Miramichi mayor responds to legal challenge to shelter site
'NIMBYism' always an issue for this type of facility, says Adam Lordon after businesses seek injunction
CBC News ·
Miramichi
Mayor Adam Lordon says the site chosen by the group that's going to run
the shelter is on the edge of downtown, where homes and businesses are
more spread out. (Shane Magee/CBC)
A
legal challenge to the location of an out-of-the-cold shelter in
Miramichi has frustrated city councillors, Mayor Adam Lordon says.
"I think most of us on council were disappointed and and frustrated to hear of that action," Lordon said Tuesday.
Council
had unanimously approved a plan by the non-profit group Miramichi
Housing Solutions to open a seasonal shelter on city property that used
to have a fire hall, said Lordon.
Then a group of businesses
filed for a court injunction to try to prevent the shelter from opening
there. The case is expected to be heard Dec. 12.
Lordon
described the chosen shelter site as an "industrial brownfield" on the
outskirts of downtown Newcastle — an area that is not densely populated
by homes or businesses.
It's "adjacent" to downtown, where homeless people currently congregate, he said.
"There is a very active and concerning presence in this area of town already," said Lordon.
"This
will create safety for the homeless population. They won't be sleeping
in store vestibules and store backyards. They'll have a safe place to go
that's accessible for them and that will create safety as well for the
rest of the community."
Lordon said he has heard from some members
of the business community who support the new location, and he expected
that support would be more widespread,
"From the conversations
that I've had with members of the business community over the last
weekend and over the last couple of years … there are many folks in the
business community who are concerned for the greater good of the
community and the health and wellness of these individuals," he said.
He
acknowledged there were complaints from businesses about last winter's
shelter, but he said that's when it was located at the Lindon Recreation
Centre, which is in a busier area near the civic centre.
Information Morning - Moncton12:17
Miramichi's out of the cold shelter remains on ice following a court action to stop it
Adam Lordon is the mayor of Miramichi.
"This
new location, I certainly felt actually spoke to their concerns and
addressed their concerns. So … a bit surprised by the reaction," said
Lordon.
The mayor said he hopes the city and concerned businesses
can get together to discuss the situation, but he's not suggesting any
change to the plan.
"We're hopeful that things will play out and and the out of the cold shelter will proceed as intended," he said.
Business community representatives said last week they felt they weren't consulted about the choice of location.
Lordon
said it was selected by the operator of the would-be shelter, Miramichi
Housing Solutions, formerly known as Miramichi Youth House, based on
best practices.
A person who answered the phone at the group's
office said its executive director would be unavailable for a few
weeks, and no one else was able to speak with CBC News.
Miramichi
Housing Solutions runs the only permanent shelter in Miramichi, noted
Lordon. It has seven beds and is "consistently" full.
Lordon said
the city asked the non-profit to notify neighbouring businesses about
its plans for the out-of-the-cold shelter. He acknowledged that process
did not occur as smoothly as possible.
That was regrettable, he said, but he wouldn't necessarily have made any difference to site selection.
It's difficult to get everyone to agree on any location, said the mayor.
"There certainly is an element of NIMBYism that takes place with these types of facilities," he said.
A balance needs to be struck, but lots of weight should be given to experts and best practices, said Lordon.
Other
communities, including Saint John, have experimented with shelters that
are farther removed from the downtown area and found costly
transportation issues made it impractical, he said.
Lordon said the City of Miramichi has limited experience or resources to deal with homelessness issues.
Homeless people only became evident in the city within the last couple of years, he said.
"Ultimately, we're looking for guidance, really, and leadership from the province on exactly how to address this," said Lordon.
"This
should be an area where the province is providing greater leadership in
terms of the path forward, in terms of support for the mental health
and addictions piece … but also in the creation of housing," he said.
Mayor Adam Lordon should have called me back by now
David Amos
Methinks the milk of human kindness has always
run pretty thin from the business dudes and we can always count on
lawyers to say Bah Humbug or them N'esy Pas?
david arseneau
shame shame
David Amos
Reply to david arseneau
Ditto
Lorelei Stott
I pay lots of tax to put them in the social
system that exists to get them back into society but instead we spent it
on organizations that seem to just want to stack more on top of more, I
think the process needs revamping not shelters
David Amos
Reply to Lorelei Stott
Me too
June Arnott
Not in my backyard mentality. Its everywhere
David Amos
Reply to June Arnott
Sad but true
Joe Zilch
This camp will crush their property values. Why do this to hard working citizens?
SW Home
Reply to Joe Zilch
Property values are not worth more than a human life.
Wilbur Ross
Reply to Joe Zilch
He say as he clutches his pearls ...
David Amos
Reply to SW Home
Amen
Bill Smith
Give them a one-way bus ticket to Fredericton.
Higgs has a surplus; this is what happens when greedy property owners
buy up the Maritimes!
David Amos
Reply to Bill Smith
Oh So True
rayma allaby
in a new brunswick winter these people are homeless and business owners would deny them a place to get warm..unreal..
Ned MacAllister
Reply to rayma allaby
And you want them in your backyard rayma allaby ???
David Amos
Reply to Ned MacAllister
How about you?
Riley Smith
Most NBers pay a lot of taxes to support Social
Assistance. Businesses pay even more. They should not be further
harmed. Why not locate in the big empty parking lots of the Churches
who pay No taxes ?
David Amos
Reply to Riley Smith
Good point
Wilbur Ross
If only we could just build more affordable
housing. But this government and this premier couldn't give a w_nk if
people are freezing in the streets. Austin says its as normal as a car
accident. Just part of life round here, no emergency to declare. Sad.
Jos Allaire
Reply to Wilbur Ross
Austin the Christian pastor, imagine that.
David Amos
Reply to Jos Allaire
Par for the course
Dan Lee
Reply to Jos Allaire he deserves nothin but a good boot up the................
Ned MacAllister
Reply to Wilbur Ross
The tax dollars the Governments are dolling out
to these Developers to build (affordable) housing is just criminal.
These newly built apartments are anything but affordable.
SW Home
Reply to Ned MacAllister
Don't tell that to Higgs. Him and his Higgamaniacs don't believe in taking steps to make rent affordable.
Wilbur Ross
Reply to SW Home
Tory Math
David Amos
Reply to SW Home
Ask your MLA why that is
John Scott
The other cities that have set up shelters and
outreach centers have paid a heavy price. They support people to
continue making bad choices and doesn't allow people to hit rock bottom
to realize they need to change. Good on these businesses for challenging
the shelter - and I hope they win and it's never built.
SarahRose Werner
Reply toJohn Scott
Kind of hard to change if you've already died from exposure.
David Amos
Reply to John Scott
Wow
Dan Lee
Reply to John Scott
hmmm cant beleive 3 people agreed with you.....your a miserable .........
David Amos
Reply to Dan Lee
Its a cruel world
Eugene Peabody
Check out the CBC story from NS about the city
is putting up ice fishing tents on pallets to house homeless people in
their own space. I thought it was a very good idea to provide shelter
from the cold . It seems people were donating the tents when they heard
about it. That gives me hope that something can be done in a hurry to
help these people because the government seems unable to help in a
timely manner.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to Eugene Peabody
It's great that people are donating the tents,
but the tents are being erected on city property. So far there are 14,
while the city has said it wants no more than 8 tents there. The city
also said last month that people will need to leave the site due to
problems with snow clearing. So tents are only part of the solution.
Finding a place to put them where they won't be cleared away is another
part.
MR Cain
Reply to Eugene Peabody
There also needs to be places for doing their busines, personal hygiene, etc. Where are these facilities?
David Amos
Reply to Eugene Peabody
"the government seems unable to help in a timely manner"
This has been an ongoing problem for years
Donald Smith
The Grinch's that stole Christmas kindness
David Amos
Reply to Donald Smith
Perhaps I can spoil the Grinch's lawyer's Yuletide Season
Ben Haroldson
A lot of business owners treat the ordinary joe
who is looking to spend money on them as a pain in the rear these days,
so no surprise , and no surprise that so many businesses fail. They
absolutely forget where there income comes from.
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Ben Haroldson
They reap what they sow
John Montgomery
Too bad Higgs doesn't care to impose rent caps.
Archie MacDaniel
Reply to John Montgomery
Nothing to do with rent caps, maybe a reading lesson is in order?
Dan Lee
Reply to Archie MacDaniel
you cant afford your rent...your on the street.........
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Archie MacDaniel
Perhaps you should take your own advice
David Amos
Reply to Dan Lee
Don't bet on it
James Johnstone
One of the businesses that are afraid of this
location is the motel which is located right next to the proposed
shelter. I have stayed at this motel and found it to be clean, good food
and fair priced. They have already had homeless people entering the
property, trying to use the lobby desk telephone, trying to steal the
continental breakfasts that is offered to the motel guests as well as
prowling throughout the parking lot looking for whatever they can steal.
NIMBY, Mr Mayor? Come on Adam, you can come up with a better excuse
than that. Good luck to the business owners who are trying to survive in
these uncertain times.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to James Johnstone
Okay, so where do you think it should go?
James Johnstone
Reply to James Johnstone
How about the corner of King and Howard Streets
in Chatham. Are the "clients" using these shelters working people who
can't afford a place to live or are they non-workers?
SarahRose Werner
Reply to James Johnstone
1) The site you're suggesting is 8 miles away
from the proposed site. See "costly transportation issues made it
impractical," above. 2) How do the neighbours of the site you're
suggesting feel about this? 3) Are you suggesting that it's okay for
people who don't work, including people who are elderly or physically or
psychologically incapable of working, to be forced to sleep outdoors in
the winter?
Pat Holland
Reply to SarahRose Werner
The site he is proposing is close to the
downtown business area in Chatham and that is an empty lot directly
across from the mayors house there is plenty of room there I think it’s a
great location busses travel by there regularly as well. But I bet Adam
wouldn’t agree to this location
Michael Berube
Reply to Pat Holland
Actually, its downtown Newcastle, site of old fire hall and Newcastle Lumber.
Ned MacAllister
Reply to Pat Holland
Exactly right Pat Holland.
David Amos
Reply to Pat Holland
Interesting
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to James Johnstone
Say Hey to their lawyers for me will ya?
Tim Astle
Maybe the mayor should put it in his back yard then?
I've seen the results of this first hand, and it's
ignorant to just attempt to discredit the concerns of the people that
filed the complaint.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to Tim Astle
If the mayor put the shelter in his backyard,
his neighbours would likely file a complaint. You know, if I found out
that one of the two buildings next to the one where I live was going to
be used as a shelter, I would definitely have concerns. But we need
shelters, they need to go somewhere and people need to be able to access
them, which means someone paying for transportation if the shelter is
out in the boonies.
David Amos
Reply to Tim Astle
So you say
kelly sherrard
There should be no homeless people or tent
cities in this province or in Canada. It is a reflection of the
economic situation people face and the lack of government concern for
those who don't have a vote and an address to send an voter registration
paper. This province and country needs to address homelessness and
food insecurity before we officially become a third world country.
SarahRose Werner
Reply to kelly sherrard
Actually, homeless people can vote. I don't
know how many do, because they've often got more urgent concerns, like
finding something to eat. They also need to have identification with
their name (but not their address) on it, which many homeless folk don't
have. (It currently costs $48 to get an NB photo ID.) But if they do
have ID, they can vote using their ID and a letter of confirmation from a
shelter or an organization where they receive services.
Samual Johnston
Reply to kelly sherrard
is there a country that does not have homelessness?
David Amos
Reply to kelly sherrard
I Wholeheartedly Agree
David Amos
Reply to Samual Johnston
Iceland
SarahRose Werner
"Homeless people only became evident in the
city within the last couple of years" - One factor might be that as
resources in the cities have become stretched thin and beyond, there's
less motivation for people facing or dealing with homelessness to move
to the cities. Might as well be homeless in your hometown.
John Montgomery
Reply to SarahRose Werner
Because no on wants their tax contribution to go up with inflation.
Miramichi
Housing Solutions Inc. wants to operate the 15-bed shelter at nights
from December to March. Several business owners are trying to stop it. (Paul Borkwood/CBC)
Some businesses and
business groups have asked the courts for an injunction to stop the
creation of an out-of-the-cold shelter on a vacant lot near Miramichi's
waterfront.
They are plaintiffs in a court action filed
this week in Miramichi against the City of Miramichi and Miramichi
Housing Solutions.
The applicants are looking for a
temporary injunction to prevent Miramichi Housing Solutions from opening
an out-of-the-cold shelter at 15 Jane St. "or in the general area of
the downtown business district" until the matter can be resolved in
court.
They say they would suffer "irreparable harm" if the shelter opens.
One
of the applicants is Nutan Parekh, the owner of the Travelodge, at 1
Jane St., which is "immediately next door to the vacant land which is
currently undergoing preliminary preparation for the opening of an 'out
of the cold' shelter for homeless individuals," according to her
affidavit.
She said the most common complaint about the
hotel is that it's in a "sketchy" area. She also said the hotel calls
the Miramichi police seven to 10 times a week because of homeless people
trying to loiter in the lobby, asking to use the front desk phone,
trying to eat from the continental breakfast buffet for free, or
"disturbing guests" by asking for money or cigarettes.
Miramichi
Housing Solutions wants to establish a 15-bed out-of-the-cold shelter
on a vacant lot adjacent to the Travelodge on Jane Street, where a
former fire station building was torn down several years ago. (Google Maps)
None of the allegations have been tested in court. The next court date is Dec. 12.
CBC News
tried contacting the City of Miramichi, Miramichi Housing
Solutions, and the Miramichi Chamber of Commerce, but no one responded
by publication time.
When reached by phone on Friday,
Parekh, the owner of the Travelodge, said she's not against the
out-of-the-cold shelter or any programs that help homeless people, but
she's concerned about the location of the proposed shelter.
"I do want to support them," she said.
Lacy
Kent, the general manager of the hotel, also said it wasn't given any
notice of council's decision on the location. She said they found out on
the day of the decision.
"We found out when everybody
else found out," Kent said. "So that's the biggest thing. There are four
businesses that are going to be in the vicinity, but we're the one
business that's directly, right beside it, and they didn't even feel the
need to inform us."
The court document also points to
what the plaintiffs say are conflicts-of-interest that were not claimed
by members of the municipal council who sit on the board of Miramichi
Housing Solutions Inc. as directors. They were identified as Brian King,
Chad Duplessie and Paddy Quinn.
No public consultation, say business groups
It also complains about there being no public consultation about proposed locations for the shelter.
Tiffany Gallivan is a director of the Downtown Miramichi Business Network, one of the applicants in the injunction.
After
last year's experience with an out-of-the-cold shelter, Gallivan said
her members tried to be proactive to improve the situation for
this coming winter.
She said the group did a lot of
work trying to find a solution to the homelessness problem in their
community. They did surveys, talked to other groups and communities,
studied the issue and then put together a presentation for police, mayor
and council and provincial politicians.
They liked the portable bunkhouse idea and were exploring possible locations for them.
Gallivan said they were doing all the right things and putting in the work.
And then they were blindsided by the city, she said.
Without any consultation, she said, the city "completely ignored" them and decided where the shelter would go.
"It just feels horrible actually, quite horrible. Devastating."
Gallivan said the business reaction is not a case of not-in-my-backyard.
"This
is a few people's backyard, but it is everybody's front yard. This is
our community's front yard that we're putting this in."
She said it's the community business centre and hub and the place where festivals are held.
In
her affidavit, Parekh said her business already suffers "as a result of
the issues caused by homeless individuals in the area who attend my
place of business. I cannot see how this problem will not worsen when
the shelter closes at 8 a.m. and the residents will be seeking a place
to spend the next 12 hours until the shelter reopens at 8 p.m."
3 modular bunkhouses proposed
One of the exhibits entered by the plaintiffs outlines the plans for 15 Jane St.
Miramichi
Housing Solutions said there will be "three modular bunkhouses for use
as a 15-bed shelter" along with a modular office trailer for use by the
staff.
"The shelter's intent is to ensure those
experiencing chronic homelessness will have a safe and warm place to
sleep during winter weather," according to a letter from the housing
group that was submitted as an exhibit in the court case.
It said the shelter will be open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., with the "potential for 24-hour access in cases of extreme weather."
The exhibit also said "operational funding" is being provided by the province through the Department of Social Development.
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