City rule change nixes proposed Sutherland emergency shelter

Officials say there's an urgent need to get sites in place as homeless crisis grows

A 30-bed emergency shelter won't go ahead as proposed in Saskatoon's Sutherland neighbourhood.

This comes after city council on Wednesday passed a motion put forward by Ward 10 Coun. Zach Jeffries to modify criteria city staff use in discussions with the province on where to locate new emergency shelter facilities.

Jeffries's motion called for a minimum 250 metres of separation between an emergency shelter site and any elementary school, which would preclude the shelter being placed as proposed in a former firehall at 421 Central Ave. due to its proximity to nearby Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingual School.

Parents of students at the school and other neighbourhood residents have in recent weeks protested the proposed shelter, citing concerns about crime and safety in the community.

The province in October asked city staff to create a list of potential locations for two new 30-bed emergency shelters announced as part of a provincial mental health, addictions and housing strategy. Council set out the criteria for staff, but Jeffries on Wednesday said that with the benefit of “a little hindsight,” it made sense to add a requirement for a minimum separation distance from schools.

Council heard from city staff during the course of debate on Jeffries's motion that 250 metres was viewed as a distance that would create separation between shelters and schools without making it effectively impossible to find sites.

City manager Jeff Jorgenson told council during the discussion that, so far, city staff have approached collaboration with the province from the position of trying to find permanent sites for the two new emergency shelters. He said council passing Jeffries's motion would likely see conversations with the province pivot to finding temporary locations that could be used for up to 18 months.

Jorgenson said there remains a sense of urgency to get sites selected and get the new beds available within the next few months.

Council further heard from Saskatoon fire chief Morgan Hackl that there continues to be a burgeoning homelessness crisis in Saskatoon. Firefighters are seeing more encampments, Hackl said, and there are rising numbers of people using warm-up facilities or spending entire nights in the St. Paul's Hospital emergency room waiting area in order to get out of the cold.

Prior to passing Jeffries's motion, council voted 6-5 to block an amendment put forward by Ward 2 Coun. Hilary Gough that would have delayed the Central Avenue shelter pending more reporting from city staff, while keeping the site up for consideration.

The discussion around Jeffries's motion was the second item related to homelessness and emergency shelter locations considered by council.

Council earlier in the day passed a motion put forward by Ward 1 Coun. Darren Hill calling for further reporting on crime in the area around a 106-bed emergency shelter operated in the Fairhaven neighbourhood by the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

Hill told council he toured the Fairhaven neighbourhood late last year, where he heard complaints about a rise in crime since the shelter opened in December 2022.