Achi news desk-
Camps along the Assiniboine and Red rivers have been problematic in Winnipeg for quite some time, with issues from safety to garbage and other health and fire hazards prominent.
On Tuesday, the City’s Executive Policy Committee unanimously approved an amendment to a proposal that could pave the way for establishing working partnerships with community outreach organizations such as Siloam Mission, the Main Street Project, and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership to provide some encampments with the removal of litter regularly.
Initially, if proposed as is, the proposal would have resulted in Winnipeg park staff picking up litter every week or every other week at about 150 encampments around the city at an estimated cost of $4 million. The amendment comes with a much more palatable price tag of $170,000, and would allow Winnipeg’s Chief Administrative Officer to enter into sole source agreements with the groups.
Point Douglas city councilor Vivian Santos originally presented the recommendation, but agreed with committee members that the original cost was too high.
“They are [City administration office] it came up with the $4 million figure annually,” Santos said. “So it’s a very large number. And, I was surprised.”
Santos says she gets calls every day from residents in her ward, and she believes this proposed pilot project, while not a long-term solution, will bring benefits in the short term.
“In the report, he actually said that if we started maintaining the garbage regularly, we would see a downward slope towards the cost,” explained Santos. “So you might not get this happening every week. We can or maybe [not] needs to be done every two weeks.”
Santos also believes that this cleanup can also have an impact in other aspects.
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“If we look at it from a land and environmental point of view, we don’t want that debris, and the big debris to get into our waters, lakes and rivers.”
Siloam Mission CEO Tessa Blaikie-Whitecloud supports the move towards the hybrid approach due to the fact that organizations like Siloam Mission and Main Street Project are able to create relationships with those staying in camps, who are usually leads to better outcomes for all involved.
Saint barbershop owner Scott Ramos agrees that encampments along the river need to be cleaned up – but safety for everyone, including those using river trails, is a priority.
“I understand that some people are less fortunate and don’t have homes to stay in. But as long as it’s safe for people in the neighborhood.” Ramos explained.
The proposed pilot project is expected to go before the council late next week, and although it only targets a handful of encampments along the river, city residents can still rely on 3-1-1 if they come across , or notice that other camps should be looked at. by city crews.
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
