Saskatoon Tribal Council not interested in buying troubled Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. shelter

Chief Mark Arcand says the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) is not interested in buying the Lighthouse towers in downtown Saskatoon.

Arcand said the STC doesn't have the money, and it already has its hands full operating a 106-bed emergency wellness centre in the Fairhaven neighbourhood.

Further, Arcand said he simply doesn't like the location.

"I don't like being downtown," he said in an interview.

"If we can get all the services out of downtown and put them into neighbourhoods like ours and get the services that come to the people, it's going to be better. I look at downtown being for people that can afford to live downtown, and do that."

A King's Bench judge in Saskatoon approved a proposal by receiver MNP Ltd. to sell the Lighthouse's assets in the city.

MNP will not talk about how its operating the assisted living units and apartments in the downtown buildings. Reports posted on its corporate website offer insight into what's happening in the towers.

The Lighthouse no longer offers emergency shelter beds after the province stopped funding them in May.

It houses 137 people in its independent living tower and assisted living tower.

But what's happening on the street outside the building is creating issues in the area, according to MNP.

"During the month of May 2023 there was an increased number of unhoused individuals gathering around the Towers including some choosing to sleep on the sidewalk outside the property," the MNP report said.

"These individuals were not clients of the Lighthouse, however, chose to gather and remain near the property."

MNP is working with police and fire "to direct the individuals gathering outside the Towers property to other service providers and shelters," the MNP report said.

The people who gather outside the Lighthouse, sleeping in the open under blankets or in makeshift tents, are a visual reminder of the complex challenges facing the city today, Arcand said.