Barrhaven residents rally against tent-like shelters for asylum seekers

Several hundred people gathered in Barrhaven on Tuesday night to voice their opposition to a proposal by the city to set up tent-like structures to shelter up to 300 asylum seekers in the south Ottawa suburb.

The city is looking to erect two of the structures, each with a capacity of 150, to house people fleeing persecution. No final decision on their location has been made.

They would include private rooms, showers and possibly kitchens, as well as space for social services.

The city plans to house asylum seekers in these shelters for up to 90 days before moving them to transitional housing, a step toward a permanent home.

As of this summer, most single adults seeking shelter in Ottawa were newcomers to Canada. They've been accommodated in existing shelters, hotels and converted community centres.

Local councillor opposed

Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo said two sites are being considered for the new shelters, including a grassy space at the corner of Greenbank Road and Highbury Park Drive where the rally took place. 

Lo objects to the idea of using the structures to address the influx of asylum seekers in Ottawa.

It's not us versus them. Our opposition to this is bad city policy.​​​​​​- Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo

"That is not an appropriate way to house people, even if it's temporarily, here in Barrhaven, in Ottawa, frankly anywhere," he said.

"This is not an argument about Barrhaven versus asylum seekers. It's not us versus them. Our opposition to this is bad city policy."

The wards of Barrhaven East and Barrhaven West have an estimated combined population of more than 106,000.

Zhong Xian Wang, an immigrant from China who has lived in Barrhaven for 10 years, said she would rather see government buildings used as shelters.

"We would like to help the refugees because we are immigrants, we understand the situation. [But] if I have family, I don't want my family to live in [a] tent," she said.

The federal government is making some properties "available" for developers to convert to housing as it tries to boost supply. Currently, 32 of the 71 federal properties on offer are in Ottawa-Gatineau

Other residents said Barrhaven lacks the resources to help so many newcomers, even with the promised supports that will come with the shelters.

"As far as asylum seekers, they should not be here. There's no services for them here. It's the wrong place. There's a lot of places [with] lots of room for them," said Darrell Bartraw.

That argument stands in contrast with calls from downtown communities such as Lowertown to better distribute social services across the city to avoid concentrating them in the core.

City council approval

Clara Freire, Ottawa's general manager of community and social services, said the city currently lacks a way to help transition asylum seekers to permanent housing. She said the shelters are needed to relieve the stress on community centres in Vanier and the Heron Gate area, where some are currently being sheltered.

"We have ... 337 people sleeping on cots, on gym floors … they're on bleachers in arenas. In some cases, all of that is full," she said.

Freire added the protest in Barrhaven may be premature, as the city hasn't landed on a final list of sites.

A final list of proposed locations is expected to be presented to city councillors in a couple weeks.