Saskatoon’s city council is moving ahead with the acquisition of a downtown property that will be converted into a drop-in centre despite pushback from the local community.
Councillors voted Wednesday 7-4 in favour of purchasing a $1.64 million building located on Idylwyld Drive to provide services for people experiencing homelessness. Funding to pay for the building will come from a federal fund intended to support the city’s encampment response plan.
However, businesses and community members near the new site are speaking out, expressing concerns about their safety and how it will affect their operations.
“I’ve dealt with broken windows, vandalism, break-ins, theft and ultimate harassment. The fear is real, and as a business owner, I pay,” said Tamara Bowman, owner of Metric Design, a nearby interior design business.
Bowman says her business, located only a block from the new drop-in at 130 Idylwyld Dr., has operated in the city for 25 years, and that since the pandemic, she has noticed an uptick in disturbances. Now, she says she fears for her safety when going to work after regular business hours.
The new drop-in centre will serve as a longer-term replacement for the existing one at 325 Avenue C South. The provincial government is responsible for the drop-in programming, but the city was tasked by the province with providing the facility.
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Bowman told councillors she is in favour of offering support, but questions whether the downtown location is the most suitable for a drop-in centre.
“The wrong location is not compassionate,” Bowman said.
City councillors have until the end of March to allocate the federal funding to the new drop-in centre before it expires.
Shawna Nelson, executive director of Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District (BID), also raised concerns Wednesday, saying councillors were not given enough time to consider the move.
“I just don’t think that there has been great communication, transparency, and due diligence when it comes to this whole site selection,” said Nelson.
Businesses share the same feelings about the time crunch.
“We were not consulted or even informed prior to this announcement,” Sheryl Piteau, owner of Prairie Optometry, told councillors.
“I don’t think my experience was alone because when I spoke with neighbours on Wall Street, they had no idea. They heard it from me, who I had heard it from the news.”
A proposed daycare is also planning to open across the street in the spring. This child-care centre will accommodate around 90 children aged 18 months to six years and will also feature a fenced outdoor play space on an existing parking lot.
Coun. Bev Dubois questioned the proposed daycare’s proximity to the drop-in centre, asking whether the owners are aware of the plans.
City administration says the operators are mainly supportive of the drop-in and that it plans to work with them to mitigate any potential concerns.
The Idylwyld drop-in is expected to open by Nov. 1, and city administration is expected to report to city council on the future use of the 325 Avenue C building before this date.
City councillors also passed motions on Wednesday asking the city council to provide a report on the feasibility of a 250-metre buffer between drop-in centres and shelters and daycares and to provide a coordinated community safety plan for the new drop-in centre.
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