Kenora, Ontario council defers emergency shelter zoning amendment

The executive director of the Ne-Chee Friendship Centre in Kenora, Ont., says she was surprised by city council's move Tuesday to defer a zoning bylaw amendment which would allow a new emergency shelter to be set up in city's the downtown core.

Patti Fairfield said her facility is poised to take over responsibility for the emergency shelter, from the Kenora Fellowship Centre, which has said it would stop operating the shelter this spring.

"We just felt it was a good fit to have our programs and the shelter," said Fairfield.

The Ne-Chee Friendship Centre is an urban aboriginal centre offering health, justice, education, employment and social services.

However, some feel its location on Railway Street is not user-friendly, because there are no sidewalks, and no bus service said Fairfield.

Her hope is to relocate all those services to the downtown area, because that's where they are most needed, she said.

"That's the core area that the people tend to be in, and to put a shelter somewhere outside of that, I just can't see that working," said Fairfield.

"We would be able to provide services to those people who are ready to make those changes in their lives... So it's not like we're just providing an overnight shelter and then, that's it, and off they go. If they're ready, they could come into some of the programming that we have so whether they're looking at education, some healing and wellness, employment, we're there to help with those things," said Fairfield.

An emergency shelter falls under residential zoning, said Fairfield.

Kenora council, in a vote of 4 to 3, deferred the proposed bylaw amendment to allow a shelter in an area zoned general commercial and institutional, until it could study the matter further, she said, adding that a decision is expected within six months.