Edmonton police find, remove ‘rather large’ encampment excavated under High Level Bridge

An encampment that was dug into the River Valley under the High Level Bridge was removed this week and the area has been cleaned up.

On Wednesday, Edmonton police shared footage to their social media pages of officers discovering the cave-like camp on the north side of the bridge.

Police say the discovery was made on Monday. Officers were in the area for an unrelated investigation, EPS says, when they saw signs the area was occupied.

“(They) broke in and then set up a rather large camp underneath that,” Sgt. Serge Soucy says in the social media video. “They’ve turned the floor off, they’ve tarped the walls off in anticipation of likely moving more stuff in.

“So the fact that we’re getting to it right now is opportunistic because we’re not going to let them have a chance to get re-entrenched.”

Authorities say several people were living there, and that stolen property and weapons, including knives and axes, were found.

The excavated encampment also dug around the pillar of the bridge. “It’s been excavated to the point where the supporting beams are just standing on a small, little pillar of earth,” Soucy says.

Police say the High Level Bridge was found to be structurally sound.

Edmonton police say all campers were offered access to social supports. Garbage dumped on the bank under the bridge was cleaned up.

Police say they first discovered an encampment under the High Level Bridge in August, and that it was removed at that point, before later becoming reoccupied.

CityNews reached out to the City regarding the encampment, which confirmed that “high-risk encampment areas near critical infrastructure, such as the High Level bridge, are patrolled by peace officers and rangers up to four times a year to proactively check for encampments.”

The City did note that while work is being done to clean the area, encampments in sensitive areas like under bridges, pose significant safety risks, including critical infrastructure damage, fire hazards, criminal activity and health concerns for those living in them.

“While public safety is our priority, the City remains committed to responding to encampments with compassion. Our Encampment Response Team always offers individuals living in encampments transportation to the provincial Support and Navigation Centre where they can access a wide range of services,” said the City.

“This balanced approach ensures that individuals are treated with dignity while addressing the real risks encampments pose to both occupants and the surrounding community.”