Council votes to secure approval for temporary sober shelter
By Lethbridge Herald on August 10, 2022.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
The number of tents dropped after a cleanup last week at the Civic Centre field, but the site has since returned to house nearly as many shelters as before.Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
The Civic Curling Centre could be the temporary new home of a sober shelter.
Council passed by a 6-2 margin in a special meeting Tuesday morning – councillor Rajko Dodic was absent – to approve a three-part resolution calling for administration to apply for development approval for the shelter.
The motion also called upon administration to act as the applicant “through the co-ordination of project development including but not limited to processes of development approval and safety codes permitting design space, construction and neighbour engagement.
The third part of the motion asks administration to return to council with agreements with results from public engagement and the budget implications.
Councillors John Middleton-Hope and Ryan Parker voted against the motion brought forward by deputy mayor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel.
The motion was presented after council returned from a lengthy in camera session requested so interim City Solicitor Adam Faust could answer in private legal questions brought forward by Parker who made it clear in council chambers and a subsequent media scrum that he opposed the idea.
The meeting featured lengthy debate about the need for housing solutions and concerns about safety in the tent city at Civic Centre.
Takara Motz, operations manager of Community Social Development, told council before their break that last week before a cleanup at the Civic Centre field there were 45 tents set up with multiple occupants. That number dropped to 18 but by Tuesday morning, numbers were back up to 44.
Schmidt-Rempel said after the meeting a sober shelter “does help people who are living in the encampment, who are looking for that type of treatment” and move into a sober shelter space.
“It’s a long-term strategy. The province has looked for commitment from us to offer them the space or help them find a space here in our community for a sober shelter. It is also in line with our strategy to help people in the encampment who might be looking at recovery and moving into a sober shelter space. So it does help those people move into appropriate housing space where they can get the assistance they need,” said the deputy mayor.
The deputy mayor added the situation this summer is different from the summer of 2021.
“We need a number of appropriate housing facilities and capabilities throughout this city.”
She said the city needs to get a “really good handle” on what type of services are needed in Lethbridge. It’s been determined between 40 and 60 people would use the sober shelter. There are others with different needs and care needs.
She said the city needs to learn what “the appropriate housing continuum looks like because it is different than other communities.”
During discussion on the motion, Schmidt-Rempel said council won’t be moving forward until it gets a report back.
“This is a proactive action by council. We know that we need this and it’s something that the province has challenged us to find a location” and the City may be looking at operational funding from the Alberta government.
Mike Fox, Director of Community Services, told council the curling club would be a temporary location and a permanent location would have to be found in the future.
“The Civic Centre master plan is underway and it is expected to be completed” and that plan would outline use of the centre.
The curling club is now used for storage and training purposes by Lethbridge Police Services, he said.
Councillor Jeff Carlson asked if there is work ongoing to determine a permanent site. Fox responded, saying the location would be “a quick start-up” compared to other sites and more public engagement and discussions would need to be done to establish a permanent place for the sober shelter.
During debate of the motion, several councillors who supported it said council needed to act, adding a perfect solution doesn’t exist.
Mayor Blaine Hyggen voiced his support, reiterating it is a temporary fix and is coming back to council.
“Putting those that are in sobriety and those that are not, struggling with addiction, in that same area we’ve been told numerous times is not the smart thing to do. I love the idea of this health campus…but even at that time those that are sober should not be put in an area that is going to be mostly filled with those that are addicted. We don’t want them to fall back into addiction.”
Hyggen said he’s walked through the encampment numerous times and spoke to individuals.
“Those that I’ve spoken to are not those that are sober in that area, hence the reason why I believe there’s an element of safety. It’s not safe. I do believe that some people have been dealt sometimes the wrong card and they’re just down on life. So I think that hand up and to help those that are trying to get their lives back on track, I think this is a great thing. It’s a start,” said the mayor.
Hyggen emphasized its only going to the curling area at the front of the Civic Centre.
“This information will come back but it helps us to be able to get the funding that is required from the province that is needed to help these sober individuals find a shelter for them.”
Acting mayor Belinda Crowson was in favour of the motion saying “politics is the art of the possible. This is something we can work on, it is proactive, it is something that is within the purview of council to get this moving.”
She said the city has to come to the table with housing initiatives which she said is a reason Lethbridge is being turned down for grants and other things.
“This is a pragmatic approach. This is something that is not perfect but it is an interim solution that will get us moving. We know we have to provide a full spectrum of housing from shelters to transitional housing et cetera, et cetera. We need to start moving those pieces into places,” adding the sober shelter is an essential piece of the puzzle.
Parker opposed the resolution, calling it an easy decision. He said the city hasn’t done a good job enforcing existing laws in place and while people have rights, he said people also have to follow the rules.
“I think we’re being risk-adverse, being worried that we’re going to be challenged by some Charter or something like that. We’ll challenge us, challenge us, take us to court. If you don’t like what we do so be it. And if we lose that so be it, at least we did our best to fight on behalf of our community to make sure that the laws are followed,” said Parker, adding he was disappointed Lethbridge police weren’t at the council meeting, calling them major stakeholders who could have answered some questions.
Parker said he believes LPS is under-funded and the encampments are a consequence of that.
John Middleton-Hope was also opposed.
The councillor said he doesn’t dispute the need to provide for temporary housing “but to be candid we’ve looked at this for the last three years and this is what we’ve come up with.”
He said he’s leery about the cost-effectiveness of the plan and the social impact on the city going forward.
“I don’t support the location of a temporary shelter at the Civic Centre. I think what we’re doing and to paraphrase (what) councillor Parker indicated, what we’re doing is we’re creating another group of people who are actually being housed by us at the same campus.”
He said a sober shelter there will compound the problem in the area and it won’t be a solution. He said he’d support looking at other locations, though.
Councillor Jeff Carlson supported the motion, saying while not perfect it is a step forward.
Councillor Nick Paladino also supported the motion, calling it “a very tough decision” noting council will again be addressing the matter this fall. He pointed out council wasn’t issuing a permit but rather was approving an interim shelter.
“There’s going to be a lot of community engagement, robust I would say, and there’s budgetary implications and that’s a big one for me.”
Councillor Mark Campbell voiced his support saying “this is not the permanent solution. As we’ve discussed at length how this is such a complicated issue…. it’s a human rights issue, there’s so much that we lack in this city in terms of affordable housing and transitional homes and all those sorts of things.”
Closed meeting discussions on the encampment update will remain confidential pursuant to Section 27 (privileged – legal) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Council also voted to appoint Hyggen to a stakeholder working group – that was discussed in the closed session – which will be formed to assist with the concerns in the community. That group will be comprised of members from several Government of Alberta Departments as well as the Blood Tribe.
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What is council smoking?
Who is this going to help?
This is more or less saying “We are opening a SOBER shelter, so we intend to help absolutely no one.”
Hell, Mark Campbell and most of council doesn’t even make the qualifications to go there, let alone your average street person.
What a waste of money, time, and space.
My My….the woke are hard at work. Every comment save 1 has been deleted and I doubt Uncle Buck will be around long. Seems the Herald has it’s own narrative to spin on this issue and the public be darned !
I guess the Lethbridge Herald is as devoid of Free Speech as our new Mayor and Council are of anticipating the disastrous and destructive outcome of heading down the same road. Sober House = SDS 2.0
I was going to comment on this but what is the point if it is going to be censored.
I agree with a sober shelter for the ‘few’ that will use it, and I mean ‘few’, but I am with Councillor Parker on this and believe we need to enforce the laws and even if it even ended up in court, I am confident we would win as long as the lawyers were in court for the trial. Remember the LOPS court case where the high priced lawyers the city had in Edmonton were not informed by the city the court date they needed to be represent the city, so all the tickets/fines were adjourned.
It would be cheaper to enforce the laws and end this, even if it ended up in court, than nickle and dime the city budgets and coffers for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I never threw out my protest signs from the LOPS tent and we are building up a new group to take this on.
The issue is complex, but the solution needs to use the K.I.S.S. principle to keep it easy. The laws are there and we can use them since we have offered the people alternative housing! We need a good short term, cheap fix to get us through the winter, coming up with a new plan for spring. The more we house over the winter when it gets cold, the more will back in the encampments in the spring when it warms up.
The news on TV tonight saw Councillor Parker had talked with Alpha House Shelter and they had informed him they have been operating at 75% occupancy for several weeks. They have the room, but the lawless group in the encampments will not follow any rules!
Comments here are being censored if they don’t toe the council line. This is freedom of speech?? Not in the Lethbridge Herald!
You mean “tow the line,”. Clearly, the LH is not paying attention to spelling mistakes.
“Toe” the line is correct.
You have a point. In terms of everyday, common speech “Toe the line” and “Tow the line” are used interchangeably. However, if one digs a little deeper in the etymology of these two phrases we encounter a more nuanced story.
To “Toe the line” is derived from the direction given to runners in a footrace; namely position your toe on the line and not over the line. In that context it means “don’t cheat” or “do the right thing.”
Conversely, to “Tow the line” is a phrase that references doing the work, as in pulling on a line. In a navel context, for example, it was used to describe a group of men in a rowboat towing a warship from harm if the mainmast was taken out by an enemy ship, or in windless conditions. Maybe you’ve seen the movie Master and Commander?
Now, in the context that our commentator used the term, he (I assume he’s male) was referring to doing the “hard work” not the “right thing.” I say this because he (again, making an assumption) doesn’t think offering aid and comfort to homeless folk, a group he obviously regards a “undeserving”, thus making one of the letter-writer’s point, is doing the right thing.
Mike Fox’s (+Jenn Schmidt-Rempel) et al Dept lack ANY creative measure to solve this issue. Same ol’, same ol crap. So the Mustard wins! Did the Mustard ‘volunteer’ their services I wonder? Did they say that they will come in a ‘save the day’…? Isn’t the reason why they didn’t come to help after ‘volunteering’ to man the Civic during last winter’s ’emergency’ time, was because funds fell through??? They need to look at the definition of ‘volunteer’. Oh, and they also need to look at the definition of ‘sobriety’. Putting a clause in their proposals that they will pick-up needles around their facility (….not yours or mine business/residences … only theirs) (which means they use, then step inside) and now by voting that a ‘Sobriety House’ means the client can use in their room! but not outside makes an absolute mockery out of sobriety! I take it they don’t like the needles to show outside! Do you really think that all of those in tents are sober and will gladly hop into the Civic Center? Who do you think you’re fooling?? This is such a joke! They are in those tents because they can do their drugs (buy and sell) where Alpha doesn’t allow it inside. They are in the tents because they like it! PS There is no way we have 40-60 sober homeless, unless you’re adding the anticipated people who will come from Med Hat, BC, Taber, Calgary, Edmonton….