THUNDER BAY – Mayor Ken Boshcoff will say yes to 114 Miles St. East as the site for the temporary shelter village, on one condition.
Boshcoff had previously told Newswatch he would not support the site. Now he's saying he'll change his vote as long as council accepts his amendment requiring a status report and the opportunity to change direction on the project after about a year and a half.
Boshcoff told Newswatch in an interview, “Well, I decided that council must make a decision, and secondly, by putting a time limit on the experiment, we have a built-in safety valve if it's not working.”
"It’s embarrassing us to the other orders of government” because city council has not been able to make a decision on where to put the shelter village.
“We have to do something,” Boshcoff said.
On Friday, an addendum was posted to Monday’s city council agenda on behalf of the mayor.
Boshcoff plans to ask council to consider an amendment that would require administration to report back by mid-2027 with a full report of the status of the village site, and that council may provide alternate direction for the temporary village following the report.
In an interview with Newswatch, Boshcoff addressed some of the concerns about the revitalization of the south downtown core if the shelter village goes to Miles.
“There are a lot of people who have their doubts about the efficacy of the project. We know that this project has worked somewhat in other communities, and it has improved things, but to me, it's better than having random encampments all over the city. By concentrating them near the services, I do believe that this is going to at least define our ability to get longer, lasting solutions and keep the downtown core safe,” Boshcoff said.
He said no one really wanted to make this decision and wishes the city wasn’t tasked with “impossible problems such as addictions, drug dealing, and homelessness.”
“But we have not done anything effective. It's time we did something effective, and that will trigger more support,” Boshcoff said.
The site was approved is a close 6-5 vote last Monday, but was at real risk of failing at the ratification stage.
The mayor's support for the Miles Street location would be enough to see it pass, as long as no councillors change their votes from yes to no.
