City council to hold vote on Yellowknife day shelter next week, after committee debate

Three of six city politicians in Yellowknife said Monday they would support the N.W.T. government's plan to turn a downtown building into a temporary day shelter until Oct. 31, 2024. 

A noon meeting of the city's governance and priorities committee at Yellowknife's city hall was an opportunity for the territorial government to pitch its plan for 4709 Franklin Ave., and for a handful of stakeholders and advocates to share their perspectives on the issue. 

The permit application won't be formally voted on until a special council meeting next week. 

"If we don't get the go-ahead on this, I'm not sure where we're going to turn to next," said Perry Heath, the director of infrastructure and planning for the N.W.T. Department of Health and Social Services near the end of his presentation to the committee. 

However, alternatives were part of the discussion on Monday. So too were criticisms of the territorial government's handling of the need for an emergency solution, concerns about property damage, the pitting of small businesses against the community and flaws in the bureaucratic process. 

"This bylaw process privileges the properties in trust of a select few Yellowknifers over the lives and safety … of other citizens," said Neesha Rao, executive director of the Yellowknife Women's Society, which runs a number of programs that serve those who are underhoused. 

The city is currently reviewing its bylaw process. As it stands, however, Rao said it would allow people to appeal the city's decision based on stereotypes and anecdotal evidence.