During Monday night's meeting, ample time was provided for people to ask questions. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community projects

Round two: homeless shelter meeting comes to Midtown

Jan 21, 2025 | 8:32 AM

The City of Prince Albert held a second public meeting for a permanent homeless shelter Monday night and it had a much different look and feel than the first one, focusing more on group interaction and less on presentations.

According to moderator and Community Development Director Craig Guidinger, that was, in fact, the goal.

“We’re finding that speaking in front of a room full of people might not be people’s most comfortable situation to be in, so we did switch things up to spend more time on the kind of informal part of the evening where people just write down their comments. At the first meeting, that was kind of an afterthought,” he said.

Close to 100 people attended the two hour meeting at Midtown Hall and raised questions related to overall cost of the shelter security, police involvement and what services would all be offered.

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Noting the total attendance at the first meetings was been about 250, Guidinger said it shows the issue is very important to city residents.

“It’s important to come out, be heard and provide your comments. It’s one thing you know to stay at home and talk to your neighbor and challenge potentially what we’re doing, but to take that step to come out, I think is really important. So we’re very appreciative of that,” he said

Going forward, Guidinger said the plan remains to bring a report to city council in March so they can then make a next step decision.

“The construction season is short and we want to get something in place by next winter, or at least under way, so I think to get that decision made as early as possible is pretty important,” he said.

Among the local residents in attendance was respected Elder Liz Settee who found the information presented very helpful and also acknowledged the fact that no matter what the final decision is with respect to a location, there will be some people who are not happy.

“But the bottom line is these people are people and they deserve a shelter. I can’t believe in today’s society that we have food bags that the Salvation Army is handing out and that we have people sleeping on the streets. It’s cold out there and there’s no reason that something like that should be happening,” she said.

Further showing her support for the shelter, Settee dismissed suggestions the city’s homeless are a threat and noted how when she goes to work each day at the Macintosh Mall on Central Ave., she often meets homeless people who are sleeping on the street.

“I have never ever had a problem because I’m not scared to say hi or good morning and treat them like people. That’s all we need to do. We forget that they are people”

Adreanna Gareau lives with her children in the Midtown area and also runs a business in the downtown.

“I’m very much pro shelter. I think that we need it. I’m not one of those people who says not in my backyard because I think the shelter has to go somewhere and it has to be somewhere that’s accessible for the people who need it.”

Gareau said she hopes some peoples’ opinions shared at the meeting will help get the ball rolling.

“You know I work downtown and I live downtown and it’s just really sad to see people who are like freezing and hungry and acting out because they’re having mental issues,” she said.

Attendees were provided 45 minutes to sit together, chat and fill out information sheets. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Concerns and discussions

For the greater part of the meeting, the tone remained calm and respectful; however, as the second hour began, a few individuals grew restless and ignored the suggestion to line up to use the microphone.

One of those individuals demanded to know what the price tag was attached to the project, and why the city was so eager to move forward with a project without first having a firm number in place.

Guidinger explained it was too early in the process to have a number, and while confirming a funding commitment by the province, stated they first had to find out the scope and size of the project.

Also in attendance at the meeting was Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Nogier who responded to concerns related to police deployment and public safety. While explaining what’s happening in Prince Albert is no different then what’s happening elsewhere, he mentioned what separates this city from Saskatoon with respect to a permanent shelter, is the fact the public is getting a chance to provide the input.

“That did not occur in Saskatoon”, he said, adding many of Saskatoon’s challenges with respect to its permanent shelter have arisen from the fact they have been in a more reactive stance.

Further commenting on the police service’s commitment to watch the centre and protect the public, Nogier also confirmed the addition of two more specialty trained officers whose job it will be to deal with people having a mental health crisis. He also noted pilot projects in other larger centres, where a trained nurse is attending calls.

Prince Albert YWCA CEO Donna Brooks said the Stepping Stones shelter, a 45 bed facility, has issues with leaks and mold and does not meet the needs of staff or the people who come to use it.

“It was meant to be temporary,” she said.

Further encouraging the public to think of the good impact a permanent shelter would make, Brooks said it is important to remember the people relying on the shelter are someone’s daughter or mother.

The next public meeting is Tuesday evening at the Alfred Jenkins Field House. The start time is once again 5:30 p.m.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell