10/06/2025
Some people have asked, “Why should taxpayers pay for the Town of Drayton Valley’s encampment cleanup?”
As someone who works alongside people living with addiction, trauma, neglect, mental health challenges, and people who are unhoused, I want to explain why this cleanup is both necessary and responsible for everyone in our community.
Encampment cleanups are not about rewarding poor choices or ignoring accountability. They are about public health, community safety, and human dignity.
When people have nowhere to go, they end up creating temporary shelters that often lack garbage disposal, washrooms, or running water. Over time, that means unsafe waste buildup, fire hazards, disease risk, and environmental damage. The Town’s cleanup efforts help prevent these dangers by providing dumpsters, outhouses, and garbage removal. These are basic sanitation measures that protect both the residents of the encampment and the surrounding community.
Cleanups also make it safer for outreach workers and health professionals to connect with individuals who are struggling. Once safety and sanitation are established, workers can begin the next step by offering access to shelter, treatment, health care, or recovery supports.
This is not enabling. It is evidence-based public safety and prevention.
For perspective, based on local budgets and population size, each taxpayer’s contribution to the cleanup is estimated to be about $5 or less. That number is not exact, but it is reasonable and roughly the cost of a coffee, depending on what you order.
Here is what we know about the bigger picture in Canada:
- 74% of people who are unhoused live with mental health or substance use challenges, and nearly half struggle with both (Government of Canada, 2024).
- 16.5% of people who are unhoused said medical issues were the direct reason they lost their housing (Statistics Canada, 2023).
- Financial instability is another major cause. Nearly 2 in 5 experiences of being unhoused are tied to sudden financial hardship (Statistics Canada, 2025).
These are not people who chose this life. They are people who have fallen through the cracks of systems that are underfunded and overburdened.
And while cleanups do cost money, doing nothing costs far more. When encampments are left unmanaged, municipalities face higher expenses in:
- Emergency room visits and medical response
- RCMP or bylaw enforcement
- Fire and environmental remediation
- Public health interventions
Research consistently shows that early, coordinated intervention, even in the form of cleanups and outreach, saves thousands of dollars in other public system costs later. Every $1 spent on early response or prevention can save between $2 and $9 in emergency, health, and justice expenses (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2021).
Yes, this cleanup uses taxpayer dollars, but it is a smart and compassionate investment that benefits the whole community.
If you are reading this and have experienced or are experiencing challenges, whether with housing, addiction, mental health, or life circumstances, please know that there is help. You are not alone, and there are people in this community who care and want to support you.
Start with 811, Alberta’s free, confidential health line available 24 hours a day. You can speak with a nurse, a mental health professional, or another trained staff member about health, housing, addiction, or support options. No health card or appointment is needed. Help is available day and night, in multiple languages. You can also visit www.ahs.ca/811
Everyone needs help at some point in their life. What makes a community strong is not who falls, but how we respond when they do.
I encourage all candidates in the upcoming election to become informed and educated on this very real challenge our community faces. Work alongside local organizations, professionals, and volunteers to find compassionate, practical solutions that balance public safety with human care. We need leadership that values the entire community, including those without a fixed address or a voting voice.
If anyone would like more information on this topic, please feel free to reach out.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
Danna Thiel-Cropley, AAC
Addictions Counsellor & Executive Director
Opportunity Home Treatment & Recovery Centre
Drayton Valley, Alberta
*Facebook would not allow me to share sources, but if you would like links to any of the sources I’ve used, please reach out and let me know.
