Story summary
The City of Saskatoon removed an encampment on city-owned private property at 20th Street and Avenue K South earlier this week, displacing 120 people and dismantling 80 tents. Melissa Zimmer from Bridge City Warmth, a volunteer group that aids homeless individuals in Saskatoon, stated the removal was upsetting but acknowledged it was necessary due to violence and drug/alcohol activity at the site. Shirley Isbister, president of CUMFI, confirmed many displaced residents sought shelter near railroad tracks or at their Mobile Housing bus which offers Wi-Fi and other services. The encampment’s closure reflects ongoing challenges in balancing community safety with support for homeless individuals during colder months.
Written for “Indigenous Camp Removal Saskatchewan” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.25, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 69470: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-09
The removal of a Saskatoon encampment earlier this week was upsetting, but necessary, a local outreach advocate said.
asserted
advocate → say → encampment
The reaction comes following the City of Saskatoon’s decision to remove the encampment on city-owned private property at 20th Street and Avenue K South on Thursday.
asserted
reaction → come → Thursday
In a news release that evening, the city said 120 people left the site.
asserted
people → say → site
Eighty tents were removed from the encampment, the City of Saskatoon added.
asserted
City → remove → Saskatoon
“It was very sad for us to see the encampments go down, but to be honest, they needed to.
asserted
they → see → ?
There has been a lot of violence,” Shirley Isbister, president of the Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), told Global News.
asserted
Isbister → tell → News
“There was alcohol, drugs being moved in and that’s not a good environment for safety for the people in the encampments or for the people in the community.
asserted
that → be → community
Following the cleanup of the encampment, CUMFI’s president said a large number of its residents arrived at the Saskatoon nonprofit and set up in its area.
asserted
number → follow → area
Get daily National news
Many of them set up close to the nearby railroad tracks, she said, adding two previous encampment residents sought shelter in the group’s Mobile Housing and Community Resource Centre Bus.
asserted
residents → get → Bus
The bus has Wi-Fi, as well as contact information for people to get housing.
asserted
people → have → housing
And we have the bathrooms, and we have the showers but it’s also getting cold,” Isbister said, noting that those facilities are expected to close at the end of this month in anticipation of winter weather.
asserted
facilities → have → weather
“That tells me that there’s a lot of people who aren’t ready to be housed yet,” she continued.
asserted
she → tell → people
“People gather and they stay in the encampments because that’s where they’re happy.”
asserted
they → gather → encampments
Isibister said the charity will continue providing support and resources, such as clothing and blankets, to people who reach out, including those who have established encampments around CUMFI.
asserted
who → say → CUMFI
Melissa Zimmer, president and founder of Bridge City Warmth, a volunteer group who distributes supplies to people who are homeless in Saskatoon said her group was visiting the encampment on 20th Street multiple times a day in recent weeks to hand out business cards.
asserted
group → distribute → cards
She said Thursday’s takedown led to the group assisting in finding housing for five people.
asserted
group → say → people
“Since the encampment’s been taken down, we’ve had all kinds of calls, text messages, emails just looking for assistance with housing, and just we’re finding that there’s just so many barriers for those looking for housing,” Zimmer said.
asserted
Zimmer → take → housing
On Thursday night, the nonprofit had a street patrol which observed many residents from the encampment who needed a hot meal or new supplies, she continued.
asserted
she → have → meal
Those living at the now-removed site are scattered across the city – including some who found spots in shelters before they filled.
asserted
they → live → shelters
“When we showed up last night at our street patrol, we left with nothing.
asserted
we → show → nothing
People need stuff.
asserted
People → need → stuff
They’re cold, they’re hungry, they’re tired,” Zimmer said.
asserted
Zimmer → ’re → ?
Ahead of the winter, the group has put out a call for highly requested items, such as blankets and jackets.
asserted
group → put → blankets
The Aporia
