Peterborough, Ont., Mayor Diane Therrien says she might declare a state of emergency soon on the worsening housing and homelessness crisis.
Therrien tells Global News Peterborough she had a lengthy discussion about it with the city’s emergency management coordinator “the other day.”
“It’s one of those pieces I want to do as long as it actually has teeth and will result in change,” Therrien said.
“I don’t want to do it symbolically. I want to it to say, ‘and then we’ll be giving this money and we’re doing this and that.’ I’m still working through it legislatively with the Municipal Act and the clerk’s office and all of that stuff to figure out – if I do this will it result in change or will it just be another piece of paper that won’t go toward the greater good?”
READ MORE: Homelessness crisis continues to worsen in City of Peterborough and Peterborough County
Therrien said she is leaning toward doing it but also wanted to gauge council’s input on the matter. She said she hasn’t received much response on it one way or the other.
Meanwhile, it has come to light that a local group is proposing a drop-in centre for those experiencing homelessness as a way to come in from the cold this fall and winter at the former Trinity United Church building on Reid Street.
The church closed its doors in June 2022 and the building was sold to the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network.
In an email chain obtained by Global News Peterborough, the city’s commissioner of community service Sheldon Laidman stated he misspoke at a homelessness summit meeting on Sept. 28 that $200,000 could be committed to the operation of the site and apologized for doing so.
“I have thought about this further since yesterday morning and have reviewed what authority city management staff have during what’s referred to as the “lame duck” council period of the election campaign, when there are no council meetings and council itself is limited in its authority to spend money and authorize new projects,” Laidman stated.
“While myself and other senior city staff can authorize the use of available budgeted funds, I do not have the authority to enter into new agreements.”
The city’s communications manager Brendan Wedley tells Global News that Laidman was unavailable for comment.
Wedley provided an interview on the city’s behalf to discuss the matter, however.
“To do that (operate the drop-in centre), the city would need council’s approval to change service levels and to spend $200,000 on that service,” Wedley said.
“Council hasn’t approved that service level or spending the money on that service. So that is what would need to happen to move that forward.”
Council has no more scheduled meetings between now and the Oct. 24 municipal election date.
Therrien tells Global News Peterborough she’s trying to convene council for a special meeting, likely on Oct. 13, to discuss what the city can and cannot do as well as finding tangible solutions to the growing homelessness crisis.
Therrien tweeted on Oct. 4, “senior city staff are withholding $$ and preventing us from moving forward with an emergency plan to address the crisis for our unhoused neighbours. With colder temperatures coming, I am going to do whatever is in my power to force them to deal with this emergency situation.”
READ MORE: United Way Peterborough point-in-time study shows stark increase in homelessness
Wedley said staff aren’t withholding any money.
“Council has approved the funding levels for shelter services and drop-in centres in the community and that is currently being provided. No funding is being withheld. What’s been discussed currently is a proposal by a community group for an additional shelter or an additional drop-in centre. That funding and service level hasn’t been approved by council at this time,” Wedley said.
There are four shelters in the city including Brock Mission men’s shelter, Cameron House women’s shelter, YES Shelter for youth and the Wolfe Street emergency shelter.
In an interview with Global Peterborough on Thursday, Therrien provided some context to her tweet.
“I think that’s the hard part to deal with as the city. There’s such rigid guidelines to deal with and there’s no flexibility on the part of staff, whether if that’s because of the Municipal Act and all the other things,” Therrien said.
“But there was talk about this commitment of funds and a couple of days later it was walked back. A lot of community partners are really frustrated about that, which I get.
“Ultimately, the weather is changing and people being unhoused in Ontario winters is not acceptable. It’s unconscionable. I’ve been pushing for the city to be less rigid in its funding guidelines and applications.
“We need to be innovative.
“We need to be thinking about innovative solutions to get people off the streets to prevent them from freezing to death in our community.”
“That’s the last thing we want and that’s what I fear will happen, if we continue with this impasse of we need to be doing this by the book, but without any creativity or listening to people with actual lived experience of being on the street or being in poverty,” Therrien said.
In the same email chain, Christian Harvey, the co-executive director of One City Peterborough, a social agency advocating for those who experience homelessness, called the retraction of funding being available by Laidman “very concerning.”
READ MORE: 30% more on homeless by-name list in Peterborough compared to 2021: staff report
Laidman had stated city staff had no authority to enter into any agreement to expand the city’s support shelter system beyond its existing 105 beds without council approval.
“What we are proposing is not a shelter. It is a drop-in centre with cots. That may sound like semantics, but it is very much not,” Harvey wrote in the email thread.
“We will not be guaranteeing a bed for anyone, it will be first come, first serve. We will not be providing bedding. We will not be providing showers. Those who are staying with us will still have access to hotels, if they are eligible, just like last year, as they are still unsheltered.
“If the concern is you can’t add shelter beds, then it can be put to rest, these are not shelter beds. It is closer to an out of the cold program. Secondly, we have no need to enter into a service agreement with you.”
In an interview with Global News Peterborough Thursday afternoon, Harvey said the Trinity United Church location was one of many that has been bantered about as a possibility but he said immediate action is needed.
“These things don’t come together quickly. So if something will happen, it needs to happen soon. We don’t care if it’s us or anyone else who does it, but something has to happen this winter and it needs to happen right away,” Harvey said.
“My hope is something happens.”
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