Cold Lake, AB – Cold Lake continues to take steady, concerted action against illegal camps and social disorder within the city limits. A large encampment was cleared, resulting in a number of charges laid against repeat offenders.

On February 26, 2025, Community Peace Officers from Cold Lake Municipal Enforcement in coordination with the local RCMP detachment and Cold Lake public works and infrastructure staff cleared, disassembled and cleaned up the site of an expansive encampment that included warming fires and was littered with debris.

Five RCMP officers, two Community Peace Officers and two Bylaw Officers attended the scene to ensure that the encampment was vacated without incident. Afterwards, two RCMP officers, two bylaw officer and one peace officer remained at the scene to assist contractors who were called in to clean up the site. This included 2,010 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. The Cold Lake RCMP made one arrest as one of the individuals was wanted for outstanding warrants. The encampment was on public land in Cold Lake South.

“This is a persistent issue but we are persistent people and have a strong team dedicated to public safety,” Mayor Copeland said. “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.”

The City of Cold Lake continues to take a proactive approach to the enforcement of illegal camps, vagrancy, and anti-social behaviour. The City of Cold Lake’s Municipal Enforcement and Fire-Rescue resources have seen a significant amount of work caused by illegal camps, with Fire-Rescue being called to 56 urban camping incidents in 2025 alone. The City of Cold Lake’s staff at Cold Lake and District FCSS, along with the Cold Lake John Howard Society, also work to provide shelter for those in need and to put people in crisis in touch with the resources they require, albeit in another community.

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