Long-time tenant of Saskatoon arena concerned about proposed Sutherland homeless shelter

Skate Saskatoon is concerned about a homeless shelter opening near ACT Arena.

The shelter is set to open in the spring in a former fire hall, located adjacent to ACT Arena.

Skate Saskatoon has been a tenant of the city-owned arena for more than 40 years.

The organization sent a memo to its members saying it "shares your concerns regarding the proposed homeless shelter."

"The safety and security of our members, coaches, employees, families, and volunteers is our utmost priority," Skate Saskatoon wrote in the memo.

Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) sent a similar memo to its members.

"We will be contacting Saskatoon city council and local MLAs to express our concerns with the location and encourage you to do the same," Jim Walters, first vice-president of SMHA, wrote.

Skate Saskatoon said it was not notified about the plans for the shelter location.

"The city did reach out to the tenant and primary user groups of ACT (figure skating, minor hockey)," a city spokesperson told CTV News.

The city said it has also been in contact with the Sutherland Forest Community Association, Sutherland Business Improvement District, and with executives at nearby schools.

"At this time, we have not received any letters of formal concerns expressed by specific groups. We have received individual questions around the operations of the facility," the city said.

The city cancelled its information sessions scheduled on Feb. 13 and 15 and rescheduled the meetings to March 11 and 12.

The city said the meetings will provide details about how the shelter will operate and provide feedback "on ways to best integrate a new shelter into the area."