Transitional housing options
Smith Lodge to reopen nine units on Nov. 28 for men, 20 more in spring for men, women
In the coming weeks, the Smith Lodge transitional unit housing complex will reopen in Charlottetown for men in need of emergency and transitional housing.
Smith Lodge, which has been housing a daytime community outreach centre, will be opening nine transitional housing units by the end of the year, Social Development and Housing Minister Ernie Hudson told the legislature on Tuesday.
Hudson said Smith Lodge will also expand to a 20-unit facility in the spring.
As of spring, 10 units are planned for men and 10 for women.
Although the facility will be offered for individuals in need of emergency housing, unlike a shelter, beds will be available for individuals for up to a year.
The transitional housing units are intended to act as a bridge for individuals to find more permanent housing.
Hudson said the province has signed a three-year contract with the Salvation Army to operate the facility.
The $3.7-million contract also includes provisions for the operation of the Bedford-MacDonald House shelter for men and the community outreach centre at Smith Lodge.
Hudson said the initial goal was to fully open Smith Lodge earlier.
"If we weren't in the middle of a pandemic or had not experienced a pandemic, yes, we would have been in the position this fall for 20 transitional beds or units at Smith Lodge," Hudson said.
Smith Lodge had operated for 17 years as a private community-care facility. It closed earlier this year but was reopened as the daytime community outreach
When asked why the units would be opening initially for men only, Hudson mentioned the capacity that exists for women’s shelters at Blooming House and Anderson House in Charlottetown, as well as Chief Mary Bernard House in Lennox Island.
He also pointed to the “physical layout, if you like, of the structure”.
Following the announcement in the legislature by Hudson, Green MLA Hannah Bell said she was concerned about the lack of a gender focus in the initial announcement from Hudson.
She noted that half of the usage of the community outreach centre in Smith Lodge is used by men, half by women.
Bell has frequently called for sustained, multi-year funding for Blooming House, which operates in Charlottetown as a women’s-only shelter.
Blooming House received a grant of $120,000 from the provincial government under summer's operating budget but also relies on community fundraising on a monthly basis in order to continue operating.
"You've got a really significant investment that is going to support, again, men's housing and men's shelters and Blooming House is sitting out on its own with only the eight beds that they have. I'm really concerned about what message that sends," Bell said.
During question period on Tuesday, Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly raised concern about the capacity of shelter beds in Charlottetown.
He noted that BedfordMacDonald House had reduced its capacity of 10 beds plus two emergency beds to nine beds.
“What assurances can you provide Islanders who are worried that the shelter may be limited in the weeks and months to come?” McNeilly asked.
In response, Hudson said the number of beds in Bedford-MacDonald House was reduced to allow for physical distancing due to the COVID19 pandemic.
Canada’s foreign affairs minister said Canada is taking the lead on a multilateral effort to address China’s “hostage diplomacy” in the wake of the arrest of Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
François-Philippe Champagne told the Canada-China parliamentary committee he would have more to say on the new concerted effort soon.
Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada’s former ambassador in Beijing, said the arbitrary detention discussions have been going on for some time and Champagne may have waited until after the U.S. election to speak publicly. President-elect Joe Biden has spoken in the past about renewing alliances to defend democracy and liberalism.
Saint-Jacques said likeminded countries could agree that hostage-taking by China (or any other country) would trigger automatic sanctions, to be applied by all signatory nations.
“In my view, if the alliance was strong, the next time China embarked on hostage diplomacy, they would understand they have to change the way they do business,” he said.
Officials cautioned that discussions are still taking place with allies over what kind of coordinated action would follow from an arbitrary detention. One source suggested that those discussions are more focused on speaking with one voice than on automatic sanctions.
Countries that have spoken out publicly against the detention of Kovrig and Spavor, and who might be expected to join any concerted effort, include the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia, France, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Spain.
Action on arbitrary detention would likely be applauded by a Canadian public that increasingly wants its government to stand up to China. A poll of 3,519 Canadians, released Wednesday by the Asia Pacific Foundation, suggested impressions of China are at their lowest ebb since the question was first asked in 2010, and Beijing’s economic growth is seen as more of a threat than an opportunity.
Champagne said at committee that China is evolving, so Canada’s foreign policy needs to evolve too.
After he was appointed as global affairs minister last December, Champagne said his department would come up with a new China policy framework. That new policy has yet to see the light of day. It is understood that a document recommending a pivot away from China, in terms of trade and investment, did emerge from Global Affairs but was rejected as it made its way to cabinet.
Champagne’s opening statement at the committee appears to be all that remains of that document.
He said relations with China are “complex and multi-dimensional”; that China is “increasingly prepared to throw its weight around”, and that like-minded countries need to defend the rules-based international order.
“We will continue to challenge China when it comes to human rights being violated ... and cooperate on global challenges like climate change, because there is no easy path forward without China,” he said.
However, the minister was careful not to sound provocative, saying he has no interest in irresponsible tough talk. “To those who are seduced by this one-dimensional view, I say this: While it is easy to be tough, let’s continue to be smart,” he said.