'I’m tired of the pointing fingers': STC Chief urges for empathy to solve homelessness

Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand told attendees at a North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA) luncheon on Wednesday that complaining from afar isn't helping the city's homelessness issue. 

“Don’t stand or sit behind a patio and send in an email and think you’re solving anything, because you’re actually pissing me off," Arcand said.

Arcand pointed to residents needing to stop saying, “not in my backyard,” and asked them to be more willing to welcome a shelter in their neighbourhoods. He voiced his frustration towards people complaining about the issues the STC's Downtown Wellness Shelter is causing in the city’s downtown but people's lack of empathy towards the homeless.

Arcand's main message throughout his speech was reminding the crowd that homelessness is a broader community issue. 

“It's not a downtown issue. It's not an eastside, westside issue,” said Arcand. “Homelessness is being affected by all of our community and it has to take a community to come together to actually solve this problem.”

“I’m tired of the racism and I’m tired of the pointing fingers and picking at us like were doing something wrong.”

Arcand went on to explain the complex issues people staying at the shelter face. According to Arcand, there have been over 1,000 different people come through the doors since Dec. 15.

“Our goal is to house people and get them the proper trauma services that they need. If we can do this together as a community, then we're laughing.”

Brent Penner, executive director with Saskatoon's Downtown Business Improvement District, said Arcand’s speech likely made those in the room a “little more” self-reflective.

“We have to look at building proposed built facilities that have space within the outside of the facility for people to have more dignity than they do now. I don’t think it’s acceptable for the people sitting outside the facilities in the hot or the cold, that we can and need to do better so we have improved standards we call for as a community," Penner said. 

Arcand mentioned a new shelter is expected to be announced in the coming months, which will be located away from downtown.