Liberals drill into King government over 'tragic mishandling' of Community Outreach Centre
Premier says province working hard to relocate centre on 1st day of Legislature fall sitting
On the first day of the P.E.I. Legislature's fall sitting, the Opposition Liberals used all their time during question period to press the Progressive Conservatives on the Community Outreach Centre.
The Liberals often referred to growing tensions between the centre in Charlottetown and the neighbouring community, characterizing the PC government's oversight of the centre as a "tragic mishandling."
The party tabled a letter from the Birchwood Intermediate Home and School Association president Mike Redmond, where he said students were "scared" and being robbed of the experience of attending high school.
"What would you say if your kids are going to Birchwood Junior High, when kids are scared, when Home and School is coming to you and saying 'Hey, this is a problem'?" Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly asked Premier Dennis King on Tuesday.
"What do you say to the parents who are bringing these concerns to you, to the feet of your government?"
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King said the government is working as fast as it can to relocate the centre, and to "tamp down a lot of those issues that they're dealing with."
The premier announced last week the province intends to move the centre from its current location on Euston Street to a spot close to the city's Park Street temporary emergency shelter, near the Hillsborough Bridge.
The outreach centre has been operating at Euston's old curling club building since 2021. Redmond's letter suggested custodial staff at nearby Birchwood were sweeping the property for "drug paraphernalia, used needles, crack pipes and condoms."
McNeilly called these "ghastly scenarios," and asked Education Minister Natalie Jameson how many incident reports she'd received and reviewed regarding the centre.
"None that I'm aware of," Jameson said, adding that there are now staff inspecting school grounds as well as higher police presence in the area and a fence put up at the Prince Street Elementary School.
Community Outreach Centre debate
The centre's aim is to help people dealing with homelessness while opening the path to counselling, employment, food and housing services for community members who need them.
In the years since it opened, it has become a heated topic of debate for people living in the area, who have said they feel unsafe.
At a recent public meeting in Charlottetown, residents urged members of a legislative committee to get rid of it altogether.
That was followed by a protest outside provincial government offices, and the government's announcement the centre was moving.
About 100 people gathered outside the Legislature Tuesday to speak up about how it continues to impact their lives.
Some, including Loma Burke MacPhee, came from as far away as Montague.
"This is not just a Charlottetown problem," she said. "This is a P.E.I. problem and we've all got to get involved. We can't see our neighbourhoods be ruined like this."
'We can do better,' housing minister says
The move to Park Street would be the centre's fourth since it first opened in January 2020.
Later on during question period, the P.E.I. Greens picked up the Liberals' line of questioning.
Interim Green Leader Karla Bernard turned her attention to Housing Minister Rob Lantz.
"Fourth time is the charm — said no one ever," Bernard said. "What do you actually expect to change by doing very little else but moving the service to another temporary location just down the road?"
Lantz responded by saying the Park Street location is part of the government's plan to "hit the reset button" on the centre and rethink how to deliver services to vulnerable Islanders.
"We can do better. We can do better for the people who have endured some very difficult months and years in the vicinity of the current location," Lantz said.
"The temporary move to Park Street is just one step in the process that we're embarking on."
Bernard followed up by saying moving the centre does not fix the problem.
She said the government has failed to deliver on a supervised injection site (a government plan that has, for the time being, fallen through because the City of Charlottetown rejected the proposal) and on a mental health hospital, which the PCs promised during the 2019 election campaign.
"A question to the premier: Is this the type of legacy you want to leave for our province?" Bernard asked.
These are very very complex issues that we're trying to deal with that are very, very emotional.- Premier Dennis King
"These are very very complex issues that we're trying to deal with that are very, very emotional," King answered. "I would, again, ask Islanders to remember who we are. To remember that we should have compassion for those individuals who need help.…
"Solutions are also important. I'd say we're open to any and all solutions that would help us relocate as quickly as possible."
The province's plan depends on the City of Charlottetown approving a zoning variance to allow the centre to move. The government says it will close the current location within 60 days of that approval being granted.
A city spokesperson previously told CBC News it could take three months for an application to make it through the approval process, so any move to Park Street would be about five months away at the earliest.
On Tuesday, the Liberals introduced a motion asking government to release a backup plan for the centre which could include a "firm date" for the closure of the Euston Street location. It also urged the province to "take direct control" of operations once the centre moves to Park Street.
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With files from Kerry Campbell