Saskatoon tribal chief says Sask. government needs to be held accountable for 'underfunding' shelters
Mark Arcand says Saskatoon city council holds 'trump card' on funding
An Indigenous leader says no one is standing up to the Saskatchewan government to say emergency shelters are underfunded.
The City of Saskatoon is proposing putting a temporary enhanced emergency shelter of 30 to 40 beds downtown in an old Saskatchewan Transportation Company building.
Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand doesn't like the location — or that the money isn't going to a warm-up shelter.
"So when I look at that funding, it's not making a difference in anybody's lives right now," he said. "So we asked them to redirect that funding and help more people. I think that's the best way to do this."
He said that if the shelter goes ahead, it and the city's other shelters will be underfunded.
He noted the planned operator of the proposed downtown shelter, The Mustard Seed, has indicated the staff-to-client ratio would be about 1:10.
Arcand said the tribal council's shelter in the Fairhaven neighbourhood has a staff member for every 14 clients, while the Salvation Army's shelter has a staff member for every 16 clients.
"Which is unsafe. Even at 1:10, the staffing ratio is unsafe," he said. "All our shelters have to be at 1:5. But again, the province is underfunding. Why?"
Arcand said a warm-up centre should also have a 1:5 staff-to-client ratio "for the safety of everybody."
He said the STC's emergency shelter has problems because it's underfunded.
"We've seen this for the last couple of years," he said. "Violence. We're confiscating weapons, loaded needles."
Arcand said city council has "the trump card" here. He said it would be letting the province "off the hook" on underfunding if it approves the proposed site.
In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Social Services said the province is investing $28.9 million in 2024-25 to continue to provide and expand homelessness services — an increase of $16.7 million. It said this includes $16.2 million to support ongoing emergency shelter operations.
The Saskatchewan government did not have a representative at either of two neighbourhood information sessions about the proposed shelter held on Monday.
Arcand said the province needs to be held accountable.
"The province was not there on Monday. Why? Not sure," he said. "They have to be involved in this process. They're the funders. They need to hear us say they're underfunding our situation in Saskatoon.
"So that's a big concern for me. That should be a big concern from Saskatoon. Why aren't the funders there?"
When CBC News asked the ministry for a response to Arcand, it said the City of Saskatoon and The Mustard Seed held the neighbourhood information sessions so that area residents and businesses could learn about the city's proposed location and The Mustard Seed's shelter operations. Municipal governments are responsible for identifying suitable locations for emergency shelters and shelter operators are best able to speak to their operations, the ministry said.
The province's minister of social services said earlier this week his ministry is also working with the city to develop a warm-up location for the winter.
"Right now, there is currently no warm-up centres that have been approved for the City of Saskatoon. My staff have been working with the city," Arcand said. "There's been no formal announcement of the date for a warm-up centre, so I'm really concerned about that.
"It's critical because we've had a few cold days already this month."
Arcand said the city should have had the plan completed by Sept. 1, but that there needs to be a plan by Oct. 1.
He said the tribal council is projecting there will be around 800 homeless people in Saskatoon this winter.
When CBC News asked the city to respond, Mayor Charlie Clark said in a statement that because the city is anticipating hundreds more people who will need a place to stay warm once shelter beds are filled up, the city is in the final stages of working with community partners and the province to provide an overnight warming centre.
Meanwhile, if the downtown location for the enhanced emergency shelter is approved by council, it is expected to open this winter.
The city said the temporary shelter would be in place for up to 18 months, if approved.
Council is scheduled to discuss the proposed site next Wednesday. The city said earlier this month that a search for longer-term sites continues.
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