Edmonton Police Dismantle ‘Elaborate’ Encampment With Solar Panel, Arrest 3

A police officer keeps an eye on things as police and cleanup crews tear down homeless encampments in Edmonton on Dec. 29, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson

Edmonton police have arrested three people after dismantling two encampments—one equipped with generators and containing stolen property, and the other featuring three large sections and a solar panel.

City police and park rangers began dismantling an “elaborate” encampment in the Fulton Creek area of southeast Edmonton on Jan. 6, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said in a video posted on Jan. 10. The camp was built on a hill near a commercial area where break-ins and theft have been reported, police said.  

The site appeared to include three large structures. One section, seen in the video, seemed to be the entrance area with a solar panel on the roof. The adjacent section appeared to be the main room, with a window and makeshift cupboard and countertop. The third section appeared to be a patio, featuring a sectional couch.

There were also a number of fire pits inside and outside the encampment, police said.

“[The encampment] is very well tucked in,” says Sgt. Mike Fehr in the video, noting the site had several trees covering it. “It blends in very well.”

Police later found another encampment also carved into the hill, just north of the site. The shelter, which police said was “not quite as elaborate” as the first, had a roof made of plywood and contained items such as a replica gun, power tools, charging outlets from dismantled electric vehicles, an industrial stripping machine, large amounts of copper wiring, safety gloves, and a welding kit.

Police also found two stolen bicycles, which were returned to their owners, officials said.

Police arrested a man and two women “without incident” in connection with the encampments, and they now face charges, including mischief over $5,000, officials said. One of the women had nine outstanding warrants.

Police said they offered the suspects access to services and supports, but they refused them.

“I don’t believe they are one-offs,” said Fehr. “If we’re able to get a successful track, we’ll likely locate additional camps like these.”

The Epoch Times contacted the EPS to inquire about the identity of the accused and the outstanding warrants one of them had, but did not hear back by publication time.

Edmonton recorded 9,474 encampment closures by the end of last November, marking a 42 percent increase from 2023 and a 120 percent rise compared to 2022.

Police found 98 percent more propane tanks in vacant encampments last year compared to 2023, according to city data. Officers also found 32 percent more needles (28,205 in total) and 5,309 shopping carts, marking a 160 percent increase compared to the year prior.

The city invested more than $5.7 million in site cleanups in 2024, with more than 1.6 million kilograms of waste being removed from vacant encampments.

It takes an average of 3.6 days to complete a cleanup once a site is vacant, according to the city.