Red Deer emergency shelter location to be extended, no new leases found
After searching for new temporary shelter locations, City of Red Deer administration is recommending the Cannery Row emergency shelter site be extended to serve those experiencing homelessness in the city.
City officials said in a press release that no alternate locations for the temporary shelter were found and that administration will recommend to city council on Monday that the Cannery Row site be extended beyond its permit to operate until Sept. 30.
“The search and call for business opportunities has resulted in only one viable option for the temporary emergency shelter, and that location is a lease opportunity at the current Cannery Row site located in Railyards, said Sarah Tittemore, community services general manager, in a statement.
“Administration has not been able to find another viable lease option for the temporary emergency shelter,” Tittemore said. “If council doesn’t want to pursue the lease option, we’ll need further direction on alternative options.”
According to Tittemore, the city has created a crime prevention through environmental design analysis to “improve the site” and see what other options the city can pursue to “reduce crime” in the area surrounding Cannery Row.
The shelter is operated by the Safe Harbour society, which is funded by the province, and has been operating at the Cannery Row building since March 2020.
City council created the temporary shelter to ensure physical distancing between patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The use of the temporary site had already been extended by Red Deer city council this year in March.
In May, Red Deer city council approved more than $41,000 for a plan to cover enhanced business and resident engagement, security, cleaning, and a safe walk program for the Railyard neighbourhood where the shelter is located.
Additionally, the city approved $8,500 to cover business licence fees in 2022 for businesses in that area.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.