'A beautiful place': Battleford Agency Tribal Council to run Lighthouse shelter
Lighthouse Supported Living will lease its North Battleford shelter to Battleford Agency Tribal Council (BATC) to operate a shelter over the next six months.
“The City of North Battleford is very thankful for our community-minded partners that have worked together to develop an innovative approach to continue this needed service for the homeless in the Battlefords,” North Battleford Mayor David Gillan said in a news release.
In March 2020, the Lighthouse did not qualify for homelessness funding and was at risk of closing the shelter in the North Battleford location, according to the release.
At that time, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) committed to fund services to the most vulnerable. The North Battleford Lighthouse Supported Living emergency shelter was able to remain open until the end of September.
The new partnership with BATC will ensure the homelessness service remains accessible beyond the end of MN–S funding.
“It is with pride that we have worked with our elders to create a new name, ‘Miywasin Kikinaw - a beautiful place,’” the BATC chiefs said in the release.
“It is our hope to work with clients on a case by-case basis, while focusing on health, wellness, and future transitioning. This has been close to our hearts. We have provided funding to the Lighthouse for over a decade. It makes sense to all of us at BATC to lead a new, more innovative approach to addressing homelessness in the Battlefords.”
Over the next six months, the Lighthouse Board will also be working on strengthening community partnerships in the Battlefords and Saskatoon and developing a strong, long-term sustainable plan to mitigate the risk of closing the doors in the future.
“Building strong partnerships within the community is essential to ensure the needs are being properly served. We are committed to evolving the services to support the Battlefords and surrounding area in the best way possible through these partnerships,” Lighthouse Board Chair Jerome Hepfner said.
Have a news story? Is there something that CTV News Saskatoon should report on? Submit a news tip.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'