The City of Red Deer blames the absence of a clear Government of Alberta emergency shelter strategy for the years-long delay in getting a permanent homeless shelter built in the city.
City council will be calling on Alberta Municipalities to help lobby the provincial government to better address the “major crisis” in homelessness in the province.
One of three resolutions that the City of Red Deer will present at the Alberta Municipalities meeting in Red Deer in September will ask for the organization’s support in advocating that the Government of Alberta create a comprehensive emergency shelter strategy for the entire province.
“This detailed strategy will provide a vision, guiding principles, objectives, definitions, project management governance, and role clarity for provincial and municipal governments and applicable community stakeholders.”
Many municipal governments right across Alberta have struggled greatly in trying to construct new shelters in the absence of a provincial policy, stated a report to council.
“It has been four years now since the government… announced a capital project of $7 million for a new emergency shelter. During this time, there has been very little progress in moving this project forward. From not knowing the provincial government’s vision, to confusion over role clarity, to not having proper project management structure in place, Red Deer is no further ahead in building this much needed piece of social infrastructure.”
The number of homeless people has more than doubled since 2018 in many communities, the report to council states. “To protect people’s fundamental right of adequate housing, the Government of Alberta must improve in clearly articulating a vision and plan for emergency shelters.”
Another resolution the city will present for support at the Alberta Municipalities’ conference in September calls on the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada to increase capital and operational funding for Alberta cities for permanent supportive housing to ensure appropriate housing options are available for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
Coun. Dianne Wyntjes said some individuals are simply unable to live alone and need everyday support to remain housed — and this city and many others don’t have enough of this kind of accommodation.
Coun. Kraymer Barnstable received confirmation from city administration that these resolutions are likely to get wide-spread support from other Alberta municipalities. He replied it would be great to be able to send a strong message to government.
The City of Red Deer also wants the federal government to recognize that its push to have all municipal transit services run zero-emissions hydrogen and electric buses is premature and will leave many mid-sized cities in a quandary.
The City of Red Deer has already invested in another kind of greener fuel — cleaner-burning natural gas buses.
City council wants Alberta Municipalities to lobby Ottawa to return to a funding program that accepts purchases of compressed natural gas and clean diesel buses until 2035. “This would allow municipalities to transition their fleets in an efficient and realistic manner.”
The city’s resolution to Alberta Municipalities will argues that hydrogen and electric bus manufacturers do not have the capacity to meet the demand of municipal fleet replacement with confirmed delivery times exceeding two years from date of purchase.
As well, the city’s resolution will state that impacts on the city’s electrical grid and costs of upgrading building infrastructure to support new electrical bus demand are yet unknown.