Saskatoon residents raise concerns over pedestrian tunnel
A tunnel connecting Saskatoon's Fairhaven community to the Meadowgreen neighbourhood is raising concerns.
The tunnel is in close proximity to Saskatoon Tribal Council Wellness Centre.
“I’m seeing a very large increase in people I don’t know in my space, and some other people have expressed that exact same experience,” said Meadowgreen resident Ryan Giesinger.
Giesinger specified by his area, he meant his yard.
On Thursday the Meadowgreen Community Association held a meeting to discuss possible solutions to the increase in foot traffic. The association says since the Wellness Center was brought to Fairhaven foot traffic has increased significantly.
“We want to see how we can take care of this group and where they are walking around and take care of the safety of the people living in the community,” said Meadowgreen Community Association Sultan Alisadhe. “We want to have a safe community for everyone.”
Alisadhe and the Association are calling on the city and province to do more to help the residents' situation. The main concern for Alisadhe is that people pass through the tunnel for school and work and to use public transportation.
“The safety of homelessness around the tunnel, people are just using injections and drugs, and people are sleeping in the tunnel, and some people just do not feel comfortable crossing the tunnel after certain hours,” he said.
On Thursday the association met to come up with solutions to the tunnel and the increased foot traffic coming in. People suggested closing the tunnel permanently or during certain hours, monitoring it over video.
“Right now there are random people, late night, wee hours of the morning, so that’s the main concern,” said Alisadhe. “Right now it brings lots of traffic that we don’t know who it is.”
A member from the Saskatoon Fire Department and Saskatoon Police Service were both in attendance at the meeting.
“What’s happening in this community is being replicated in other areas of the city, and the concerns regarding homelessness and poverty are something that needs to be addressed by our community,” said Saskatoon Police Service Inspector Tonya Gretsey with the community engagement division.
CTV News did reach out to the Saskatoon Tribal Council for a comment but was told Chief Mark Arcand is away during this time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire
A judge ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House.
Anthony Rota resigns as House Speaker amid condemnation for inviting Nazi veteran to Parliament
Anthony Rota has resigned from his prestigious position as Speaker of the House of Commons over his invitation to, and the House's subsequent recognition of, a man who fought for a Nazi unit during the Second World War. Now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing calls to apologize, and investigate.
How was veteran Yaroslav Hunka's military unit linked to the Nazis?
During the height of the Second World War, Nazi Germany formed a division of Ukrainian volunteers to fight against Soviet Russia. One of its members was controversially honoured with a standing ovation in Canada's Parliament this week.
2 dead, 4 injured in helicopter crash near Prince George, B.C.
Two people have died and four others were injured after a helicopter crashed near Prince George, B.C., Tuesday morning.
OPINION Tom Mulcair: Why Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign
Anthony Rota had no choice but to resign as House Speaker after he invited a Nazi veteran to Parliament. But, as former NDP leader Tom Mulcair writes in a column for CTVNews.ca, if history is going to retain the profound embarrassment caused by his mistake, it should also recognize the contributions Rota has made to democratic life.
After briefing on intel, Singh says 'clear evidence' India involved in B.C. killing
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he received an intelligence briefing about allegations that the Indian government could be behind the killing of a Sikh gurdwara leader in British Columbia.
NDP pressures Liberals to act on Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, impose sanctions
The federal New Democrats are calling on Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to take action against Azerbaijan in light of escalating violence involving ethnic Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The next tool in Canada's wildfire fight could be eyes in the sky watching around the clock
A joint initiative from three government agencies aims to monitor wildfires across Canada from space. Here's how they'll do it.
Nygard used secret bedroom in his company's Toronto HQ for sexual assaults: Crown
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard had a private bedroom constructed within the walls of the Toronto headquarters of his fashion empire, where he sexually assaulted five women starting in the 1980s, prosecutors said in their opening statement in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday.