Edmonton tent city closed by authorities

An Edmonton tent city known as "Camp Pekiwewin" was closed on Thursday as authorities moved the homeless people to shelters, CTV News reports.

The closure of the tent city was announced by authorities on Sunday through posters informing the people living there that they had to find somewhere else to go.

Workers wearing protective masks were seen clearing homeless people from the fenced off, snow-covered park.

Tristan Makokis, a resident of the tent city, said that he was "getting ready to go job hunting and, all of a sudden, [the authorities] showed up.” Makokis described the experience as "just like camping," but said he could find a friend to live with.

Makokis said that some of the residents of the tent city were likely caught off guard by the closure. The Edmonton authorities, however, have provided shuttle bus services for the homeless to live at the Edmonton Convention Centre or Commonwealth Stadium over the winter, both of which have been converted into homeless shelters.

The city says that cleaning up the area will take several days.