2 weeks Ago By Brody Langager
Saskatoon city council has removed Coun. Robert Pearce from the homelessness subcommittee following questions and comments he made at the SUMA convention aimed at the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the Wellness Centre. Pearce — speaking during a convention bear pit held by the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association — asked Premier Scott Moe if he would reduce the capacity at the STC Wellness Centre located in Fairhaven, and find another service provider besides STC, saying other shelters weren’t seeing the same issues in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Moe said a reduction of capacity was a possibility, but also noted they are actively looking at more shelter spaces in the city. As for removing STC, Moe said he had no intention of doing that. The newly-formed homelessness subcommittee will work to engage with the community, and Pearce was originally slated to be part of that group.
Appointments happen Wednesday, and include councillors Holly Kelleher and Scott Ford. Coun. Randy Donauer brought forward the motion to remove Pearce and fill the position with Mayor Cynthia Block.
“We just deduced that the councillors that we had appointed might be better served if Mayor Block was also part of that mix as well,” Donauer said. When asked whether Pearce was removed from the subcommittee due to his comments at the convention, Donauer said it’s no secret there’s a bit of friction between city council and STC, and that repairing that relationship was something that needed to be focused on. He said the subcommittee’s purpose is to engage and have healthy talks with stakeholders involved in the crisis, and that the province has created a strong partnership with STC around homelessness.
“Right now we are experiencing a homelessness crisis and we need all hands on deck, and we need partners that we can talk to openly about these things,” Donauer said. “So I think what you saw today, was us putting our best foot forward to say we’re going to put people at the table on behalf of council that the stakeholders are prepared to talk to right now.” Pearce wasn’t at council Wednesday.
He had tried to log in online to attend the meeting virtually, but faced some technical issues. Donauer said Pearce was aware that this motion was coming forward. The StarPhoenix has reached out to Pearce for comment.
STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand attended council Wednesday. He said the comments made by Pearce at the convention were hurtful, and that STC is working to try to make Saskatoon better. “We want to be part of the solution as a First Nations organization, and today what it showed me was the mayor and all the council support our relationship and value our partnership,” Arcand said.
He said the decision made at council was a good first step to having some accountability and transparency, as well as a great step in moving together to help all people in the city. After the motion passed unanimously, the meeting took a short break and each councillor and the mayor shook Arcand’s hand. “When you look at that type of reaction from them, as soon as it was done, them coming over and shaking hands .
.. it shows that they have a lot of respect for us, and we have tremendous respect for the mayor and council and the work that they are doing,” he said.
The rough relationship between Pearce and STC is nothing new, with Pearce publicly criticizing the Wellness Centre before becoming the Ward 3 councillor. Arcand said there are always going to be issues, noting that Saskatoon faces a homelessness crisis across the city. “But the biggest thing is we’ve got to work together.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a politician, front-line service worker, a general citizen. We’ve all got to come together to solve this issue, and I think it’s going to be tough. This is not an easy file.
” He said STC’s plan isn’t perfect and that if proper plans are in place, moving the Wellness Centre would be a possibility, but not a likely one. “I don’t think the shelter is going anywhere. Will it be downsized? Maybe, if that’s best for the city, absolutely.
But we actually need more spaces.” Arcand said a partnership agreement was signed with the city in 2019 and they are looking to revamp that partnership after it expired in October 2024. “Everyone sees Saskatoon Tribal Council as an asset, we’re not a problem.
We want to be part of the solution.” RelatedPossible 24-hour drop-in centre in the works for Saskatoon's homeless communityDemand exceeds capacity: Vulnerable persons unit report shows increased needMunicipal leaders grill provincial cabinet as SUMA convention wraps up The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
.
