Wetaskiwin Encampment: Human Rights Clinic
On Sunday November 21st, 2021, a team of 9 volunteers supported by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) and Coalition for Justice and Human Rights (CJHR) travelled to the town of Wetaskiwin, Alberta to conduct a Human Rights Clinic.
JHC and CJHR were approached for support from Elana (*Lainy) Beaver, a practicum student with JHC, and Craig Haavaldsen, the Executive Director of Rock Soup Greenhouse and Foodbank (Rock Soup). The reason for the clinic was to interview potential complainants and take notes in order to draft human rights complaints to be filed at the provincial and federal Human Rights Commissions on behalf of the mostly Indigenous people deprived of housing at the encampment located in Wetaskiwin.
The City of Wetaskiwin made the decision to not renew the local shelter’s lease, which led to the termination of wrap-around supports that were previously provided to the people deprived of housing. This led the people to seek shelter at a makeshift camp on the property of Rock Soup. The camp was then forced by the City Council to move behind the local Wal-Mart in an open field without any trees or shrubs to block the wind. This location was further away from current supports such as Rock Soup, forcing the people at the camp to walk a longer distance to reach shelter and access supports provided by Rock Soup.
Upon arrival at Rock Soup, the team was greeted by Craig and the rest of the staff, who then kindly provided accommodations and space for the clinic to be set up. The volunteers were divided into teams of two at separate tables, with one person designated as the interviewer and the other person taking notes on their laptops. Prior to the clinic, advocate confidentiality agreements were signed by all volunteers participating. Copies of the client confidentiality agreement were provided to each team. After one of the employees of Rock Soup conducted a traditional smudging ceremony, Craig then went and picked up the complainants located at the encampment. The complainants came inside to get warm, have a warm meal, gain access to running water, a bathroom and to get out of the elements. Each team was able to interview two complainants (except for one team that interviewed one complainant) for a total of seven complainants interviewed. The complainants were brought to each table where the interview teams were waiting. The complaint process and client confidentiality form was reviewed and explained with each complainant. Upon understanding the process, the complainant signed the form, and the interview began, with questions following the format of the Alberta Human Rights Commission’s online complaint form.
The complainants were exhausted, frustrated, angry, hungry, cold, and afraid for their fellow campers. Their mental state was in the flight, fight or freeze phase, which suggests that most, if not all, were in a survival mode state of mind. Upon debriefing with the teams, the main concerns appeared to be immediate. The group did have access to showers at the local swimming pool/recreation centre up until the middle of August 2021 and have not showered since then. Craig has agreed to be the point of contact for the complainants, as they do not have regular access to the internet, nor a phone number or email address where they can be reached for follow up with the complaint process.
Upon the conclusion of the Human Rights Clinic at Rock Soup, some of the volunteers then travelled to the encampment located next to Wal-Mart in an open field. There were approximately 15-20 unstable tents in groupings, with a larger teepee structure in the middle (some of the complainants that were staying in the teepee were complaining of having sore lungs and congestion from inhaling smoke from the fire), a stockpile of firewood, and what appeared to be a flimsy metal structure or a shanty next to the camp. A group of people were gathered around a fire, consuming alcohol (one of the complainants said that most of the campers did consume alcohol to keep warm) and smoking. The campsite was out in the open and not directly behind the Wal-Mart, with no protection from the wind or cold with trees or buildings.
An intake was also conducted with Craig by two additional volunteers after the clinic, which will also involve filings of human rights complaints at both the federal and provincial levels. This has taken place as a result of threats towards Craig, as well as the defamation of his character and Rock Soup’s professional reputation by external parties, among a list of other actions. The volunteer team has met every other Wednesday to continue drafting the human rights complaints in their original interview teams, which are currently being reviewed and filed to the appropriate human rights mechanism.