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(Supplied/Safe Harbour)
ensuring the process is fair

Report on new shelter locations delayed until after public hearing

May 10, 2021 | 7:08 PM

A report on alternate locations for a new shelter in Red Deer for people experiencing homelessness has been pushed back.

Last month, city council asked administration to bring that report back May 10.

READ MORE: Shelter extension gets first reading to stay put in Railyards

On Monday, however, administration asked council to push that back to Q3 (July to September) because it would unfair to the process if council received that list prior to a May 25 public hearing on the same matter.

On that day, council will hear from the public about a one-year extension at the Safe Harbour-operated shelter’s current home at Cannery Row. Then council will consider second and third readings.

“If the public isn’t privy to that information about locations, but council is, we wouldn’t be in good standing at the public hearing,” explains Sarah Tittemore, GM, Community Services. “This is why we wanted to make sure we don’t have those discussions with council until after the public hearing, so that all the info at the public hearing is shared with council and the public equally.”

She explains further that they’re still doing the research and compiling a list of locations in the case council doesn’t approve the one-year Cannery Row extension.

Tittemore says administration still anticipates having a report on alternative locations ready well before August.

When council passed first reading of the one-year extension during a recent meeting, it was said there were upwards of 50 possible locations, none of which were close to being move-in ready.

Tittemore says that list has since been cut to between 20 and 30.

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