Salvation Army centre proposal met by critics

Objections were voiced inside and outside the Vanier Community Service Centre on Friday night about the Salvation Army’s proposed Montreal Road shelter.

“The shelter just doesn’t make sense,” said Shirley Duquette, a longtime Vanier resident who came out to demonstrate as the Salvation Army met with the Vanier Community Association to explain its proposal and answer questions about it.

The 53-year-old said the Vanier community has changed for the better in recent years.

“I didn’t use to feel safe walking on the street with my walker. This shelter will set us back,” said Duquette, who lives four blocks from the proposed site.

Last week, the Salvation Army announced it had decided to proceed with plans to relocate its ByWard Market residence and emergency shelter.

The $50-million plan calls for a 9,600-square-metre multi-purpose facility that would house an emergency shelter, day programs, medical facility, addiction services and various administrative offices.

A house on Ste. Anne Avenue would be demolished to provide a secondary access to the property. The shelter would offer 350 beds in total, 140 of them earmarked as emergency beds.

Friday night’s meeting followed a closed meeting the not-for-profit organization held with a condo board at 200 Lafontaine Ave. on Tuesday.

Outside of that meeting, Vanier residents — most part of the community opposition group SOS Vanier — gathered, holding signs reading things such as, “Vanier residents say no.”

Friday night’s meeting was also scheduled to be closed, but a VCA bylaw states that meetings should be open to the public unless a sensitive issue is being discussed.

Drew Dobson, who owns Finnigan’s Pub, located just down the street from the proposed site, posted earlier in the SOS Vanier group that he and others would gather outside the meeting to protest the fact that it was closed.

“We want to let the Salvation Army know that we aren’t happy about the way they have consulted the public and these closed-door meetings.

“We want them to step back and take a look at the site.” Some from the group outside wearing SOS Vanier shirts decided to venture inside the community centre for the meeting.

VCA organizers urged people at the start of the meeting to be respectful during the Salvation Army’s presentation.

Throughout the presentation, which touched on the layout and planning of the proposed site, representatives were interrupted by residents with comments and concerns.

“You guys have a nice presentation but you didn’t start talking to the VCA first. You should have involved them before this stage,” said one of the 30 residents in the meeting. As the presentation shifted to security, some residents became angry.

“How are you going to protest us from them?” one resident said

Residents also questioned procedures, why organizers didn’t speak in French and how much research they did regarding other possible locations for the site. During the meeting, Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who has questioned the selection criteria for the site and who represents residents at both the current and proposed locations, was at the presentation but did not speak. With files from Olivia Blackmore

We aren’t happy about the way they have consulted the public and these closed-door meetings.