Fort Road soup kitchen shuts down after city appeal board revokes its permit

A soup kitchen on Edmonton’s Fort Road says it is closing its doors following an appeal to its business permit.

The Gathering Place, also known as “Mawacihitowin Otah,” announced Monday afternoon that it is closing its doors after it said its restaurant permit was revoked by a city appeal board on Sept. 19.

“We are deeply saddened to temporarily close down the Gathering Place,” said Carola Cunningham, CEO of NiGiNan Housing Ventures, which ran the soup kitchen.

“It’s our goal to limit the disruption to these crucial services,” Cunningham said.

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The soup kitchen has been located at the former Transit Hotel on Fort Road since November 2017, where it served around 100 people warm meals each day.

The Fort Road Business Association, along with business owners in the area, went before the city’s appeal board earlier this month to argue that the Gathering Place wasn’t actually running as a restaurant, as its permit had stated.

Councillor Aaron Paquette, who represents the Belevedere neighbourhood where the Gathering Place was located, said he hopes to work with the community to discuss solutions.

“Belevedere deserves a healthy community and to feel that the city is invested in their success,”  Paquette said in a statement.

“The problem is, the efforts to date have not provided the change needed.”

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Paquette will host an event on Oct. 2 to discuss community issues, including the soup kitchen closure.

NiGiNan Housing Ventures also runs Ambrose Place, a supportive and affordable housing complex in the McCauley neighbourhood.

The group said it hopes to reopen the Gathering Place at another location.

“It’s our priority to work with our partners and the community to find a space to continue offering the services provided by the Gathering Place,” said Dave Ward, executive director of NiGiNan Housing Ventures.