THUNDER BAY – Its relatively secluded location was the main argument in favour of the Hillyard site over Miles Street, but it was also raised as potential problem at council's latest debate on the shelter village.
Couns. Mark Benz and Rajni Agarwal each made a case for Hillyard at last week’s meeting, when the site was approved.
Tucked in between the municipal bylaw office on Alloy and the Carrick Street off-leash dog park, the Hillyard site is currently a wooded lot.
The site is “physically separated from high-traffic roadways. That's a good thing," said Bentz. "Limited nearby residential, I would suggest that there are no residential properties near this. If you look at the map, you will see there are no residential properties near it. The surrounding areas include some naturalization. I would suggest there is a lot of naturalization there, which will enhance resident wellness.”
"The majority of people, unfortunately, that are living under housed right now are Indigenous. And Indigenous healing, does it not come around nature? The chosen areas that people have chosen to house themselves around nature, and nature brings healing together?” said Agarwal.
City manager John Collin disputed Agarwal's assertion about Indigenous people. He said they explored that question during the site selection process and found that most Indigenous people preferred “an urban setting” like the defeated Miles Street site.
“So, I don't think there's a uniform view among all First Nations and Indigenous peoples as to what the best setting is. It is a consideration, but there are a number of other factors at play. It's not a homogeneous point of view, in other words,” Collin said.
Although administration recommended Miles Street, Collin did tell council that Hillyard was preferred by staff over the Cumberland Street location when asked by Bentz.
He said administration found both sites “workable,” but said “neither of those sites gives a reasonable assurance of successful outcomes.”
Administration declined an interview about the site last week, but scheduled a technical briefing with the media on Monday.
Read: Shelter village residents will pay rent, says city staff
The off-leash dog park and the largely commercial and light industrial area were listed as challenges for the Hillyard site.
Bentz argued the off-leash dog park could be a “positive” for the shelter village.
“We could list that as a challenge for Miles Street. It's near businesses and residences, so you know some of these challenges could be put onto Miles Street,” Bentz said.
The report highlighted that the shelter village could create conflict between residents and park users, “particularly in these discreet, lightly populated areas where few witnesses would be present in the event of an incident.”
Agarwal said the bylaw office could be a benefit because the city could use its resources “to help support and have eyes on that site.”
The two directly neighbouring properties are also municipality-owned, which Bentz suggested would “reduce neighbouring property conflicts."
“I walked through there. It borders onto, basically, fenced storage yards,” Bentz said.
Coun. Kasey Etreni disagreed, saying there is concern for the surrounding businesses because “they don't occupy their space at night.”
“But they lock their doors. Here we've got fences people can climb over, so I'm just really concerned, and I think we need to hear from everyone just like we did with the other locations that we brought forward,” Etreni said.
Transportation to social services was also seen as an issue due to Hillyard's seclusion.
Bentz said transportation wouldn't be a challenge because the site is close to a main bus route and the village's operator could provide "bus tickets."
Bentz also noted that retail services such as Walmart, Superstore, Value Village, and Salvation Army Thrift Store would benefit from the shelter village because they were all “affordable options for these people to get items that they require.”
Etreni was one of several councillors who objected to the lack of public input into the site or time for full discussion at the committee level.
Coun. Brian Hamilton, who was in favour of the Miles location, warned council that unhoused individuals wouldn’t want to uproot themselves.
According to the council report, the Hillyard land has not been well-known as an established homeless encampment area.
Like anyone else, homeless people have needs, said Hamilton. “One of those needs is community. And one of those needs is family. And one of those needs is friendship," he said.
“I think what you're gonna find is people are going to take up vacancy in these units, and they're going to live elsewhere. They're going to live in social housing, they're going to live in the streets, and they're gonna continue to struggle on the streets and make life just as volatile as it is today, so in my mind this is the status quo option,” Hamilton said.
But ultimately, city staff said there was no time left to investigate the Hillyard lands without risking provincial funding, RFP for the site, and being shovel ready before winter.
“At the end of the day, we have to put it on the line for the people, and I'm putting my pride and my anger (aside). Because I feel quite angry, and it's pretty rare that I feel angry around the council tables, but I feel angry about this. I'm backed into a corner. I will vote yes, but I do it begrudgingly,” said Coun. Shelby Ch’ng.
