An announcement with regard to an emergency shelter is expected Friday afternoon, Oct. 15.
Mayor Rebecca Alty told a meeting of Rotarians to “stay tuned” for a press conference including herself, Health Minister Julie Green and Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) Minister Shane Thompson at 1 p.m., according to reporting by Cabin Radio.
Michael Fatt, who has emerged as an advocate for street-involved individuals and has been vocal on the subject of shelters, is one of the people who will be watching with interest.
A week after Yellowknife city council voted down a motion to green-light what Green called the GNWT’s “last option” for a temporary day shelter, he said he’s embarrassed by the decision.
He said some city councillors are demonstrating discriminating thinking and aligning themselves with business interests over human lives.
But two councillors who voted against the motion say it’s just not that simple.
Coun. Stephen Payne says the issue has divided the community.
“We’ve been getting a lot of hate in the last week,” he said.
Payne emphasized he didn’t vote against the matter out of prejudice and would have voted yes if the life of use was closer to eight months — like last year’s proposed use of the Mine Rescue building — rather than three or four years as proposed.
“This was a vote for something better,” he said.
Coun. Stacie Smith echoed that sentiment at the Oct. 4 meeting of council and again in a Facebook post on Oct. 5.
The thread that follows her post is brimming with messages from Yellowknifers; some thanking her, most critical, some calling for council to spend a day in the life of a person experiencing homelessness in Yellowknife.
That’s an experience Smith says she’s already well aware of.
“I’ve been dealing with under-privileged people my whole life … they’re my family,” she told Yellowknifer.
Smith is a third generation residential school survivor who grew up in Yellowknife and owns and operates Flowers North.
She said the reasons behind her vote aren’t black-and-white as Fatt suggests.
“I didn’t vote for business, I voted for the bigger picture,” she said. “Every decision I make is for the benefit of the community — not just the business community — it’s for everyone.”
Despite the skepticism of her colleagues on council that the Frankin Avenue location was really the last option before them, Alty told Yellowknifer Oct. 14 that the city has a “good working relationship” with the Department of Health.
She said city staff have been working with the department since the Oct. 4 vote to find another way to support people experiencing homelessness in Yellowknife.
She said there are many considerations council must weigh when they vote and isn’t always privy to the full scope of work city staff and the health authority have done and continue to do.
“We’re not attending every meeting and seeing all the work,” she said.
As for the hateful messaging aimed at councillors who voted no, Alty says residents should share their concerns, but with respect.
“I think it’s fine to disagree but not to be disagreeable,” she said.
Requests for comment from Couns. Konge and Silverio were not answered before press deadline.
