The City of Edmonton saw a 42 percent increase in the number of encampment closures in 2024, with a cleanup cost of more than $5.7 million, according to city data.
Based on details the city released, there were 6,693 encampment closures in 2023, compared to 9,474 as of Nov. 30, 2024, a 42 percent increase.
The city saw a 120 percent increase over the two-year period since 2022, when there were 4,298 encampment closures.
The total number of complaints the city received about encampments in 2023 was 17,044, compared to 17,948 in 2024—an increase of 5 percent. In 2022, the number of complaints about encampments was 9,328.
City data shows there were more than 1.6 million kilograms of waste removed from former encampments, compared to 1 million kilograms in 2023.
The cost to clean up the sites exceeded $5.7 million in 2024, the city said. It added that a one-time grant from the Government of Alberta paid for $4.5 million. In 2023, the cost of encampment cleanups was $1,699,858.
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Cleanup crews found 98 percent more propane tanks at former encampment sites in 2024 compared to a year earlier. The City also said there were 32 percent more needles removed from these sites in 2024. Additionally, crews found 160 percent more shopping carts at vacant encampment sites in 2024 than in 2023.
It takes an average of 3.6 days to complete a cleanup once a site is vacant, the city said.
Latest statistics show that nearly 5,000 people in Edmonton are without permanent housing.
The Edmonton By Name List, produced by Homeward Bound, a nonprofit organization, said 4,963 were homeless as of Dec. 16, 2024. Of those, 1,239 did not have anywhere to live, while 754 were staying in shelters, and 2,970 were “provisionally accommodated.”
Edmonton Police Encampment Cleanup
Edmonton police have been at the forefront of the encampment cleanup effort, and have featured some of their work on social media.
At one location, featured in an Oct. 28, 2024, social media post, officers found four generators, a fireplace, and a working fridge.
The encampment was hidden among trees near a dog park near Fulton Creek and 34th Street, police said in the video.
Police said the encampment had been set up to pump water into the site, and had a working sink and washing machine.
Solar panels had been used to supply electricity to the encampment, according to police.
Several weapons were also found at the site, including three guns, shotgun shells, knives, and machetes.
Five people were found inside the encampment, police said, with one may saying he had lived there since winter 2023.
