Leduc City Council has overturned the decision to approve a winter shelter that was first approved just weeks ago.
On June 24, Leduc Council voted four-to-three in favour of supporting the winter shelter in the community just south of Edmonton.
Then, during Monday nights council session, the group voted four-to-two to overturn the decision. One counsellor was not present for the meeting.
The emergency shelter was to replace the Leduc Hub, the current homeless support centre near downtown Leduc. The hub closed it’s doors on May 1, after failing to renew the lease on their building. The building would house Leduc’s vulnerable population when temperatures drop below -20 C, approximately 15 nights per winter season.
The use of hotel rooms as a solution was also brought forth in a secondary motion, with Coun. Glen Finstad adding it could be more economical.
The deciding vote which would change the fate of the building would be from Coun. Beverly Beckett. Beckett explained “I know that sounds bizarre, but I think we can come up with a better solution by looking at a number of different ways because one size does not fit all,”
Leduc Mayor Bob Young, who also voted against the shelter added the importance of rescinding the vote now, so they can begin planning in the fall.
Of the councillors who voted in favor of the new building Coun. Ryan Pollard said while he liked Beckett’s idea to “think bigger” when it comes to a better, overall solution, rescinding on the decision to establish the winter shelter leaves the city with no plan at all. “It’s not a bad path to go down, to think about, but the thing is if we rescind tonight, then there’s nothing,” according to Pollard.
The back and forth arguments cited that the decisions made could determine the fate of the homeless population and ultimately lead to deaths.
According to the Leduc Hub Association, eight of it’s former clients have died in the two months since it’s closure with the same number of clients dying over the course of a year, while the hub was operating.
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