William Milne Place in the historic downtown fire hall has offered homeless and low-income men shelter for nearly 33 years but will soon become the community’s new long-sought warming centre.
The City of Moose Jaw entered into a 99-year shelter lease agreement with the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation (MJNPHC) on Jan. 1, 1990, before transferring the property to the corporation, a city council report explained.
The shelter at 139 Fairford Street West opened on Aug. 10, 1990 — two years after planning began — and provided 15 rooms to support older men.
Leases and subleases
At some point city hall signed another lease for on-site parking, with six stalls subleased to the corporation and six stalls unleased to anyone, the report continued.
The municipality entered into a sublease with Global Direct Realty Inc. (GDR) on Aug. 13, 2013. The sublease was for one year but continues yearly until terminated. Either party can cancel the sublease by providing 30 days written notice.
If the sublease is not terminated, the city cannot extinguish GDR’s rights simply by terminating the lease with the MJNPHC, the report said. Terminating the corporation’s lease without terminating GDR’s sublease results in the former becoming responsible for the latter’s sublease. This leaves both parties to determine their respective rights.
If this sounds complicated, you’re not alone. Even some city councillors were a little confused when the city administration presented a report about a new warming centre during the Feb. 27 regular meeting.
Signing new agreements
During the meeting, council voted 5-2 — councillors Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning were opposed — to assign the city’s sublease agreement with Global Direct Realty to the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation and mutually terminate the current lease agreements with the corporation.
The municipality will have the first opportunity to purchase the William Milne Place building in the future; city hall wants to maintain it as a heritage site.
This is subject to the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation fully releasing the city from the development agreement that both signed on March 6, 1989, and the project operating agreement signed on March 6, 1989 that was assigned to the corporation on Nov. 3, 1989.
Council also authorized city administration to negotiate the final agreements — to be presented on March 13 — with the housing corporation.
Square One and the corporation intend to use William Milne Place as a supported transition housing location with an after-hours drop-in centre and emergency women’s shelter.
The city and council worked with Square One this winter to find a suitable location, with members meeting twice with council behind closed doors. Meanwhile, Square One has worked for the past two years to establish a community warming centre.
People in need
“Certainly, there is a need in the community; there’s no question about that. And social housing is not a municipal responsibility; there’s no question about that either. However, the city has become involved,” said city manager Jim Puffalt, noting homeless residents already use city buildings as warming places, which creates liabilities.
Puffalt said he spoke briefly to GDR’s owner — on the Friday before council’s Monday meeting — about the situation. They discussed whether 30 days was enough time for the owner to find a new location.
“I said I did not know. But that is something we can talk about with Non-Profit Housing. I did make that conversation (on Feb. 24) and maybe there is some leeway to make it work,” he added.
Agreement concerns
Eby wondered whether the building would be taxable if the municipality stopped owning it. She has had conversations with another business that had a similar situation occur, while that owner is now confused and unhappy because he must pay taxes.
“I’m a little concerned about jumping into this while we don’t know all the answers,” she added.
That building would be taxable if commercial activities occurred, otherwise, it should be OK, said finance director Brian Acker. However, he had to conduct further research to be certain.
“That gives me pause because we’re not 100 per cent sure. It makes me a little nervous because this is also complicated with the lease and sublease and we’re trying to smooth it over,” said Eby. “I think we are opening a can of worms that might not come out for a while.”
What upset Luhning was the brief discussion Puffalt had with GDR’s owner, considering the conversation happened one business day before council’s meeting. She noted that council talked about that possible problem during its private meetings.
“I don’t really feel comfortable in telling that renter and that business that, all of a sudden, they have to find a new place to operate their business … . I don’t think it looks very good,” she said.
This shelter might be within the city’s purview, but Luhning was worried about the project’s timing, especially since Square One wants it to happen in the next 30 days. She thought that timeline was “onerous and just too demanding.”
Stepping over sleepers
Council must do something to address the homeless issue because people are sleeping in municipal buildings, said Coun. Doug Blanc. He and Robinson — members of the Board of Police Commissioners — visited the police station one morning for training and stepped over people sleeping in the lobby.
Business owners are also calling Blanc to complain about residents sleeping in their lobbies. While they sympathize with the situation, homeless residents are scaring away patrons.
Blanc has learned that one bank has closed its ATM at night, while some residents have stopped visiting the library because they’re nervous about homeless residents sleeping in the chairs.
“We had an individual freeze to death last year because (he) had no place to go … ,” Blanc added. “If we do not do something, this will be put on the back burner … .”
‘Dire straits’
People have experienced frostbite and had fingers amputated for lack of shelter, while this has also affected downtown businesses with problems like shoplifting, said Coun. Crystal Froese, who noted the municipality has a similar lease agreement with the Cosmo Senior Citizens Centre.
The agreement with the corporation “should be pretty simple” since the city has the first opportunity to purchase the building, she continued. Meanwhile, there shouldn’t be any taxation on the building if it’s used for non-profit purposes.
“The need here in the city is great and we have people in dire, dire straits out there,” Froese added.
There’s no perfect place for a warming centre, and while some residents may not want one near them, many people have worked diligently to make this a reality, said Mayor Clive Tolley, who noted the William Milne Place was previously called “the old boys’ residence.”
“We finally have a good solution … and it’s the best place for this to be … ,” he added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 13.
