer this decent approach as well as reduce costs for other services,” Blakey Whitecloud said.

The popular model also employs homeless people to pick up trash, which Blakey Whitecloud says provides valuable experience.

In previous Siloam cleanups, the Main Street Project provided outreach to camp residents.

The pilot project could focus on large camps with enough residents to provide weekly cleaning, as well as remove large amounts of waste left behind when the camp is abandoned, said Jamil Mahmoud, the organization's executive director.

According to Mahmoud, the new funding should go towards cleaning up the city.

“I think it's not just when we have equipment for public works, but it gives us the resources we need to prioritize that work.” This allows us to be stable,” he said.

The pilot proposal noted that the Main Street project could include the 300 block of Assiniboine Avenue and portions of Waterfront Drive as key areas for cleanup.

Gillingham said he hopes improvements to the social agencies' past work will allow the pilot to work quickly with more frequent cleanups.

The mayor said that the work is mainly concentrated in the city center, but is not limited to this area.

“I think we need to focus on the most problematic sites right now, that's the most important thing. Most of it is in the city center,” he said.

The council is expected to hold a final vote on the matter on April 25.

[email protected]

X: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanna Pursaga
Reporter

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics are involved. Joyanna became the Winnipeg Free Press' city hall reporter in early 2020.

Read full bio