Council approves Zoning Bylaw amendments, sets stage for expanded detox and shelter downtown

Amendments for continued operation of the Temporary Care Facility (temporary shelter) for an additional three years at 5239 53 Ave. This amendment also includes an expansion of the site exception to add Emergency Shelter as a use. Also, it removes the regulation restricting the site exception to Unit 4. These additional amendments support the development of a warming space in the existing building.
Amendments for expanding the detoxification centre and overnight shelter at 5246 53 Ave. This amendment also includes an update changing the defined use to Temporary Care Facility to align with the definitions in the new Zoning Bylaw.
Amendment for removal of supervised consumption and associated use permissions from Lot 14 Block 4 Plan 8420286 (5233 54 Ave), the formerly approved but unused supervised consumption site.

After questions and debate, the first component of the motion, regarding extending the Temporary Care Facility’s operations, was amended by Councillors Dianne Wyntjes and Vesna Higham to two years, setting its expiry date for May 1, 2027, rather than May 1, 2028.

The amendment passed 7-2 with Councillors Cindy Jefferies and Chad Krahn opposed. Krahn explained he preferred the three-year extension and said in this case, “longer is better,” and could have offered a better chance to change the status quo in how the City addresses these issues.

In favour of the amendment, Coun. Lawrence Lee said shortening the timeline might signal to the province that a long-term solution is needed promptly, as this extension only offers a temporary solution.

The original motion, including the approved amendment proposed by Wyntjes and the other two original amendments listed, then passed through second and third readings with unanimous approval.

For context on the issue, Coun. Higham shared the preliminary results of the City’s 2024 Point in Time (PIT) count which Administration partially published early to inform the discussion. In 2022, the PIT count identified 334 vulnerable community members; this year, at a similar point in time, it identified more than double that number at 766.

Safe Harbour executive director Perry Goddard also gave insight into Safe Harbour’s shelter and detoxification operations during the public hearing.

He shared that from January 1 to November 18, 2024, the shelter saw a little over 41,000 shelter stays and that as of December 2, that rose to just over 44,000.

A stay could be as little as a few hours to an entire night, and one individual leaving and returning later in the day would count as two stays. Therefore, this number is representative not of the number of people served, but of the turnover rate accommodated by Safe Harbour staff, and the number of times someone was in shelter instead of a bank lobby, bus shelter, or elsewhere in the streets.

Additionally, he explained that the detoxification centre currently has a 20-bed capacity, with four additional beds proposed to be funded by the province. At this capacity, Goddard said that for every two people they serve, they have to turn away about 1.75, nearly the same amount.

Goddard commented on the amendments passing: “We’re quite happy with it,” he said, “three would have been great, two is better than one. There’s still a lot we can do in those two years.”

Chelsea O’Donoghue, CEO of United Way Central Alberta (UWCA), opened public hearing comments in support of the amendments. She shared that UWCA is the largest funder of social programs in central Alberta outside of the government and that the organization “firmly supports” and trusts Safe Harbour’s ability to carry out their shelter work.

Debby Shalifour, lead safety advisor for Prairie Bus Lines, spoke on behalf of the organization, which she said is located right across from Safe Harbour’s shelter. Shalifour shared a list of experiences that have made her concerned about the expansion, stating that herself and her colleagues have witnessed shootings, stabbings, break-ins, extension cord and bus thefts, and other concerning experiences.

A concerned business owner who moved her business away from the area in question, Tracy Chabot, urged council to consider the plight of the business owners in the area, which she said is often overshadowed by the plight of the unhoused and addicted community.

She clarified that she supports and understands the need for these kinds of services, but not the location that hosts them at the moment, as it is close to high traffic and retail areas and uses potentially valuable property near the river front.

Christine Carter, a Parkvale resident and psychiatrist experienced in the field, pushed back against this notion, acknowledging that Indigenous people disproportionately make up unhoused populations as a result of colonization and intergenerational trauma; she said this, along with the fact the Red Deer River valley would be considered unceded territory, gives this population a right to access services in such a “prime” area of the city.

She finished by stating that the social disorder and public nuisance levels created by these sites are symptoms of an issue we need to see to remind ourselves a solution is still needed.

Administration reminds council and the public that expansion plans being discussed with the province are not official and centre around preparing for next year’s winter. At the moment, these discussions are focused on a parcel not zoned for these projects, hence the amendments proposed today.

Now that they have been passed, a development permit will also be required for extension of the temporary shelter’s operation, expansion of the site to add emergency shelter, and for additional capacity for detoxification, meaning these items will return to council again before action is taken.

The interest by the province, which prompted the amendments voted on today, was announced on September 23 and included a $3.4 million commitment to provide a Mobile Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinic, Dynamic Overdose Response Team, and recovery coaches in and around the homeless shelter.

City council previously approved service enhancements that did not require bylaw amendments, including:

Introduction of a Mobile Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (M-RAAM) Clinic, to operate in the same lot as the current Overdose Prevention Site (OPS), which is set to close by March 31, 2025, latest.
Red Deer Dream Centre: change in provision of funding for existing operating beds.

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by Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

Council approves Zoning Bylaw amendments, sets stage for expanded detox and shelter downtown

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