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Only one homeless shelter site is on the table: Red Deer Mayor

Mayor Ken Johnston said, ‘We are going in the direction we need to go’
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Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston. (Advocate file photo).

With seven weeks left in the year, Mayor Ken Johnston remains optimistic that the location of the permanent homeless shelter can be announced by the end of 2023.

Last May, the province had accepted a yet-unnamed site for the future shelter, as recommended by Red Deer city council after an examination of more than 100 possibilities. This was the fourth site proposal the city put forward after previous ones were either deemed unsuitable or agreements to sell could not be reached.

Since then there have been on-going confidential negotiations — not just about price, but also about feasibility, said Johnston. “There are environmental considerations, siting, traffic… all manner of factors...

“When you are looking at what you want to achieve (for the project) to be sustainable and successful, not just another place to put a building. Many things have to make sense,” Johnston said — including whether the site is appropriate for the size of the shelter, as well as the surrounding area and its ecology.

Although negotiations have, so far, taken six months and aren’t yet settled, the mayor said this is the only site being considered and no others are on the table.

He is pleased that this time — unlike with the last site proposal — there is a willing seller.

On Dec. 4, Red Deer city council will have a public hearing about whether to continue to allow the temporary homeless shelter operated by the Safe Harbour Society to continue running past February at the former Cannery Row Bingo building in the Rail Lands area, behind Superstore.

First reading was unanimously given by council on on Oct. 30 to allow Safe Harbour’s temporary shelter to continue operating at 5239-53rd Ave. for an undesignated period of time.

Although city administration gave councillors three options: extending temporary shelter operations for one year, five years or for an undesignated time. Ccouncil was advised that the last option would allow for all possibilities to be considered at the public hearing.

Some Red Deerians have been complaining about the lack of clarity in what was supposed to be a transparent process. This includes some Pines residents who believe the chosen shelter site is off Riverside Drive and behind the forest reserve surrounding the east side of their subdivision. This has not been confirmed nor denied by city officials.

Johnston said on Thursday, “I fully respect why people are frustrated,” but council is bound by the Municipal Government Act to honour the confidentiality of land negotiations. “I understand there is angst,” he added, but it’s not something council is intentionally causing. “I believe all of this is happening for a purpose… and we are going in the direction we need to go.”