‘Do what we’re doing:’ Arcand responds to Fairhaven wellness centre critics

After some Fairhaven residents shared frustrations about the new emergency shelter in their neighbourhood, Tribal Chief Mark Arcand is firing back, calling on them to be part of the solution.

On Monday, 650 CKOM reported concerns from a number of Fairhaven community members, who had witnessed crime and overdoses in the area in the weeks since the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s 106-bed emergency wellness centre opened its doors.

One resident, who used CPR to help save a person suffering an overdose in the area, said the bus shelters and corner stores in Fairhaven no longer feel safe.

Pastor Robert Pearce of the Fairmont Baptist Church said a number of incidents have occurred since the opening of the wellness centre. On one occasion, Pearce said an intoxicated man tried to get into the church during a youth event. When he wasn’t able to get inside, Pearce said the man vandalized the church’s sign.

Responding to Pearce, Arcand said the church should help those in need.

“I’m concerned about that, because they should be opening up their door,” Arcand said.

“‘Thou shall help our neighbours,’ or ‘love our neighbours,’ right? Why is he locking his door? How is he helping the system?”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Arcand shared statistics indicating that calls to police from the Fairhaven neighbourhood hadn’t changed significantly since the wellness centre opened on Nov. 30, 2022.

“We’ve got police stats, fire stats that are saying crime in that area is still the same since we’ve moved in there,” Arcand said.

According to Arcand’s figures, there were 165 calls to police from Fairhaven between Sept. 16 and Oct. 15, 2022, 183 calls from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15, 158 calls from Nov. 16 to Dec. 15, and 155 calls between Dec. 16 and Jan. 14, 2023.

Arcand’s statistics also showed a drop in both violent and property crimes in the Fairhaven neighbourhood during recent months.

A spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service sent 650 CKOM a statement verifying the numbers as genuine, but noting the stats have not yet been analyzed by police.

“We have not had an opportunity to effectively analyze data for the Confederation Suburban Centre,” the statement from police read.

“We are in the process of doing that now and do anticipate changes in activity in these neighbourhoods, including increased pedestrian traffic. We will continue to monitor the level of activity over a longer period; knowing that cold weather also influences this data.”

Arcand said some people are only telling one side of the story, and he finds that unfair.

“I need them to stop that, because it’s causing hardship, and it’s a divide-and-conquer tactic that I do not support,” he said.

“If they are going to continue to do this, myself as Tribal Chief will not have any more comments in regards to that type of behaviour, because it’s unacceptable.”

Saskatoon City Councillor David Kirton suggested addressing the issues by establishing a working group that could include Fairhaven residents, the tribal council, and representatives from the City of Saskatoon and emergency services.

Arcand said he would consider that suggestion, but added that his primary concern was the work happening inside the shelter.

“I’m open to anything, but at the same time I’ve got to know my roles and my responsibilities,” Arcand said.

“My roles and responsibilities are in that property. If there’s a concern outside of the property, we have our partners to address that, which are police, fire, and whatever that is.”

The tribal chief added that he’s not equipped to look after every shelter resident once they leave.

“I don’t know what’s going on there when somebody leaves our facility. We are not hired and paid to walk out of that facility and follow every relative,” he said. “Why the perception and the judgment on homeless people?”

Arcand said he’s proud of the work happening at the wellness centre, and said those who are complaining need to open their doors to help others.

“Do what we’re doing,” Arcand said.

“We’re actually helping people. I don’t need to defend that.”