Wednesday was a busy day for Saskatchewan’s two biggest cities when it comes to finding emergency shelter spaces in the city.
And while many agree shelters are a must in Saskatoon and Regina, both proposed locations are receiving pushback from the community.
Regina
In Regina, an executive committee meeting Wednesday afternoon drew nearly a dozen delegates to speak about the proposed location at 1600 Halifax Street, home of the Eagles Club.
The announcement came as a shock to members of the organization and people in the community.
People spoke at Wednesday’s meeting about the lack of consultation on the proposed spot siting the Oskana Centre, a facility helping federal inmates transitioning back into society and a playground for the Ranch Ehrlo Society across the street. Others spoke about the increase in crime businesses could experience.
“People think it’s a great location because its tucked away in a corner and you don’t have to look at it and I think that’s wrong,” Crystal Pierno, an LK Auto Collision partner said in a recent interview.
“Let’s make a change as opposed to tucking it in a corner that’s not that busy of a street.”
The Eagles Club is being looked at as a potential shelter location.
Dave Parsons / Global News
Judith Veresuk with the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District is one of the people who spoke at executive council.
“No consultation or information was provided to businesses owners until Friday at 3:30 p.m.,” Veresuk explained. The announcement was made to the public Friday afternoon.
For others, seeing city officials continue to delay finding a permanent location is frustrating to see.
“If there was an award for making no decisions and buying time to again make no decisions, this Council would win every event,” Rally Around Homelessness said in a social media post.
“The only thing they can make their mind up about is not making up their mind.”
Saskatoon
In Saskatoon, a proposed temporary shelter on Pacific Avenue downtown has been identified across the street from a children’s mental health clinic and dance studio.
Despite council passing a bylaw last year that indicated a shelter can’t be within 250 meters of a school, private facilities catering to youth do not fall under the same category.
Tribal chief Mark Arcand with the Saskatoon Tribal Council held a press conference last week expressing concerns with the location. On Wednesday, Arcand spoke on the issue again.
The proposed site at 210 Pacific Avenue for Saskatoon’s new emergency shelter is the former Saskatchewan Transportation Company building.
Slavo Kutas / Global News
He believes the funds for a new shelter could better support existing shelter spaces that are understaffed, a responsibility that comes down to both the city and the province.
“We’re not standing up to the province to say all of these shelters are underfunded across the province,” Arcand said. “The lack of funding to help people to improve their lives, whether it’s mental health and addictions, is not there.”
Arcand maintains the best solution this winter is to dedicate funding for the new shelters to groups like STC and Salvation Army to improve the quality of care.
Next Wednesday, both Regina and Saskatoon councils will be presented with recommendations to approve the identified locations while taking in the concerns from community members.
Recommendations for Saskatoon’s shelter location will be reviewed for approval next Wednesday.
Regina’s council will review the executive committees’ recommendations for possible approvals on Sept. 25.