Winnipeg city council shelves proposal to dismantle bus shelters, looks for new idea
A motion to dismantle Winnipeg bus shelters is not moving forward after it was replaced with a new idea at city hall Thursday.
The original motion brought to city council by Councillor Shawn Nason was shelved Thursday. It asked the city to remove the glass from two bus shelters in Transcona.
Kris Clemens with End Homelessness Winnipeg told CTV News she is encouraged the motion did not move forward.
"Especially to see some of the councillors that had voted for this motion at committees have a bit of a change of heart," said Clemens.
After hearing public outcry from several advocate organizations, an emotional Nason backed away from his original motion and said it is about the people.
"There's people in very difficult circumstances on our streets. We see it day in and day out. It's not hidden homeless – it's in our face,” he said in tears at City Hall on Thursday.
A new resolution by Councillor Sherri Rollins, seconded by Nason, instead addresses six recommendations put forward by community partners in response to the original bus shelter motion.
Rollins said it is important to listen to what organizations helping unsheltered Winnipeggers have to say.
"It's that housing first and harm reduction, wrap around supports is what most needed to alleviate that,” she said.
The new motion asks the city to explore options for 150 new low barrier transitional housing spaces, which will need funding and a location.
"This step to create 150 units of transitional housing in the short-term compliments those efforts that are already underway and it could give our community the extra boost it needs to really support those who need it most,” said Clemens.
Advocates point to efforts like the 24/7 winter warming safe space on Disraeli Freeway called N'Dinawemak, which is still open now even though it's summer.
Cora Morgan, the First Nations family advocate with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said even with this space, there is not enough room for the number of unsheltered people in Winnipeg. That is leading people to encampments or bus shelters instead.
"To take away bus shelters is not a good reaction," she said.
Morgan added that longer-term funding for safe spaces like N'Dinawemak could help address the immediate need and provide a place where people are treated with respect and feel welcome to tell their truth.
"People need that. It's not about just housing people, it's helping them have value for life and have dreams and acknowledging who they are and what their gifts and talents are."
N'Dinawemak only has funding to keep the doors open until October 31, said Morgan.
The new motion will come to city council again in July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.