Interim Chief Joe West speaks about encampments being established in city parks. (Photo Courtesy Ross Lavigne) 

By Aidan Boelsgaard

Interim police chief says all options exercised before tickets written at encampments

Oct 6, 2022 | 2:00 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Homeless encampments are becoming more visible in Medicine Hat, and police confirm that they have handed out $50 tickets for illegal camping in the city.

Medicine Hat Police Service interim chief Joe West says encampments are popping up around the city, mostly in downtown parks and along the South Saskatchewan River. The municipal bylaw does not allow camping in public spaces.

West says officers take multiple steps to avoid writing tickets, starting with giving warnings to those in the encampment to vacate the premises within a certain time.

He says if they don’t leave, police work closely with Medicine Hat Community Housing Society and the city’s parks department to remove encampments.

“The reason for the tickets are that these encampments have proven themself to be public safety hazards and public health hazards,” he says. “In our community, we are blessed I think to have some of the best housing resources in the country, and we certainly lean on those resources as much as we can.”

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Encampments have been seen at Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park and BATUS Park in recent months.

West emphasized the tickets are a last resort act for police.