• Anxiety grows as Yukon Health Minister moves to crack down on tents outside shelter

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-29 17:02:35.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety]

  Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers has announced steps to crack down on tents set up outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter, citing concerns over illicit drug dealing. The territory is coordinating actions with shelter management, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Fire Marshal’s Office, and bylaw services. The crackdown unfolds amid soaring living costs in Whitehorse, where the latest inflation rate stands at 6.1 per cent and the living wage has risen to $32.43 per hour for a single-person household, while the shelter operates at 64 per cent capacity.

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• Yukon minister directing ‘crackdown’ of tents outside Whitehorse shelter, but won’t say how

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-27 15:44:59.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety, Governance]

  Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers stated in the Yukon Legislative Assembly that he has directed his department to crack down on tents outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter at 405 Alexander St. The minister stated he instructed his department to collaborate with the Department of Justice, the Department of Highways and Public Works, the RCMP, and the City of Whitehorse bylaw services to remove the encampments. Liberal Party Leader and Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Debra-Leigh Reti criticized the lack of operational clarity regarding the plan and called for a dedicated task force to assess the needs of individuals outside the shelter. The announcement coincides with ongoing legislative debate surrounding proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and the elimination of rent control in the Yukon.

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• Edmonton River Valley Coalition calls for dedicated spaces for encampments

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-30 20:11:26.0
  Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety]

  During the one-year review of Edmonton's public spaces bylaw, city officials reported that bylaw officers issued 7,904 trespassing tickets and approximately 1,900 bans in 2026 to date, carrying $600 fines and mandatory court appearances. Activists and advocacy groups, including the Can Man Dan Foundation and the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition, criticized the bylaw for criminalizing poverty and called on the City of Edmonton to fund sanctioned outdoor encampments and expand winter shelter access. In response, Edmonton City Council voted 4-1 to develop operating procedures to suspend the ban on loitering in transit stations during extreme winter weather activations.

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• Nova Scotia government is cutting off funding to a homeless shelter in New Glasgow

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-25 14:21:05.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety]

  The Nova Scotia provincial government announced it is cutting off funding to the emergency homeless shelter operated by Northstar in New Glasgow within a 90-day period. The decision threatens housing and support for hundreds of unhoused individuals, raising community concerns regarding winter survival and access to opioid overdose reversal supports like Naloxone. In response, the province stated it is seeking expressions of interest for alternative supportive housing projects in the area and will work directly with current residents to find alternative housing options.

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