Moose Jaw residents speak up over proposed homeless shelter

Some Moose Jaw residents are speaking out over a proposed homeless shelter in the city’s downtown.

Moose Jaw’s Riverside Mission is getting ready to begin construction on the charity’s new home, with work expected to begin this year. The $4 million shelter will be built on two plots of land at 212 and 218 River Street West.

Construction was supposed to begin in 2020, but unforeseen challenges caused the organization to delay the build. Recently, residents have become more vocal with their opinions of the project, with more than half of the respondents in a recent poll saying they don’t want the proposed homeless shelter to be built in the downtown area.

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Moose Jaw Mayor Clive Tolley said a lot has changed since initial discussions around the shelter.

“Back in 2017 when Souls Harbour Mission came to Moose Jaw City Council and asked for the rezoning of this property to build a mission, to build a shelter for men, I think things were a little bit different back then, and I think people were a little more concerned about homelessness and people on the downtown streets,” the mayor said.

“I think Moose Jaw people generally have empathy for people that are homeless and want to have a shelter, but I think there is some concern about people being out and about on the streets while we have a tourism sector, which is really important to our economy.”

Tolley said that he’s no longer sure the project will go ahead.

“I’m not certain. I know that there were approvals given back then, and there’s been fundraising going on since then, so you’d have to talk to them in terms of what’s actually going to be done, whether it’s going to be done soon or if it’s going to be done at all. I’m not certain about that,” said Tolley.

It’s not just a proposed homeless shelter that’s stirring up controversy in Moose Jaw. Recently, CAA held its annual Worst Roads Campaign, and Moose Jaw was home to four of the 10 worst roads included on the list.

The Moose Jaw roads that made the list were Coteau Street West, which ranked fifth, 4 Avenue Viaduct Southwest, which ranked sixth, 13 Avenue Northwest, which ranked ninth, and 4 Avenue Southwest, which ranked 10th. The major issue affecting these roads, according to CAA, was potholes.

Tolley said that the city was aware of the issues prior to the campaign from CAA. He said the city has already begun work on Coteau Street West.