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Last remaining occupants pack up as Charlottetown tent encampment dismantled

Debris at the Charlottetown Event Grounds encampment is carried away in a front-end loader Wednesday. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC - image credit)
Debris at the Charlottetown Event Grounds encampment is carried away in a front-end loader Wednesday. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC - image credit)

Under the watch of two Charlottetown police officers, crews began dismantling a tent encampment at the Charlottetown Events Grounds on Wednesday.

The two people still living there packed up and left after a notice to vacate was issued Friday by the Charlottetown Fire Department, which was concerned about ongoing fire hazards.

The cleanup was delayed two days due to the weather. Police said there were no incidents.

One man, who did not want to do an interview, placed his belongings in totes provided by the province.

Wayne Thobodeau/CBC
Wayne Thobodeau/CBC

His make-shift home was a wooden structure covered with tarps, with stacks of firewood out front.

He slept at the site last night as temperatures dipped to about –9 C.

The man wasn't sure where he would sleep Wednesday night. Officials are encouraging people experiencing homelessness to stay at the province's mobile housing units on Park Street in Charlottetown.

Wayne Thibodeau/CBC
Wayne Thibodeau/CBC

There are 50 beds at the mobile housing site, which operates from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m.

Housing Minister Matthew MacKay said the government hopes to have a 24/7 shelter in place by next winter.

One woman who stayed at the Park Street site Tuesday night said it was at capacity, and she got the last bed.