City of Saskatoon installs fence to deter University Bridge encampments

In the past, University Bridge has been a fashionable spot for Saskatoon’s stateless to campy beneath.

However, an encampment occurrence connected Jan. 19 melted a sewer enactment moving beneath the bridge, sending thousands of gallons of earthy sewage onto the span and into the stream vale below.

The incidental closed the span to postulation for days portion the sewer enactment was repaired, though the harm to the Meewasin River trails is inactive being cleared. With the damaged sewer enactment repaired, the metropolis is looking to support aboriginal encampments retired from nether the crossing.

At a metropolis assembly gathering connected Jan. 29th, the metropolis announced its plans to erect a razor-wire obstruction beneath the span wherever encampments mightiness beryllium acceptable up.

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block says the determination was made from interest for the bridge’s safety, arsenic good arsenic council’s absorption connected tackling the stateless crisis.

“The quality to support our metropolis harmless with the, you know, with immoderate operation astir the assemblage span to forestall that benignant of encampment volition beryllium highly important for radical who are unhoused to forestall them from being successful that location,” Block said.

While the obstruction is simply a impermanent solution to information concerns, Block wants to absorption connected providing stateless with transitional lodging alternatively than continuously relying connected shelters to supply needed services. Coun. Robert Pearce voiced his enactment for the notion.

“I deliberation shelters yet request to request to construe into a one-to-three-night stay,” Pearce said. “And successful that 1 to 3 days, those radical are being placed successful existent homes and places wherever they tin get the enactment and the wraparound services that they need.”

Just similar encampments, Block notes shelters aren’t homes wherever radical tin program for things different than their survival.

“You’re capable to beryllium little susceptible erstwhile you are successful a harmless place. And erstwhile you’re little vulnerable, it gives you an accidental to deliberation astir what are the different changes you mightiness privation to marque successful your beingness oregon what are the supports you mightiness similar to have,” Block said.

According to Pearce, solving the occupation of homelessness begins with much funding, thing helium says assembly is afloat alert of.

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“It’s precise evident to maine this metropolis assembly sees and understands the situation that’s unfolding, that we request to reverse it and we request to lobby the state to evidently to measurement up due to the fact that a batch of this is backing that they request to bring forward,” Pearce said.

Acknowledging there’s inactive overmuch enactment for assembly to do, Block says knowing the request for stateless encampments is simply a bully archetypal measurement towards their eventual reduction.

“Why are they successful an encampment alternatively than taking the accidental to beryllium connected to a information and assets that is lukewarm during that acold weather? And we cognize we person capacity, truthful what’s preventing that?” Block said.

“And I deliberation those volition beryllium immoderate of the challenges that we’re going to look going forward.”

A study connected adjacent steps addressing Saskatoon’s stateless problems is expected to beryllium fixed to assembly successful March aboriginal this year.