Saskatoon's downtown temporary shelter could soon have a patio for its clients
Saskatoon's downtown temporary shelter could soon have a patio for its clients
The City of Saskatoon-led Safety/Maintenance Committee and the Saskatoon Tribal Council are in talks to create a dedicated outdoor space at the STC Wellness Centre.
The space "would improve upon both the well-being of the relatives and the public realm around the exterior of Wellness Centre as a means to lessen the impact of loitering and nuisance activities," Saskatoon Fire Department Chief Morgan Hackl and director of community standards Matt Grazier in a report to Monday's City Council meeting.
"The current temporary location and operation of the Wellness Centre was an answer to a critical demand in the community with the needs of the Wellness Centre and residents evolving. Adding a temporary public outdoor space would enable the STC the ability to evaluate and develop how it could use outdoor space in a more permanent location, while also providing immediate benefits to users of the facility," the report says.
The report outlines three potential sites for the space: the Midtown Plaza parking lot west of the wellness centre; an undetermined off-site location; and on the parking spaces in front of the centre on the First Avenue.
The First Avenue option is under review and requires further conversations with STC, the report says.
The safety committee has discussed the idea with the City of Vancouver where such spaces have been established, the report says.
Operators are responsible for managing, operating and cleaning the space and ensuring a positive experience for the users of the space, pedestrians, and traffic passing by.
The report notes that the construction of a temporary patio would result in the loss of parking spaces and challenges with enforcement may continue to exist.
The city and the STC would need to ensure adequate oversight and security, including control over who may use the space and during what hours.
"In general, there must be a balance between the needs and risks to the downtown with the needs and risks of the Wellness Centre and the relatives who reside there," the report says, using the centre's term for its users.
The report says city administration will proceed as directed should city council decide that the space be developed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Agent: Rushdie off ventilator and talking, day after attack
'The Satanic Verses' author Salman Rushdie was taken off a ventilator and able to talk Saturday, a day after he was stabbed as he prepared to give a lecture in upstate New York.

Arizona parents arrested trying to get in locked-down school
Police arrested three Arizona parents, shocking two of them with stun guns, as they tried to force their way into a school that police locked down Friday after an armed man was seen trying to get on campus, authorities said.
Parent of child with rare form of epilepsy distressed over N.S. ER closures
Kristen Hayes lives close to the hospital in Yarmouth, N.S., but she says that twice in the past month, her son, who has a rare form of epilepsy, has been taken by ambulance to the emergency room there, only to be left waiting.
Feds quietly change rules to allow one-time ArriveCAN exemption at land border crossings
The Canada Border Services Agency is temporarily allowing fully vaccinated travellers a one-time exemption to not be penalized if they were unaware of the health documents required through ArriveCAN.
Fire at Coptic church in Cairo kills 41, hurts 14
A fire ripped through a church in a densely populated neighbourhood of the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday, leaving at least 41 dead and injuring 14, the country's Coptic Church said.
LAPD ends investigation into Anne Heche car crash
The Los Angeles Police Department has ended its investigation into Anne Heche's car accident, when the actor crashed into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
Two-time champion Halep to face Haddad Maia in National Bank Open final
Two-time champion Simona Halep has advanced to the National Bank Open's final. The Romanian beat Jessica Pegula of the United States in the WTA event's first semifinal on Saturday.
Average rent up more than 10% in July from previous year, report says
Average rent in Canada for all properties rose more than 10 per cent year-over-year in July, according to a recent nationwide analysis of listings on Rentals.ca.
More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
More Canadians are ending their lives with a medically-assisted death, says the third federal annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID). Data shows that 10,064 people died in 2021 with medical aid, an increase of 32 per cent over 2020.