Saskatoon councillor pushes for new rules on shelter locations

As some people in Sutherland protest the location of a planned homeless shelter, one Saskatoon councillor is working to keep shelters further away from schools.

The former fire hall at 421 Central Ave. has been chosen as the location for the first of two new 30-bed emergency homeless shelters in Saskatoon, which will be funded by the province.

Parents and residents in Sutherland have voiced concerns after learning the new shelter will be less than 100 metres away from the playground at Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingual School and close to a local arena frequented by children and families.

Ward 10 Coun. Zach Jeffries said he plans to introduce a motion at Wednesday’s council meeting that would require shelters operated by the provincial government to be located at least 250 metres from elementary schools and at least 500 metres from existing shelters.

“I believe this motion will help provide more certainty and clarity in the community about future shelters and how they can best be located,” Jeffries wrote in a social media post.

“If this motion passes, it would end consideration of the former Fire Hall Number 5 as a location for a shelter and ensure that different sites can be looked at that take into account these separation distances.”

Jeffries isn’t the first council member to oppose the location. Ward 1’s Darren Hill, whose ward includes the former fire hall, has said there was a lack of consultation before the location was chosen.

In a previous interview with 650 CKOM, Hill said the city sorely needs a new shelter, but said lessons should have been learned after the opening of an emergency shelter in Fairhaven, which saw calls to police rise significantly in the area.

Residents nearby have called for that shelter to be closed, citing safety concerns.

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Social Services said as part of its partnership on the project with The Mustard Seed and the City of Saskatoon, it’s up to the city “to find and select locations that will best suit the needs of their community.”

“The province respects community feedback, which is why the Provincial Approach to Homelessness prefers a model of smaller shelters where municipalities determine locations for these services,” the statement said. “We remain ready to move forward once suitable locations are established.”