Riversdale warming centre operator endorses alternative site proposed by Saskatoon
CBC
The City of Saskatoon has proposed an alternative — and potentially more permanent — site for its warming centre in the Riversdale neighbourhood.
The operator of the current facility at 325 Avenue C S. already endorses the plan.
"I'm encouraging the city council to actually make this purchase," Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand said on Thursday.
If approved by city council at a meeting on Feb. 25, the city would buy the building at 130 Idylwyld Drive North for $1,635,000.
The federal government's Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative would fund the purchase, according to Lesley Anderson, the city's director of planning and development.
The city would then use money from its affordable housing reserve to help renovate and upgrade the 6,569 square foot building.
A report prepared by the administration says the location is a viable alternative to the existing warming centre on Avenue C South.
"It remains centrally located, has street access off Idylwyld Drive and Wall Street and is close to transit, as well as other services which are beneficial to warming/navigation services," the report reads.
The new site also has two separate "bays" that could allow for separate spaces for men and women.
When the Avenue C South location was being debated in October, the city administration committed to continue looking for alternative options, Anderson said.
"It has been a challenge over the years to find locations," she said.
"The city only really got into this in the last few years and these types of facilities do generate quite a bit of interest and feedback from adjacent land owners."
The current warming centre location drew criticism.
Major Gordon Taylor of the Salvation Army said selecting the property was a "bad idea" because it's located right next to the Salvation Army Crossroads shelter.
Five NDP leadership candidates are set to take the stage in what will be the final debate before members decide who will land the party's top job.
Alberta's lab services are facing yet another move as the provincial government forges ahead with its health system restructuring process.
B.C.’s most populous city is now part of a growing trend of crime where perpetrators threaten residents and businesses with violence in exchange for money.
As Stratford continues to grow, some say it's time for the P.E.I. town to revive a group that supports local business owners.
The Alberta government launched a new online portal for families to see vacant assisted living spots in their community, something Premier Danielle Smith compared to websites that show a full range of available vacation bookings or rental properties.
A federal program meant to improve access to care for Indigenous peoples has been costing the N.W.T. government millions of dollars because the federal government underfunds it, say some leaders in the territory.
'Enough is enough': Canadian intelligence experts to focus on extortion crime, federal minister says
The federal finance minister visited Mississauga, Ont., Thursday to announce dedicated financial intelligence experts who will focus on extortion crime targeting Canadian businesses and households.
A third-party review of the use of dogs in medical research at London's Lawson Research Institute found that the testing, which induced heart attacks in the dogs, complied with all "regulatory, ethical and professional standards."
A Calgary-based outreach team that's trained to respond to overdoses in the city's inner-city Beltline neighbourhood, will see its hours slashed by Recovery Alberta so it will no longer operate overnight.
What happens in one community in northeast B.C. is always felt by all, says Peace River Regional District chair Brad Sperling.
School is out again on the northeast Avalon, as the region continues to dig out from this winter’s biggest storm.
Wikwemikong Tribal Police Servce (WTPS) said a drop in the number of charges against teens last year, particularly boys, is an encouraging sign that early intervention programs are working.
Christian Herridge’s life has not been easy.