Saskatoon city councilor, community members concerned about proposed emergency shelter in Sutherland

A proposed emergency shelter in Saskatoon's Sutherland neighbourhood is drawing concern from some community members and the city councillor who represents them.

The City of Saskatoon said it is working collaboratively with the Saskatchewan government on the final details to prepare for a new 30-space permanent emergency shelter to be located at the former Fire Station No. 5 on Central Avenue.

Two neighbourhood information sessions were planned for this week, but both were postponed by the city.

Ward 1 Coun. Darren Hill is opposed to having the emergency shelter located in Sutherland — an area he represents.

In response to the postponements, he held a public meeting at a school gymnasium in Sutherland on Sunday to discuss the possibility of the proposed emergency shelter being set up in the neighbourhood.

The meeting drew more than 300 people, the city councillor said.

"There were a number of people that spoke passionately about the needs for the shelter beds, and I don't think anybody is disputing that," Hill said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Darren Hill is the councillor for Ward 1, which is where the proposed shelter would be. He said a facility for people with complex needs shouldn't be in a residential area. (Liam O'Connor/CBC)

"But every single individual that spoke had concerns about the safety and the impact that it's going to have on their residential neighbourhood, as well as the elementary school that's only a half a block away."

Hill said those concerns included a rise in crime, more needles in the park and the impact on school operations.

Hill said there are a number of areas where the emergency shelter could go in the city, but it shouldn't be near residential homes, playgrounds or schools.

Residents raise safety concerns

The facility for people with complex needs — which will be run by the Mustard Seed, an Alberta-based Christian non-profit organization — is supposed to be operational by this spring.

City officials said they delayed the two neighbourhood information sessions planned for this week because they needed more time to come up with the right plan for the shelter before presenting it to the public. They added the meetings will be rescheduled within the month.

"All partners know that the way the shelter will operate is one of the most important questions on the minds of residents and business owners and recognize the need to get the right plan in place before the shelter becomes operational," the city stated in a Friday news release.

The release also said report presentations that were planned for the Feb. 28 city council meeting will also be delayed.

Some residents CBC spoke with who live near the fire hall raised concerns about the proposal.

Mark Jace Reilly Colin, who lives across the street from the former fire hall, is concerned that the shelter would "cause a lot of problems for the neighbourhood."

"We have no shelters on the east side, so we definitely need one. It's just that this location is a very poor choice," he said.

Mark Jace Reilly Colin lives across from the street from the proposed shelter location. He says a shelter is needed on the east side of the city but thinks the location is a poor choice. (Trevor Bothorel/Radio-Canada)

"It's right by a leisure centre, a school, bars — right down the street there's an alcohol store and a marijuana dispensary. It's just a very bad location. Not to mention that there's a bus stop right here as well, which means lots of traffic coming in and out."

Colin said there are not many crucial services for people who are homeless in the area.

Robert Scott, who owns Glenwood Automotive Service — just down the street from the fire hall — said his biggest concern is for children in the area.

"The children should be able to safely go play in the school playground, and I think we're concerned about needles and their safety," he said.

"And as far as the residents and the businesses in the area, we're concerned about people loitering, vandalism."

Robert Scott, owner of Glenwood Automotive Service, says he is concerned about the possible break-ins if the shelter opens in the area. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)

The proposed location is also near Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingual School, a K-8 school that is part of the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division, and ACT Arena, where some Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association games are played.

A spokesperson with the school division said "safety and security of the staff and students" is their primary concern, and the division will wait for more information from the city council.

The Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association sent a notice to families of players saying its board of directors "shares your concerns" regarding the proposed shelter near the arena.

The notice from vice-president Jim Walters, said the hockey association will be contacting city council to express concerns about the location, and encouraged families to do the same.

More consultation needed: councillor

Glenwood Automotive Service owner Scott also said he's concerned about the threat of break-ins, and is considering fencing and starting a night patrol in the area with other local businesses.

He said there are lessons to be learned from the shelter that opened in Saskatoon's Fairhaven neighbourhood in late 2022. Residents from that community shared their views at Sunday's public meeting, he said.

"They said their property values have gone down for the first time in history. … and also crime is up," he said.

The owner of another nearby business also has concerns about the proposed shelter.

"It's a 30-bed, first-come, first-serve [shelter]. So people are going to hang around the neighbourhood," said Brent Badrock, who owns Gibbon Heating and Air Conditioning.

Brent Badrock, owner of Gibbon Heating and Air Conditioning, is also worried about the possibility of theft at his business. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)

Badrock said he would join others in a night patrol.

"We have copper — that's a big thing that people steal. So now, I have to make sure that I don't have anything in my yard that people can walk by and see because they'll jump the fence and take it."

In addition to concerns about the safety of his staff and family, Badrock is worried that the shelter could impact the value of his property.

"Everyone needs to get out to the meetings at city council. That's the best way that we can put that across."

LISTEN | Councillor weighs in on plan to put new emergency shelter in Sutherland:

Hill said more public consultation is needed in the discussions around bringing the shelter to the Sutherland neighbourhood.

"It was a surprise to me that we even announced this shelter almost four weeks ago without having the meeting date scheduled, and then two weeks after that we announced the meeting dates only to have them cancelled three days before the meetings are supposed to happen," Hill said.

"The administration has not done a stellar job on communications and co-ordinating with the public on this issue."

Hill said six city councillors will need to be in favour of approving the lease, operating times and the rezoning of the facility in order for the former fire station to be transformed into a shelter.

"I believe that the residents are honestly going to hold every member of council accountable for how they vote on those three votes," Hill said.