'Don't want to lose any more people': Saskatoon rally calls for solutions for growing homeless population

David Fineday doesn't want any more of his friends to die on Saskatoon streets this winter.

"I don't want to lose any more people," Fineday said, speaking into a megaphone in front of city hall.

Fineday led a rally of about 15 people on Wednesday afternoon, calling for solutions for the city's most vulnerable.

Nearly 1,500 people in Saskatoon are homeless, according to the latest point-in-time count — nearly three times higher than the last count, conducted in 2022.

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block attended the rally, answering questions from those in attendance.

The rally raised concerns about the lack of shelter beds.

Renovations are just getting underway at Saskatoon's 40-bed emergency shelter on Pacific Avenue, which now won't open until March.

Fineday asked Block about supplying hotel rooms for those who are homeless.

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"We don't access the services of hotels and motels in these situations, but it is the responsibility of the provincial government," Block told the rally.

Block said she called Terry Jenson, Saskatchewan's Minister of Social Services, on Tuesday.

"I wanted to know if there are gaps. Our information suggests there could be, and he pledged to get to the bottom of it," Block said.

In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Services said during the extreme cold, "we connect with emergency shelters to confirm the availability of spaces."

If emergency shelters are full, "the ministry will connect them to safe shelter, including hotels."

The province said it's working with the city to find a permanent location for "an enhanced emergency shelter with up to 60 spaces."