Politics 'part of this problem,' STC chief says in response to Saskatoon mayoral candidates' shelter plans
Mayoral candidates weigh in on emergency shelters, safe streets in Saskatoon
The head of the Saskatoon Tribal Council says politics won't help those who are homeless in the city.
That's STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand's message for Saskatoon mayoral candidates who are making the tribal council's Wellness Centre a central issue in November's civic election.
CBC spoke with the four candidates for mayor about their ideas for the tribal council's emergency shelter in the Fairhaven neighbourhood and the city's homelessness crisis.
On Friday, Arcand responded to those ideas.
"There's no proper investments or real investments to make change, and … politics is part of this problem," Arcand said in an interview with CBC News.
"I think people need to be inside the fire, which we are as a service provider. And if you're not, stay out of it and just do your own thing, because you're not helping the situation.… Everybody's got a solution for homelessness, but they never did anything about it."
Watch | Chief Mark Arcand gives his thoughts on the future of Saskatoon's emergency shelter:
Arcand said he's not opposed to moving the wellness centre. He said he recently met with mayoral candidate Gord Wyant, who wants to move the centre and improve its services.
"When he asked me about relocating the facility, I said absolutely. However, it's got to be a proper facility," Arcand said.
"No more of these shortfalls. Because right now, we don't have a proper commercial kitchen or a proper shower and tub for people. We're not getting investments from the province to actually help people."
Mayoral candidate Don Atchison said he doesn't think shelters should exist at all, but Arcand thinks that's unrealistic.
"For Don Atchison to say it's got to be shut down completely, he's never talked to me," Arcand said. "So that's pretty disrespectful to make those comments when he's never been in the trenches of homelessness.... I don't support Don Atchison."
Industrial area better: Wyant
Arcand offered a unique solution to the controversy over shelter locations: put one in every neighbourhood.
"There are 10 neighbourhoods, so maybe we look at a 30-bed facility in each neighbourhood. But they have to be funded properly and they have to be staffed properly, and they ought to come with police services."
The STC's Wellness Centre opened in December 2022 and has been at the centre of ongoing controversy over how shelters are managed in the city.
WATCH | Here's what Saskatoon's mayoral candidates want to do about emergency shelters:
Wyant said if he is elected as mayor, the city's first task will be relocating the shelter away from residential areas. He said the Fairhaven shelter lacks the proper services.
"We really think that there needs to be a location for the shelter that's close to services and yet doesn't negatively impact residential areas," Wyant said.
"We have industrial areas in Saskatoon and a lot of people have suggested that perhaps an industrial location in Saskatoon is more appropriate for a shelter."
Wyant said despite the growing population, the city has "the lowest number of police officers per 100,000 in the country," and he would increase police presence around shelters.
'Why do we have to make this a mayoral issue?': Block
Mayoral candidate Cynthia Block said Wyant, a former MLA, should know that the contract at Fairhaven shelter is made by the provincial government and beyond the municipal government's jurisdiction.
"He has the power to change it right now. And why not get to work now?" Block said. "Why do we have to make this a mayoral issue? He literally is a sitting member of the Sask. Party."
Block said there is no simple fix, but it's clear there is an urgent need for easily accessible mental health and addictions social services.
"Every jurisdiction understands that you must place sheltering of people who are unhoused in areas where there's transit and where they have access to social services. So I don't know how we do that in the North Industrial area."
Block wants the mayor's task force on homelessness to get involved.
"A more resident-focused task force will help us to include residents and experts so that we're all utilizing the same information and strategizing together," she said.
'Don't need to have homeless shelters in Saskatoon': Atchison
Atchison, a former mayor of Saskatoon, said shelter relocation is not a solution.
"We need to close it down and we don't need to have homeless shelters in Saskatoon," he said. "We need recovery centres."
Atchison said he has a unique approach for solving homelessness, but he declined to share his alternatives because other candidates might copy him.
"Homeless shelters shouldn't be anywhere in Saskatoon. They shouldn't be in any neighbourhood. They shouldn't be industrial areas at all."
Atchison said his "leading edge" solutions have not been replicated in many other communities.
He said city council should focus on affordable housing.
"We need to be able to have non-government organizations, faith-based groups again involved," Atchison said.
Purpose-built modular shelter can work: Tarasoff
Mayoral candidate Cary Tarasoff agrees that shelters shouldn't be in residential areas.
"We're wasting an awful lot of money to do things that are getting people killed in residential areas and causing a lot of mayhem."
Tarasoff suggested the city use a purpose-built modular shelter system in the city's north end that can be adapted as demand rises or falls.
"[Then] we don't buy a building that isn't made for this, spend a huge amount of money to renovate only to find out it's still the wrong building in the wrong location. We keep doing the same thing over and over again," he said.
An important component is bringing social services to the new location, he added.
Elections for urban municipalities in Saskatchewan are scheduled for Nov. 13, 2024.
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