Article content

Edmonton cleanup crews removed almost 82,000 kilograms of waste from nearly 1,000 homeless camps in the first seven months of 2016, says a report Thursday to city council’s executive committee.

The report, requested by Coun. Scott McKeen, said the number of camps has steeply risen since 2014, when 653 camps were removed from the river valley and other locations. The next year saw an increase to 714 sites.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or City removed 82,000 kg of waste from 1,000 homeless camps in first part of 2016: report Back to video

“It’s not a surprise and we’ve got a lot of hints in my office … just by the number of calls we’ve had,” said McKeen, adding he was surprised to see camps have spread out from the river valley to include public spaces.

The report said the increase in removal of camps can be chalked up in part to efficiencies gained through corporate restructuring, improved co-ordination and streamlined processes. But it also said the numbers signal “a continuing concern with homelessness in our river valley and city.”