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(UPDATE) Tent encampment in downtown Fort St. John removed

An encampment of tents was removed in downtown Fort St. John on the afternoon of July 25th.

By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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News

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July 25, 2025

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The site of the former encampment. (Max Bowder, Energeticcity.ca)

Updated, July 26th, 9:30 p.m.: This story was updated to include comments from the Fort St. John RCMP.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — An encampment of tents has been removed in downtown Fort St. John.

Several community members commented on a Facebook post to note the presence of police officers at the site on Friday, July 25th.

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Constable Chad Neustaeter, media relations officer with the Fort St John RCMP, told Energeticcity.ca the operation was led by the City of Fort St. John, and officers were only there for the safety of all involved.

The encampment was located across from the Salvation Army shelter and Fort St. John Alliance Church on 99th Avenue.

A former resident of the encampment, Jefferey Allen Olsen, told Energeticcity.ca between 10 and 12 people were removed from the site, and they had previously been given written notices about it.

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Jefferey Allen Olsen was living at the former encampment. (Max Bowder, Energeticcity.ca)

Energeticcity.ca has reached out to city officials for further comment, but did not immediately hear back.

This story will be updated should information become available.

Authors

Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A guy who found his calling later in life, Edward Hitchins is a professional storyteller with a colourful and extensive history.

Beginning his journey into journalism in 2012 at Seneca College, Edward also graduated from Humber College with an Advanced Diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism in 2018. After time off from his career and venturing into other vocations, he started his career proper in 2022 in Campbell River, B.C.

Edward was attracted to the position of Indigenous Voices reporter with Energeticcity as a challenge. Having not been around First Nations for the majority of his life, he hopes to learn about their culture through meaningful conversations while properly telling their stories.

In a way, he hopes this position will allow both himself and Energeticcity to grow as a collective unit as his career moves forward and evolves into the next step.

He looks forward to growing both as a reporter and as a human being while being posted in Fort St. John.

This reporting position has been funded by the Government of Canada and the Local Journalism Initiative.