A large encampment was cleared in Cold Lake, resulting in a number of charges laid against repeat offenders.
On February 26, community peace officers from Cold Lake Municipal Enforcement in coordination with local RCMP and Cold Lake public works cleared, disassembled and cleaned up the site of an expansive encampment that included warming fires and was littered with debris.
The city of Cold Lake said the encampment was located on public land in Cold Lake South.
Five RCMP officers, two community peace officers and two bylaw officers attended the scene to ensure that the encampment was vacated without incident.
Cleanup of the site involved just over 2,000 kilograms of waste, which was collected and removed from the encampment.
Four individuals were found in the encampment and issued fines for causing a nuisance and trespassing. One of the individuals was arrested by Cold Lake RCMP as they had outstanding warrants.
“This is a persistent issue but we are persistent people and have a strong team dedicated to public safety,” said Cold Lake mayor Craig Copeland in a statement.
“It’s always disheartening to see that people do not want the help they need, but we will continue to keep our community safe while offering assistance to those who can benefit from it. Our Peace Officers, RMCP officers, firefighters and public works staff have all worked hand-in-hand on this issue. They all deserve a lot of credit. A few short years ago this would be unheard of, but it has become a significant part of our workload,” he said.
The City of Cold Lake’s Fire-Rescue has already been called to 56 urban camping incidents in 2025 alone the city said.
The City of Cold Lake’s staff at Cold Lake and District FCSS, along with the Cold Lake John Howard Society, work to provide shelter for those in need and put people in crisis in touch with the resources they require, although in another community.
