Eleven people spoke to City Council on Wednesday urging them to not approve 210 Pacific Avenue as the site of a temporary emergency shelter, which could be there for up to 18 months, but in the end, after hours of discussion and questions, the decision was made with seven voting to approve and Councillors Troy Davies, Randy Donauer, Darren Hill and Bev Dubois voting against it. The discussion came on the final Council meeting day of this term. The civic election is November 13th.
After concerns raised earlier this month from the public, Administration has moved the entrance to the shelter from the West side to the East side to keep it directly away from a dance studio and a children’s therapy centre which helps children who have experienced trauma and has planned fencing and an extra security focus on the area from Saskatoon Police and Fire. The work continues to find a longer-term site, or sites, for enhanced emergency shelter spaces. Councillor Hillary Gough noted that with winter coming, they still need to find warmup spaces for about 200 people.
Downtown resident Geri Fernet told Council that Pacific Avenue isn’t a good choice, although she understands there is a crucial need for more shelter beds. She believes the solutions need to be more permanent.
Stephan Bourassa, who is a pediatric occupational therapist and owner of Milestones Occupational Therapy for Children in the Rumley Building says having fencing and extra security from police and fire would help, but it doesn’t change the fact that seeing what is happening next door for children who have experienced trauma is not acceptable. They chose the site they are in because it is discrete.
Blair Champman from Downtown Saskatoon said there wasn’t enough public consultation, and he reminded Councillors of the effects of previous shelters in the downtown area, which presented challenges for businesses, residents, hotels and places of worship, pointing to open drug use, abandoned paraphernalia and encampments. Prior to the vote, he suggested if it were to be approved, it should only be for six to nine months to cover the colder months. “Rather than this keep happening we would like to see more consultation with all interest groups involved to try to get something permanent. I’m really glad to see the province here because a lot of us are getting really frustrated with the province right now, with the lack of funding and I don’t really think they are getting the message on this.”
Major Gord Taylor, Executive Director of the Salvation Army Crossroads is concerned that not enough focus has been put on the need for winter warmup shelters. He believes the need is urgent, because there are no plans in place from the city or the province. Taylor told Council, both enhanced shelters were full all summer, which is a first, and he expects that means more demand this winter.
