'Budget '23 is coming': Toews non-committal on Edmonton's ask for more help with shelter beds
Alberta's finance minister said more money to shelter vulnerable people from the cold might be coming, but not before February's budget.
Travis Toews' statement came Thursday afternoon as he and the United Conservative Party government announced a $12.3 billion provincial surplus.
This week Edmonton city councillors have made desperate pleas for more money for shelter spaces.
"Challenges are ahead, but we’re leaving no one behind," Toews said to a question from CTV News Edmonton.
"Budget ‘23 is coming right up, we’re already in deliberations, so this is a great opportunity to understand what more needs to be done."
Some on Edmonton city council have been hounding the province to do more for months.
In October, Alberta announced 450 shelter spaces as part of a two-year, $187 million plan.
Fearing that won't get the job done this winter, Edmonton council will vote next week on a plan to spend $7.5 million in city savings to add 200 new spaces inside what is now a west-end hotel.
"People are dying. This is a choice," said Ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack of the provincial responsibility to manage housing and homelessness.
"We cannot be a never-ending bankroll to address this systemic issue that is outside of our jurisdiction," said Erin Rutherford, Ward Anirniq councillor.
The new city spaces would be located at the Bedfort Inn and Suites site, formerly the Howard Johnson, on Stony Plain Road and 155 Street.
If approved by council next week, it would include 150 mats and 59 private rooms.
It wouldn't meet all of the city’s benchmarks, but would be open around the clock with security, overdose response, a health centre and outreach services. The shelter would be operated in partnership with Tallcree First Nation.
The $7.5 million cost works out to roughly $36,000 per bed for six months, which is more than triple what the province typically pays for a single spot at a shelter like the Hope Mission.
"Some of (the higher cost) is the speed at which we want to move, some of it is the additional supports that move us closer to the minimum standard," City Manager Andre Corbould explained.
Edmonton has roughly 1,072 provincially funded shelter beds, according to officials. Homeward Trust says 2,600 Edmontonians are currently experiencing homelessness and more than 1,250 are staying in shelters or sleeping outdoors.
On Wednesday, councillors on the city's executive committee voted 5-0 to recommend opening the new shelter spaces. A final decision is expected next Wednesday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson and Alex Antoneshyn
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.