$7.5M approved for new west Edmonton shelter; Sohi asks for more housing from the province
By a unanimous vote, Edmonton councillors decided Wednesday to dip into city savings to open a new emergency shelter in a west end hotel.
The motion that passed 13-0, also included the grim news that at least five unhoused people have recently died in encampments or on city streets, according to firefighters and police.
"This is a very short term intervention to get us through this cold winter, and my hope is that we will meet with the province immediately to fill the gaps, but also talk about long term strategy," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi told reporters.
It will take about a month to transform the Bedfort Hotel and Suites on Stony Plain Road and 155 Street into a 24-hour, 200 bed, respite from the cold.
The $7.5 million price tag includes set-up costs, around-the-clock security, food, overdose response, a health centre and outreach services.
It will be operated by the Jasper Place Wellness Centre and includes a partnership with the Tallcree First Nation.
Housing and homelessness is provincial jurisdiction. Sohi met with ministers Jeremy Nixon and Rebecca Schulz last week to discuss a long-term plan.
The province announced last month a total of $187 million for addiction and homelessness programs, including 450 more shelter spaces planned for Edmonton.
In a statement provided Wednesday night, Nixon said he was also working to open "as many as 150 more spaces in the near future."
“These proactive steps show that addressing this issue is a priority for our government, and we will do whatever it takes to keep people safe and warm," he wrote.
"I am confident that if we continue in a partnership with the City of Edmonton, not only will we be able to address concerns for this winter, but also come up with long-term solutions in helping people overcome homelessness.”
The city says there are currently more than 2,750 unhoused Edmontonians and more than 1,250 of those people are sleeping in shelters or outside.
The mayor wants Alberta to fund 1250 permanent shelter spaces and build 500 supportive housing units as well as roughly 100 transitional homes.
Finance Minister Travis Toews said last week that more funding for homelessness in Edmonton might be coming in February's provincial budget.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.