Wetaskiwin city council voted Monday to reconsider the approval of a permanent emergency homeless shelter in the central Alberta city.
In a vote of 4-3 — and against city administration’s advice — councillors decided to reconsider the Hope Mission shelter permit, which was approved on May 8, 2023.
In April 2023, council approved a land donation to Hope Mission and received $3.2 million in funding from the province for a new permanent Hope Mission emergency shelter that would replace the current temporary one and offer other social services to help vulnerable people in Wetaskiwin.
In May, council approved the development permit for the facility based on a preliminary site plan.
On Dec. 11, 2023, council postponed a decision on the Hope Mission shelter after hearing that the four First Nations in Maskwacis were advocating for a recovery centre between Wetaskiwin and Maskwacis, which is just down the highway. After meeting with Hope Mission and the First Nation leaders and speaking with the province, Wetaskiwin councillors confirmed the recovery centre is only a potential site in very early discussions and there is no money from the province for it.
There were two motions on Monday’s agenda regarding the shelter: to reconsider the May 2023 approval of the Hope Mission shelter project, and/or to rescind that approval. Administration warned council that it missed the 21-day window for appealing the previous decision and reconsidering or rescinding it “would not be possible” under the Municipal Government Act and councillors could be held “personally liable.”
Despite the warning, councillors voted 4-3 in favour of reconsidering the approval and that motion was carried.
Also during Monday’s meeting, Coun. Wayne Neilson asked to table both motions for 120 days in order to consider the Maskwacis project, and that was also carried.
The councillors worked on a letter to send to the province, saying the majority of council is against the Hope Mission shelter plan and wants the government to withhold the funding until the Maskwacis facility is reviewed.
The mayor says despite Monday’s vote, nothing has changed, and the shelter development is still approved and currently still funded by the province.
“The province has to make that decision,” Mayor Tyler Gandam said. “Us asking for it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. All council has done now is we’re going to be sending a letter asking the province to reconsider that funding. That doesn’t mean the province is going to take that funding away; it just means that council is asking.”
According to Gandam, voting on the motion to “reconsider” the project doesn’t change anything.
“One of the motions made earlier on was to ‘reconsider,’ which doesn’t change the motion that council passed back in May. So, right now Hope Mission will continue working with the city. They have funding from the provincial government, they have their own funding, and until they hear otherwise — if there’s no funding coming from the province — they’ll continue working on the project they proposed to the city.
“Council has passed a motion to have that development happen (and) that doesn’t change any of that. It doesn’t stop the development.”
He said city administration is working on a report that should be ready before the 120 days is up. Hope Mission has also already agreed to cap shelter capacity at 60 people, Gandam explained.
“There are people in the community that are expressing concerns for what that shelter looks like. Members of council hear that. And whether we voted in favour or not of moving forward, all of us are hearing the concerns in the community,” he said.
“I think what we need to do is figure out the best plan moving forward and … council will continue on with what we’ve decided. Four members of council direct administration and that’s what we’ve got so far. So, until something changes — until I hear otherwise from the province that they’re either not funding it, or Hope Mission is pulling out of this project — nothing has changed,” Gandam added.
“We’re going to continue working with Hope Mission on the finer details of what that shelter looks like.”
The issue has been a contentious one in the central Alberta city and dozens of people again came out for Monday’s council meeting — both in opposition to and in support of the shelter project.
“Do I think we need a 27,000-square-foot building? No, I don’t. I don’t think we have a need,” said Debby Hunker with the group Wake Up Wetaskiwin. “If we are talking about taking care of our own vulnerable here, we’re looking at a core of about 40 people. That’s what we need a shelter for.
“We are absolutely not against a shelter,” she said. “We do believe that we need to help our vulnerable, but we don’t need to be a hub for central Alberta.”
Andrew Bellous, a pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, said that “this is a political issue, as well as a religious issue, as well as a social issue.”
“There are many aspects to what’s going on here and we need to look at the entire situation and make sure we’re making wise decisions. And I think, on balance, that moving forward makes sense,” he said.
There are currently heated trailers being used as a temporary shelter for vulnerable people in the city.
Gandam said the city has been looking for a permanent solution for five years now.
Tim Pasma with the Hope Mission said there’s a big need for a permanent facility that will provide comprehensive services for 60 people, including medical support, housing and other social work.
“We remain committed to this community,” Pasma said on Dec. 11, 2023. “We remain committed to having a shelter in this community, which we feel is really necessary. We see a lot of people in need in the community.
“We understand that there are concerns and we’re willing to work with the community on that.”
Hope Mission said it was hoping to break ground on the site in the spring and wants to open in 2024.
Wetaskiwin is located 70 kilometres south of Edmonton.
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