Mayoral candidates weigh in on emergency shelters, safe streets in Saskatoon
CBC
With city council elections a couple of months away, mayoral candidates are gearing up arguments about the controversial emergency shelter in a west Saskatoon neighborhood.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council's Wellness Centre opened in the Fairhaven neighborhood in December 2022 and since then has been at the centre of ongoing controversy over how shelters are managed in the city.
CBC spoke with the four candidates for mayor about the issue.
WATCH | Here's what Saskatoon's mayoral candidates want to do about emergency shelters:
Mayoral candidate Gordon Wyant posted his "safe streets" election platform on the social media site X on Wednesday evening.
He says the city's first task is to relocate the shelter.
Wyant says a lot of concerns have been raised in the community about crime, vandalism and assaults, but he also says the Fairhaven shelter itself is devoid of many services.
He wants the shelter to provide better services in a different location.
Referring to the plans for Sutherland shelter being axed after public backlash, Wyant said shelters shouldn't go in residential areas.
"We really think that there needs to be a location for the shelter that's close to services and yet doesn't negatively impact residential areas," he said.
Wyant emphasized the need for full public consultation before a shelter location is selected.
"We have industrial areas in Saskatoon and a lot of people have suggested that perhaps an industrial location in Saskatoon is more appropriate for a shelter," he said.
"But again, it's important that services get provided. The shelter out in Fairhaven isn't close to any services."
Another part of that solution, he said, is increasing the police presence in that area. Wyant said the city has "the lowest number of police officers per 100,000 in the country," and with the growing population, the city needs a police force "that's commensurate with the population and the growth."
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