THUNDER BAY - The wooded lot on Cumberland Street North will not be the site for a temporary homeless shelter village, losing in a 9-4 decision opposing the north-side location.
The decision was made after Coun. Kasey Etreni motioned for a recount of a vote from the April 7 meeting, when Coun. Mark Bentz proposed focusing on a highly ranked municipally-owned property, which was outlined by the city in its report.
In a memorandum sent to council earlier in the day, Etreni asked her fellow council members to defeat Bentz’s Cumberland Street North motion.
“Currently, we’re all wrestling with this decision. We’ve heard concerns from residents, from business owners, and from those with lived experience. And I believe we’re all trying to find the best path forward, even if that path isn’t perfect,” said Etreni.
Couns. Rajni Agarwal, Mark Bentz, Trevor Giertuga, and Mayor Ken Boshcoff voted in favour of the Cumberland Street North site.
Couns. Brian Hamilton, Andrew Foulds, Dominic Pasqualino, Shelby Ch'ng, Kasey Etreni, Greg Johnsen, Kristen Oliver, Michael Zussino, and Albert Aiello voted against.
The reversal led to the reintroduction of the proposed Fort William Road site on the south side, situated between the Neebing River and the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway owned by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority.
City staff were asked to weigh that location against another highly ranked location that was seemly taken off the table last November, the Kam River Heritage Park, which Etreni wants administration to re-examine as a potential site.
Last November, city staff recommended against the Kam River Heritage Park because the cost of that site exceeded the $5 million cap on the project.
However, city manager John Collin at the time noted the cost of building the shelter village would be approximately $7 million for 100 units due to construction taking place in the winter months.
As a summer construction and the city would limit the number of units to 80, Collin said the cost to build the village at Kam River Heritage Park would be an estimated $5 million to $5.5 million.
Collin also stressed a site decision needs to be made by council no later than the first week of May.
“There are funding agreements that must be satisfied. The one that is staring us in the face, the one that is most needed is by early July,” said Collin.
He pointed out that the city must have shovels in the ground by summer or the $2.8 million in external province funding will be at serious risk.
“Let there be no doubt that the ministry is already paying attention to this. They know our initial location that we suggested was not supported by council. The know that the LRCA lands based on the amendment are not supported by council at this time,” said Collin.
“So, they are anxious to hear what our intent is and whether or not there is a site and where that site is.”
Hamilton noted that if the city lost that funding, it would look incredibly bad for the city in the eyes of the province.
“The province is going to look at us sideways if we ever ask for money to help us with social issues down the road. They are going to say we gave you the opportunity, and you threw it in the dumpster, or you couldn’t get the job done,” said Hamilton.
Bentz said he feared that Etreni’s referral has the potential to allow council to keep “kicking the can down the road” in terms of finding a potential site.
In a 10-3 vote, Etreni’s referral passed.
Couns. Agarwal, Bentz, and Giertuga voted against the referral.
Mayor Boshcoff and Couns. Hamilton, Foulds, Pasqualino, Ch'ng, Etreni, Johnsen, Oliver, Zussino, and Aiello to go ahead with Etreni's referral.
City staff will bring back a report detailing their recommendation at the April 28 council meeting.
