An appeal was filed this week against an approved development permit for the territorial government to use Aspen Apartments on 51 Street as a temporary shelter.
Over the winter and up to May 31, the GNWT provided temporary emergency shelter space at the Mine Rescue Building on 49 Avenue due to COVID-19 restrictions at the NWT Disabilities Council’s day shelter and sobering centre on 50 Street.
Prior to moving out, the GNWT received approval from the city for a permit to use the apartments for continued shelter assistance for Yellowknife’s street-involved population.
But according to the city, Aspen Apartments could not be used right away as all neighbours had to be notified of the permit and given a two-week period to appeal, as required under the Community Planning and Development Act.
Mayor Rebecca Alty said that one appeal was filed on June 14, the day before deadline, which means that the issue is now before the city’s development appeal board for consideration.
The reason for the objection wasn’t made clear to the public immediately, but the grounds for appeal were granted, according the Department of Health and Social Services.
The appeal board now has 30 days to hold a hearing and 60 days to then make a decision. The board can either approve, vary or reject the permit.
“Any member of the public can appeal (a development permit) based on certain grounds that is set out in the legislation,” Alty said. “You can’t occupy or start construction until the appeal period passes. If an appeal is filed, you then have to wait for the appeal process to conclude.”
Health and Social Services Minister Julie Green told CBC on June 10 that the municipality has its processes that it must follow.
“We understood that we could occupy the space from June the 1st, but it turned out, in fact, we had to wait for two weeks,” she said.
But the city maintains it’s actually following GNWT legislation.
“People get frustrated and it can be a complicated process and people think it’s arbitrary, but it’s actually a GNWT law that governs how we (as a city) have to approve permits,” Alty said. “So there’s mandated, legislated, public engagement periods. There’s legislated appeal mechanisms that only have the ability for council to increase timelines and not decrease timelines. So people get frustrated because it can be a confusing process and it’s not legislation that allows for last-minute requests.”
Umesh Sutendra, manager of communications with the Department of Health and Social Services, said that meals, and washroom and shower facilities for Yellowknife’s homeless population will be provided at the NWT Disabilities Council-operated day shelter and at the Salvation Army, while Aspen Apartments is unavailable.
Over the longer term, the territorial government is planning the opening of a wellness and recovery centre on 51 Street to help street vulnerable people, according to Sutendra.
Alty said she requested the GNWT review the Community Planning and Development Act and to look at what other provinces and jurisdictions are doing with similar acts to see if there are clauses that could be added to address last-minute, essential service requests should they arise in the future.
With chief public health officer Dr. Kami Kandola announcing updates to the GNWT’s Emerging Wisely document on June 9, the issue may not be as dire as last winter. Kandola said that up to 200 people are expected to be allowed to gather indoors in early July, provided there’s at least a 67 per cent full vaccination rate or 75 per cent partial rate.
Sutendra said those relaxations will be welcome as they are expected to increase capacity at the day shelter and sobering centre and “reduce the need for additional space to provide such services.”
“The GNWT is working proactively to identify a location for the delivery of additional day sheltering services should they again be needed in the autumn,” he said.
On June 14, a five-year lease was provided in principle to Home Base Yellowknife (formerly SideDoor youth resource services) and the YWCA to occupy the Mine Rescue Building. The two had been approved last fall in a joint proposal before a state of emergency took over the temporary shelter.
Council is scheduled to cast a final vote on the lease at the June 28 regular council meeting.