'Blindsided' by councillor's letter criticizing emergency wellness centre: Saskatoon Tribal Council chief

The chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council is criticizing a three-page letter sent to the province by a city councillor about the tribal council's emergency wellness centre, saying he was "blindsided" by the councillor's move.

Coun. David Kirton (Ward 3) voiced concerns about the centre's impact on his ward, which includes the Fairhaven neighbourhood where the centre is located, in a letter addressed to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and other provincial ministers.

Kirton posted the letter, which he says he sent to officials on April 24, to his website on Monday.

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand says he only found out about the letter on Tuesday morning, and he took Kirton to task for it at a press conference later that day.

"My so-called partners in the City of Saskatoon and Ward 3 Coun. David Kirton never even gave me a courtesy call about this letter," said Arcand.

"I was blindsided this morning about this letter and I have no part in this, because I believe we have a strong relationship with the province of Saskatchewan in battling homelessness."

Kirton said in his letter that recently he has seen a negative impact in the neighbourhood from the centre — a facility with 106 emergency beds for people experiencing homelessness that relocated to Fairhaven late last year from a temporary downtown location.

It's affected schools, residents and services in the area, Kirton claimed.

"But my concerns surround the size of the facility in terms of 106 beds, and the dynamics the people in the neighbourhood have been witnessing from people with complex needs," Kirton said in the letter.

Arcand acknowledged the concerns of Fairhaven residents that Kirton referenced in his letter. However, he said the tribal council and the province are working to address those concerns during weekly meetings.

"I can assure you that when I have conversations with the province we sit at the table and talk," Arcand said.

"We don't send letters to the media and try to cause controversy, and that's what I see in the letter" from Kirton, he said.

"I'm really tired of David Kirton and his antics and riding my coattails in the work that we're doing as a Saskatoon Tribal Council in combating homelessness."

Arcand said Kirton is not helping the homelessness crisis, but is instead "fanning the flames."

Kirton calls for a review

In his letter, Kirton called for a review of the wellness centre and its location.

People who are living unhoused "either choose not to stay in a shelter, cannot get a bed in a shelter, or are getting kicked out of those shelters," he said.

Work needs to be done to assure the safety of residents and the staff of the emergency centre, he said.

Arcand took issue with Kirton's call for a review.

"We don't need a review because our province — who's funding us — is actually funding us based on their review," he said. 

"Did we meet all the criteria? Did we show the outcomes? Did we see the results? So he's actually challenging my integrity as the tribal chief in the organization … [by] asking for a review."

When CBC News spoke with Kirton after the Saskatoon Tribal Council press conference on Tuesday, the city councillor said he didn't understand why the tribal chief is "so upset."

"It's not like I'm putting pressure on the tribal council. I want to work with the tribal council. That's exactly what a review would do. We can find gaps in the services here in Saskatoon," said Kirton. 

"We've got 100 [homeless] people in Saskatoon with these complex needs. They're the ones who are coming out into the community. They're the ones who are creating angst in our neighbourhoods, for the most part," he said. 

"And there's a gap there. If [Chief Arcand] is working with people to do it, fine. I would love to hear what he's doing, though."

Kirton said that Arcand is missing part of the picture: what happens when "disruptive people" get kicked out of the centre and into the community.

"I need to see him step outside that fence, just once, to take a look at what's going on in the neighbourhood," said Kirton.

He's calling on the province to fund supported facilities smaller than the emergency centre spread throughout the city, rather than in one neighbourhood like Fairhaven.

At the legislature in Regina on Tuesday, Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky said he read the letter and has spoken with Kirton. But he backed up Arcand's insistence that reviews are consistently conducted. 

"We've been doing that sort of thing all along, I might argue, but we'll see," said Makowsky. "We appreciate Tribal Chief Arcand and the partnership that we have."

Chief calls for city funding

According to Arcand, the provincial government has provided $4 million in funding for the tribal council to operate the wellness centre. But since the centre moved to the Fairhaven neighbourhood, the city has not provided it with funding, he said.

"The City of Saskatoon has to step up. David Kirton, you're a city councillor. Make a motion of $1.5 million [in funding] to the city council and start investing in homelessness."

Kirton disputed Arcand's suggestion the city isn't invested in the wellness centre. He said he supports the idea of the city investing money in its operations.