Sask. ignores meeting invite, federal funds to tackle homeless encampments
Federal housing minister Sean Fraser says he’s going to work directly with the cities of Saskatoon and Regina to tackle homeless encampments, after the province ignored his funding offer last month.
“On September 18, 2024, I sent a letter to each province and territory asking them to partner with the federal government to urgently find shelter for those experiencing homelessness or living in encampments,” Fraser said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In the letter, we offered millions of dollars in additional funding in exchange for partnering with us and matching our contributions.”
Over a month later, Fraser said he still had no response from Saskatchewan, Alberta or Ontario.
In a statement to CTV News, a Saskatchewan Party spokesperson confirmed then-Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky received the letter of offer, but thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to meet at the time, given the proximity to the election.
“Should we be re-elected, we would certainly be willing to have that discussion with the federal government.”
But Fraser says the offer would not have been a surprise. It was part of $250 million in funding announced in the spring federal budget.
“There was ample engagement before the letter was sent, and there is no longer time to wait as the weather gets colder,” Fraser said on Tuesday.
“In these cases — along with any others who do not take quick action — we are now approaching municipalities directly to work with them, urgently.”
Given the limited time before it becomes too dangerous to sleep outdoors, Fraser says they’re going directly to Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Regina and Saskatoon, “given their readiness to quickly adopt cost-matched responses.”
“We will no longer wait for them to muster the political will to act as winter gets closer and lives are put at risk.”
In an emailed statement, the City of Regina said it has yet to receive "official communication from federal representatives" regarding Fraser's statement.
"We remain open to discussions and look forward to any forthcoming collaboration on this important issue."
The City of Saskatoon has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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