Saskatoon council approves temporary downtown emergency shelter

Saskatoon’s city council has given the go-ahead for a temporary emergency shelter in the city’s downtown, which is expected to open late this year.

On Wednesday, council approved a development permit to renovate 210 Pacific Avenue and turn it into a temporary shelter with room for 30 to 40 beds. The building is on the site of a former Saskatchewan Transportation Company terminal, now owned by the city.

Five recommendations were made by city administration, including issuing a development permit, entering into a lease agreement with Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, and approving $250,000 for upgrades to the building, which would be paid for by the province.

In a 7-4 decision, councillors Hilary Gough, Cynthia Block, David Kirton, Mairin Loen, Zach Jeffries, Sarina Gersher and Mayor Charlie Clark voted in favour of the recommendations, while councillors Darren Hill, Troy Davies, Bev Dubois and Randy Donauer voted against it.

“I don’t think that there’s any logic to not opening this (shelter). I simply don’t. I know that we need much more than this, this winter,” Gough said just ahead of the vote.

“The stability of housing is the most essential thing that we need in our community, to improve safety.”

Hill, on the other hand, argued that a number of potential shelter locations presented to city administration were ruled out because of the proximity to schools, and that same consideration should have also extended to a dance studio, children’s occupational therapy clinic and a daycare, which all located within steps of the new shelter.

Second Act Studios/ Rise Dance Academy is across the street from 210 Pacific Avenue. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

“Here we are, talking about opening a shelter right beside three heavily programmed youth service providers that service over 1,000 youth through the course of each year,” Hill said.

“Where’s that consideration for youth that we had earlier this year? We don’t have it now.”

The shelter will be operated by The Mustard Seed, an Alberta-based organization, and will include enhanced security and a fence allowing access only from Ontario Avenue, city manager Jeff Jorgenson explained.

The lane looking towards Ontario Avenue where fencing will go up and the shelter’s main entrance will be located. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

Samantha Lowe, senior director of shelter operations at The Mustard Seed, told council that her organization would offer a variety of services at the downtown Saskatoon location, including connecting clients with doctors, getting I.D. for people who need it, offering counselling, and general health and wellness services.

“Our goal, through our intentional work and collaboration with other agencies and organizations, is to being the process of removing barriers to housing with our shelter guests as soon as possible,” he said.

Jorgenson told council that dozens of locations were considered, including the old Giant Tiger site off 22nd Street, but zoning or renovation costs were often prohibitive.

“There are other sites that we know of, that could be made ready even for next spring, much less this winter. A new site could always come available that could work, but after nearly a year of searching, this is the only building we have found that works and meets the criteria,” the city manager said.

Jorgenson noted that administration didn’t “have the luxury of being choosy” about which businesses or which developments were located close to the site.

Councillors asked whether the new shelter would mean a reduction in the number of beds at the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s 106-bed emergency wellness centre in Fairhaven, which has been the focus of controversy since it first opened in late 2022.

Saskatchewan Housing Corporation’s Roger Parenteau said 60 days’ notice will have to be issued to the tribal council before anything changes.

“The shelter spaces at the wellness centre will be reduced. Having said that, it’s going to be monitored closely over these coming winter months and determining… when we would do that,” Parenteau explained.

“We’re not going to make a decision quickly and reduce them.”

Parenteau added that the province is also working with the city to identify a site for another winter warming shelter.