Pembroke – Pembroke city council has committed to contribute $110,000 to the operation of a warming centre for the coming winter season, but the decision was strongly opposed by two members of council.

In a recorded vote last Tuesday night, five of the seven council members voted to approve the recommendation from the finance and administration committee to contribute $100,000 for the operation of the centre, plus an additional $10,000 in a contingency fund.

Mayor Ron Gervais, Deputy-Mayor Brian Abdallah and Councillors Troy Purcell, Ed Jacyno and Pat Lafreniere voted “yea,” while Councillors Ian Kuehl and Andrew Plummer voted “nay” to the motion. CAO David Unrau provided the background on the recommendation, noting since his previous report, the Town of Petawawa had assigned a member of its council to the ad-hoc committee and allocated $20,000.

Laurentian Valley Township had also assigned two members and was awaiting additional details before making a commitment. He said there was some question about the plan, and as it is being formulated, it appears it will be similar to last year.

“It would be trailers at the Farmers’ Market (site); that’s the recommendation going forward, he said. “The big difference, I guess, is that it would be completely operated by the County of Renfrew, and their associated organizations.”

Mr. Unrau said one of the concerns was the transition of the site from a warming centre back to a farmers’ market in the spring, and a discussion suggested some funds be set aside to assist with any potential costs.

He said there is $50,000 unallocated in the contingency for 2024 and the remaining amount would be budgeted for in 2025.

Coun. Purcell, who sits on the ad-hoc committee with Mayor Gervais, provided a further update about a meeting October 31 he attended along with Dep. Mayor Abdallah, Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon, and representatives of the farmers’ market and the downtown business association over the location of the centre.

“And we deemed that the farmers’ market was the most appropriate site for 2024 for various reasons,” he said.

The representatives provided the group with a list of concerns about the centre’s operation last year, but a consensus was reached that it was the best site for the coming season. The caveat was that money be set aside to address any damages that might occur at the site.

Coun. Purcell said the farmers’ market will also have ongoing representation on the warming centre committee, saying that was really important. He said other locations were looked at, including a site at the old railway station owned by the county, and in the rear at the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre (OATC), but the farmers’ market proved the most logical site.

Coun. Purcell said if the county is successful in its application to receive funding for a HART (Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hub, it would be housed in the Carefor Mackay campus. He added the county is also attempting to negotiate a lease for a potential drop-in centre for late spring to act as a cooling and warming centre and house a referral service to the HART Hub, if it is successful.

“The operator will be Mackay Manor (of Renfrew),” he noted of the warming centre. “The warden also reaffirmed this is a temporary solution and that the farmers’ market site will not be used after 2024-25.”

He said when the committee met, the consensus was the warming centre is required this year, noting while the county has stepped up its Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) by providing stays at hotels, etc., there is still the need for the centre.

Coun. Purcell said the operational times of the centre were discussed, explaining last year it was open from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. For this year the county is proposing expanding the hours from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. because The Grind closes at 3:30 p.m. The Grind provides support for the homeless.

“That will result in less loitering, provide an opportunity for people to stay warm, because when The Grind closes at 3:30 in the winter, where do you go if you’re cold?” he asked. “You go to the Pembroke Library, you go to the PMC (Pembroke Memorial Centre), you go to the businesses, you go to the vestibules, places to stay warm until the warming centre opens.”

He said he understood $100,000 is a big ask in these tough fiscal times, but he believes the city will be better off in the long run because a lot of good things are happening with the good partnerships with the county.

“I do think we are going to have a permanent solution and we are going to have those support services available for individuals to get true addiction recovery opportunities and for them to be successful in terms of moving forward with a productive life,” he said.

At this point he made the motion council allocate $100,00 plus provide a $10,000 contingency.

Coun. Lafreniere, who seconded the motion, said she was glad to see the matter moving forward as the nights were getting colder.

Upset With Lack of Budget

Coun. Kuehl expressed immediate frustration with the matter being brought back to the table at this time.

“I don’t even know where to begin with this,” he stated. “Number one, we still have no (warming centre) budget and now they’re asking us for $110,000.

“Last year, we at least had a budget at this point,” he added.

He stressed he did not disagree with the need for the centre as no one wanted to see anyone freeze on the streets.

“But I want to remind everybody that last year was the last year. The year before last year, starting in about February or so, when there were complaints about the warming centre, The Grind, we said we needed to find a better permanent place,” he continued.

“And last year, we get to this time, and I think it was maybe a week from now, we had the discussion that it’s getting cold, and we need to do something quick. Quite frankly, I’ll be completely honest with some of the prior speakers, I don’t believe any of you when you say this is the last year.”

Coun. Kuehl said there was no evidence in front of him to indicate a permanent warming shelter was any closer to happening.

“As far as I know, right now, we’re still all in on this last time, temporary solution, which is where we were last year,” he stated.

He reiterated there is no budget yet, admitting some things should not have to be purchased this year, like lounge chairs, but it is being proposed the hours be extended.

“We should have a budget before we spend $100,000 of taxpayer money and I will

never support spending $100,000 without knowing where it’s going without a budget.

“So, when I vote against this tonight, it’s not me voting against the warming centre, it’s me voting against the fact that this is completely half-reared coming to this council table again.”

He said he is happy to see the farmers’ market people agreeable the centre be located there again as they were unhappy when the centre closed last spring and how things were left.

“They did not feel that they got any support,” he said.

He also questioned why the contingency fund was solely coming from the city and not the other partners as well. Coun. Kuehl said he is disappointed the topic keeps resurfacing in an unprofessional way.

“It’s a hodgepodge plan that once again is coming to us last minute, with no budget whatsoever.”

He motioned that the subject be tabled, which was seconded by Coun. Plummer but in a recorded vote, the motion was defeated, with only he and Coun. Plummer supporting it.

Opposed To Contribution

Coun. Plummer referenced an earlier presentation that night from representatives from the Seniors Active Living Centre.

“We have to think very hard and very carefully as to, in our community, where we allocate our funds,” he remarked, adding he would like to see more money given to the seniors and the people who made the city strong and vibrant over the years.

He suggested there are seniors who don’t have access to a doctor or the Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC), or the Canadian Dental Plan because they don’t have access to a computer or the internet.

“The city needs to look into what more it can do for the seniors,” he stated, adding they need safe parks, and a transportation service to the essential services.

“We need to spend more money on trying to implement these services.”

He noted the seniors indicated they were just scraping by and were looking for a new building.

‘Why are we not writing them a cheque for $100,000, if we’re not going to have a budget for anything?” he asked. “I definitely would not support the warming centre at this stage with no budget and the understanding we have greater concerns in the city.”

Coun. Jacyno said if he was being honest, he doesn’t particularly want the centre in the city either.

“But from a humanitarian standpoint, I cannot turn a blind eye to my fellow man and say die in the street or be hungry. I understand that other people are struggling within the community as well.”

He said council knows what the city spent last year and the request Is not increasing the amount to any extreme.

“The problem here is not us beating ourselves up about this, it’s the Province of Ontario who said ‘here you go, we’re going to hand it all back to you’.”

He noted policing costs and anything associated with social services was downloaded to the municipal levels many years ago.

“Send it back to the premier, send it back to Parliament. It’s not our function, but it’s our duty to do that but we have to, because if we don’t, you’re going to have people freezing to death, hungry.”

He suggested council set a date of January 1 to initiate a plan to address the issue being taken back by the province.

Coun. Purcell said he agreed with the comments he had heard, saying the budget is forthcoming, however he is confident the county will have it well in hand.

“I think we’re working towards a long-term solution. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get to where we wanted to be this year. But there is a long-term solution that is coming forward, and there’s also going to be controls put in place regarding the long-term solution, working with staff, working with the CAO, to come up with a policy about emergency warming centres to address concerns.”

Coun. Purcell said he believes the city is getting a great bargain at $110,000, adding again a budget is coming soon.

Mayor Gervais thanked Coun. Purcell for his efforts on all related committees, working to address what he called complex problems. He said to see representatives on the committee coming together to find a long-term solution is encouraging, adding he believes the city and the county had never worked as well together, and he too feels they will bring in a solid budget.

He said everyone is pulling together, and it will take time, but he believes things are headed in the right direction.

Coun. Lafreniere said she felt some of her colleagues were displaying unconscious bias and were painting clients of the warming centre with the same brush in that they made the choices that led them to require the service and why should the municipality pay for it. “That’ s like saying to someone who has lung cancer, you chose to have that first cigarette, so we are not going to pay for your healthcare,” she remarked. “It’s getting down to that and it’s really sad, because this is an illness.”

She said there was no way a request to assist people sleeping in the cold, could be compared to some funding assistance for the senior’s centre.

Coun. Kuehl continued to belabour the fact there was no budget yet to see where the money was being spent, adding there is no agreement in writing with the county or the farmers’ market committee.

Coun. Purcell reiterated he will bring forward the budget when it’s ready. He said existing programs are working and will continue to work.

“We have to trust the process,” he said.

No Need For Centre

Coun. Plummer left nothing to wonder about his stance on the subject, suggesting there were two deaths in the area of the centre last year, one an overdose and the other a drowning in the river.

“Why are we normalizing a place to do drugs?” he asked. “I don’t think this is a great idea. Prior to 2022, we didn’t have a warming centre in Pembroke. I don’t see what the need is for it anymore.”

Dpty-Mayor Abdallah had the final word, saying he is comfortable the concerns of the farmers’ market and PBIA have been addressed.

“And I have full confidence in the warden of Renfrew County, the county administration, and Mackay Manor to run the facility better than last year,” he said. “I know we don’t have a budget yet, but it’s going to be a responsible budget. There won’t be money wasted.”