Putting up a fence and adding security cameras won’t solve downtown issues, says a business owner, who considers city council’s mitigation efforts to be a “facade.”
When itinerant people are wandering “non-stop” down 53rd Avenue, between the Cannery Row homeless shelter and the Overdose Prevention Site, it’s “laughable” to think they will be happy sitting in a fenced, landscaped courtyard, said Jason MacDonald, owner of Pure Fitness Crossfit on Tuesday.
“It’s really a facade. They are trying to do something, but it’s not enough…”
He noted there are already foot patrols in the area, and now they will be more frequent. “But they would have to patrol that strip all day long” for it to make any difference, said MacDonald, who doubts the conditions city council imposed on the temporary shelter will make a real positive impact.
The Safe Harbour-operated shelter was given city permission to run at Cannery Row for two more years, until a permanent shelter can be built with wrap-around services. On Monday, city council approved site improvements, totalling about $593,600, which will mostly be paid for by municipal taxpayers.
Besides fence installation and courtyard amenities, there are stipulations for on-site security and cameras, better marked entrances, and a lockable outdoor storage area not visible from the street. Regular outside inspections of the property and continued cleanup were also part of the shelter’s development permit conditions.
Council will also establish a $50,000 per year vandalism clean-up support grant that’s available to businesses that have had windows smashed and other property damage.
MacDonald said his own chain-link fence is constantly cut and his shed broken into by people with addictions. The damage to his property alone runs to tens of thousands of dollars, so he doesn’t believe the grant city council has established to help businesses within a 400-metre perimeter of the shelter to recoup vandalism losses will go nearly far enough.
“The $50,000 is a small gesture of goodwill but what is that $50,000 going to do? The cost of all these businesses replacing windows and fencing far exceeds that. It will be swallowed up, immediately.”
Tracy Chabot, who owns property near the shelter, also believes the $50,000 is not enough. She noted most business owners in the area can’t afford to take out high-cost insurance for breakage so end up paying out of pocket for the entire replacement cost of a window — not just the deductible.
“My own business alone had $6,000 of glass repair for the year and that doesn’t include fence repair. The $50,000 grant should be bigger.”
A report presented Monday to city council showed vandalism was one of the top three concerns of 60 Railyards businesses and property owners surveyed by a downtown liaison worker in mid-2021. Vandalism came in behind littering and needle debris as an issue.
An RCMP report for the area within a 250-metre radius of Cannery Row showed “mischief” reports far exceeding reports of break-and-enters and thefts from motor vehicles. From January to November 2021, there were 144 mischief reports, compared to 18 break-and-enters and 14 thefts from vehicles.
A report from administration to city council stated: “Business owners continue to communicate that property and safety concerns are at the forefront, but many conversations have shifted to centre on the broader social issues such as solutions to housing, urban encampments, and opportunities for shelter diversion.”
Chabot believes shelter clients need an outdoor sitting area, but doesn’t think the city or Safe Harbour should accept that shopping carts are routinely being stolen by these clients for their own use. If this is so “inevitable” that a screened storage area is being planned at the shelter for these carts, then someone should be reimbursing the stores for their loss, she said — or maybe the shelter should buy its own tagged carts for client use.
As a property owner herself, Chabot added that she would expect to pay for any physical improvements to her properties. She hopes the city will ask the owners of the Cannery Row site for a significant contribution to the fencing project planned around the shelter’s perimeter.
“We definitely didn’t want to see the temporary shelter there, but we don’t have a choice... I guess we will have to wait and see if the (mitigating measures) work.”
Scott Robinson, new CEO of the Red Deer and District Chamber said on Tuesday, “These are challenging issues that are not easily solved… We want to make sure that the business community is consulted and listened to.”
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter