City discussing fate of tent community set up in front of Regina City Hall

City officials are deciding what to do about a growing tent community in front of Regina’s City Hall that has volunteers providing food and shelter for unhoused residents in the Queen City.

Volunteers have been on site since last Friday morning providing food and tents.

Kayla Mitton is one of those people living at the community. She said she can’t find an apartment because her name is on a landlord’s blacklist.

“I’m not a bad renter. My rent is always on time. My bills are always paid. It was just the company I kept,” she said.

The effort started last Thursday with a community barbecue in Pepsi Park. City bylaw enforcement ordered the group out by park closing time at 11 p.m. so the group moved to city hall.

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“Local restaurants have been able to supply some meals so its been good that way and honestly it’s really just the fulfilling side of it just because you can tell we have a bit of a sense of community brewing here because this is kind of the whole reason why we’re here,” community activist Mandla Mthembu told CTV News.

“We actually realize it’s a really good decision because it’s a lot harder to ignore and makes people have to kind of confront the reality of the crisis going on in Regina.”

City officials have yet to take any enforcement action. They could if it was a park. However, it’s not clear whether the city hall courtyard fits that definition.

For now, everyone’s real objective is to find help for those with nowhere to go.