Salvation Army, Fleury battle over Vanier
Councillor refutes contention he wanted to keep proposal secret until unveiling
Coun. Mathieu Fleury is firing back at the Salvation Army, accusing it of being “unorganized” and spinning rhetoric over its $50-million plan to relocate an emergency shelter and support centre to Vanier.
Fleury said a letter released by the Salvation Army on July 15 was in response to a June 27 letter he sent the organization asking for criteria the organization used to choose 333 Montreal Rd. for the proposed complex and requesting that the development application process pause for 30 days to find other potential sites.
“And they respond with this,” Fleury said in his office, pointing to the Salvation Army’s July 15 letter, which claims Fleury never indicated opposition to the group’s proposed shelter on Montreal Road.
“What they choose to do is create a full spin, full of assumptions and subtleties in here that are, in my mind, building on the rhetoric that they have consulted the city, that they’ve consulted with the community, that we knew all along about that site and the subtle component that we supported that site.”
The organization sent its letter to Fleury last Saturday reminding him of the consultation process that started in January 2015, when the organization apparently met with Fleury and the city to discuss the Vanier property. The Salvation Army sent the letter to all council members Wednesday night.
The Salvation Army wants to build a facility to replace the current emergency shelter in the By Ward Market.
“At that time, you indicated that you were supportive of a concept where the design of a new facility did not replicate the current structure in the Market; a facility that did not resemble institutional use and had a ‘wow’ factor that the Ottawa Booth Centre does not have,” wrote Glenn van Gulik, the Salvation Army’s area public relations director.
Van Gulik goes on to mention other times that the Salvation Army has met with Fleury about the proposal.
The letter’s intent was clearly to show that Fleury wasn’t blindsided by the Salvation Army’s proposal to move the service centre to Vanier.
“In fact, as we look back at all of the meetings over the past 2 1/2 years, not only have we never been requested to engage community groups in discussion or consultation, but there was insistence by yourself and the City staff to keep this proposal for 333 Montreal Road private until the announcement on June 22nd, 2017,” van Gulik wrote in the letter.
Fleury said he never asked to keep the proposal secret.
“They’re losing focus of their application. We’re still waiting for them to do public consultation, identified dates and location,” Fleury said.
“This group appears to be unorganized in terms of engagement with our city and our community,” he added.
Fleury said he has known the Salvation Army was looking for a new shelter site for the past seven years.
Asked why he didn’t spearhead a consultation since he knew about the Salvation Army’s intentions for years, Fleury said he didn’t think the organization’s headquarters would follow through.
“I was convinced this organization was not going to proceed with a submission,” Fleury said.
Fleury said he wants more decentralization of the social services, rather than clumping them together on one property.
He said the community should have helped with the site selection.
The Salvation Army says it has never been asked to engage in community consultations, but Fleury said it’s the organization’s responsibility as part of the planning process.
“If they were focused on their application, they would do public consultation. They haven’t done that yet,” Fleury said.
In Vanier, there is vocal opposition to the shelter proposal.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Watson has thrown his support behind the Salvation Army proposal.
There appears to be no appetite at the Salvation Army to delay the application, even though Fleury has said he wants to slow it down to consult the public.
The city expects the planning committee and council will consider the application in the fall.