Saskatoon leaders grapple with how to address 'new level of homelessness'
Saskatoon city officials are working on a plan to accommodate the call from the community to set up temporary emergency shelters in the city, to help house the growing number of homeless people as winter nears.
But before any temporary emergency shelters can be set up, or before empty buildings can be converted into emergency shelters, the city needs to amend zoning bylaws and create a definition for emergency residential shelters.
In a report to the city’s planning, development and community services committee, city administration and the Saskatoon Fire Department looked at zoning bylaw adjustments and development permits to allow for the establishment of temporary emergency shelters.
Planning director Leslie Anderson said administration is still working through details but anticipates not allowing emergency shelters in low-density residential areas.
"But we also have to balance all of this with the fact that there are only certain types of buildings where this is going to be able to be accommodated," Anderson said to the committee. "So we need to try to build a reasonable response that can allow for a facility to be developed. What we don't want to do is put in the restrictions that will make it impossible to achieve this."
The city said it will be bringing forward recommendations to zoning bylaw changes and criteria for emergency shelters, which will need approval by city council at a public hearing later this month.
Cameron Choquette, CEO of the Saskatchewan Landlords’ Association addressed the committee on Monday explaining that the increase in visible homelessness in Saskatoon is in part due to a recent change in how social assistance is handed out to social assistance clients.
At the end of August, Choquette said, the province amalgamated its old social assistance program into one program called Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), where direct payment to utility and rental providers was eliminated, and security deposits were scaled back to once every two years.
"What we've seen, and I think is important for the committee to consider today is, that the systemic changes are creating a new level of homelessness in Saskatoon and in our province," Choquette said.
He added the changes to income assistance have created a pile of rent arrears for social housing providers, leading to more evictions and more homeless people across Saskatchewan.
"We’ve seen increased encampments and we’ve seen increased homelessness in our city."
Mayor Charlie Clark said the city has a homelessness problem that has been growing for years and has only been exacerbated by the pandemic and the addictions crisis in Saskatoon.
"While we've been trying to put that fire out through a number of different initiatives … it has felt like the changes to the SIS program are really potentially adding fuel to that same fire that we're trying to put out and potentially driving more people into homelessness and it's at a time when it's getting cold," Clark said.
The administration report says that to be in the best position possible to accommodate requests for temporary emergency residential shelters, planning and development will submit a proposal to change the city's zoning rules to include a definition for emergency residential shelters and clear regulations for the application and renewal process to create such shelters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Melanie Joly 'forward-leaning' in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is suggesting Canada would support a policy of allowing Ukraine to use NATO-provided arms inside Russia.
Fast-paced, highflying SailGP blows into Halifax for weekend competition
Ten countries, including Canada, each with teams of six sailors, are battling head-to-head on Halifax Harbour this weekend for the Canadian debut of SailGP (Grand Prix).
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.