Shelter plan earns approval (SALMON ARM)

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Homeless issue: After impassioned speeches, council votes 4-2 for rezoning. Facing a packed chamber Monday night, Salmon Arm council made one of its toughest decisions so far this term.In a four to two vote, after hearing nearly three hours of presentations, council passed a rezoning application that will accommodate a homeless shelter at the armoury at 441 - 3rd St. SW. The federal government owns the one-acre property and the Salvation Army, which will run the shelter, applied for the rezoning.

The rezoning would change the property’s zoning from P-1, Park and Recreation zone, to a zone specifically tailored for a shelter, CD-6, Comprehensive Development zone. The property is designated Highway Service/Tourist Commercial in the official community plan. Council heard impassioned pleas from people both for and against the rezoning and, in the end, Couns. Alan Harrison, Debbie Cannon, Ivan Idzan and Chad Eliason voted for the shelter, while Coun. Kevin Flynn and Mayor Marty Bootsma voted against. Coun. Marg Kentel was absent.

Captain Rick Honcharsky of the Salvation Army described the project, saying it would include a 10-bed shelter for men, a soup kitchen that would be open to anyone in need and a thrift store.He said the Salvation Army’s proposal is in response to the federal government’s initiative on homelessness. He said the Salvation Army does not have a “big bag of money” to draw from, so the fact the federal government would give the Army the land and the building is crucial. He stated the location is ideal in that it’s close to services and the bus depot.

The Department of National Defence declared the property surplus years ago, so the air and army cadets, who use it regularly, have been looking for a new home. As speakers opposed to the plan voiced their concerns, it became evident the issue hinged on location. Most people who spoke agreed the city needs a shelter, but many of those opposed said the location is wrong. Jim Sipes, who works with the fall fair society but spoke as a private citizen, said he did not want to see children’s recreation next door to a homeless shelter.

He was one of several who pointed out the shelter would be next to the indoor arena and the Just for Kicks dance studio, and near Blackburn Park with a skateboard park, baseball diamonds and soccer fields. Concern for the safety of women and seniors if transients were housed there was also expressed. Sipes said the fall fair has been working for about two years to acquire the site. He said he would rather see the facility used for groups such as the cadets, the Red Cross, the Boys and Girls Club and as an office for the fall fair society.

“It would be better used for taxpaying citizens than 25 transients every month,” Sipes said.Speakers suggested other locations for a shelter, such as the former McDonald’s restaurant building near the bus depot, Silver Creek, Gleneden, the Prestige Harbourfront Resort, the waterfront and the Churches Thrift Shop. Some said maintaining the aging armoury building would be a waste of money. Leann Mohle spoke as a representative of the Salmon Arm Fair Association. She voiced concerns about safety, particularly for children, and about possible effects on the fall fair. “I think it would not enhance the look or feel of the fair,” she said, suggesting the property be used for parks and recreation.

Alana Wescott, who lives close to the armoury on Shuswap Street, said she welcomes a homeless shelter. “We really need that shelter because the people who are going to be using it are already there,” she said, noting people now sleep in the fields and under bleachers. She referred to her granddaughter, saying: “I’d be very proud of her to be living in an inclusive neighbourhood.”
A few people said they had been homeless or have relatives who have been homeless, so support the shelter.

Terri Jones, executive assistant to Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes, cautioned against the armoury location, saying from her experience in Vernon, crime will increase. Her presentation sparked an angry response from citizen Bill Laird, who said he was disgusted the MP’s representative would come and question the location. He challenged Mayes to “step up to the plate and give us a hand with this problem,” instead of watching all the downloading.

Dawn Dunlop-Pugh, representing the Canadian Mental Health Association, spoke in support of the shelter. “It’s said we judge our society by how we treat our most vulnerable,” she remarked, noting that the most vulnerable are often given a bus ticket and sent out of town. She suggested the community work together to make the shelter the best in B.C. Trish Dingwall, with the army cadets, asked how Salmon Arm’s homeless would be helped by such a shelter, noting that the maximum stay there will be two weeks.

On Jan. 15 at the city’s 8 a.m. planning and development services meeting, council will entertain variances the Salvation Army will be requesting in its development permit. On Jan. 22, council will hold a hearing on the variances, the same night that the rezoning application will be eligible for final reading. The Salvation Army’s use of the federal government property will be subject to a five-year probationary period, Honcharsky said. If the property is deemed to have been used appropriately, the deed for the property will then be turned over to the Salvation Army.