Location picked for Regina's new permanent emergency shelter

In a vote of 9-2 Regina city council decided to approve the location of the new permanent emergency shelter at 1600 Halifax Street on Wednesday.

The last proposed location, on the corner of Albert Street and Dewdney Avenue was voted down after a lengthy debate in June.

This new location also provided fuel for another lengthy debate amongst councillors that resulted in a meeting that lasted into the late night hours.

"We understand the need. We understand the need for the for the permanency of it. Ideally, you don't want to build shelters. You want folks to be moving through that system. But, I think that council really wanted this matter settled so that, we knew what was going to happen on in July of next year, that there was something stable and assured,” Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said. "Some of the delegates, both for and against it have highlighted this, like we're just shuffling the problem along. Should we move it from the Nest to heritage? No, it should go in North Central, which we debated two months ago. We're just moving it around rather than addressing it. That's a serious issue. We could have addressed it, cowardice prevented us from doing so." Ward 6 Coun. Dan LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc went on to express frustration with the amount of time it has taken to select a location.

"I think both [locations] are fine. Decide on either one and then begin the important work which community activists are already doing of building community, prepping the ground, dealing with stigma, on the one side and trauma on the other and hopefully building a more unified community." LeBlanc said.

Seventeen delegations and five communications were listed to share thoughts on the topic.

Thoughts and concerns brought forward by delegates Wednesday were similar to what those at the previous shelter location meeting said.

Business owners made up a significant portion of the delegations, several people citing safety concerns should a shelter go up next door to their businesses.

"We've learned to identify an unsafe environment and address them before they escalate. We have the right to life, liberty and security. As stated in section seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Crystal Pierno, a delegate speaking for LK Auto Collision said.

Another concern voiced was the price tag attached to the project. The Halifax Street location will cost around $2.6 million to purchase and about $3 million to renovate. Additionally, the cost of returning the current shelter space of the Nest will run to about $400,000. The total cost is estimated to be $6 million.

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"Renovations are estimated at $3 million. What does that include? A laundry area and expanded sleeping area shouldn't cost that much. Does the city oversee that part of the project, and how can citizens have input? Environmental design may be included in the renovation costs, but with respect, if the people staying in the shelter are dealing with homelessness or addictions, a specific color of the walls and the type of vegetation may not be at the top of their list of needs." Sandra Archibald, a delegate speaking on behalf of Arch Transco said.

Masters expressed that council will be taking steps to attempt to mitigate concerns from the community.

"I think funding for the Regina Street Team is important. I think we will have the alternative response officers on the streets, by July. So the proactive nature of coordinating and planning for how to deal with different types of incidents can be done in advance. I think that will be the that's the biggest learning lesson," Masters said.

As the councillor representing these businesses, LeBlanc argued that the need for shelter space outweighs these concerns.

"A statement which is some of this has been framed as business people against homeless people. My suggestion is the two actually have a common cause in homeless people not dying on the front steps of the business." LeBlanc said.

A common phrase used by those speaking in favour of the shelter location was “NIMBY,” meaning, “not in my backyard.”

"It must be incredibly difficult playing NIMBY whack-a-mole, because what we're finding out here now is that the City of Regina is one big NIMBY. Nobody wants this thing anywhere." delegate Shawn Koch said.

Koch went on to offer an open invitation for anyone to join a weekly gathering in Pepsi Park, where Koch and other community members offer free meals and other necessities to anyone in need.

"The only people that are unsafe with the people on the street are those people living on the street. The rest of you are uncomfortable." Koch said.