As a final bureaucratic hurdle to create it goes before Kamloops city council on Tuesday, the Mayor of Kamloops is adding himself among a list of people who are opposing a new homeless shelter on the north shore, arguing against its need.

Reid Hamer-Jackson suggests part of his disapproval also relates to the large level of discontent he saw among those who attended an information session put on by the City of Kamloops and BC Housing at the McArthur Island Sports Centre lounge on November 21st.

“It seems to be more of trying to sell people,” said Hamer-Jackson of the two-hour session on Thursday evening.  “This happened to us in 2018 down on West Victoria Street when they were going to put the Rosethorn building in. It was the same thing. They just jammed it through. It’s been nothing but a nightmare.”

Hamer-Jackson suggests there are already enough shelter spaces available in Kamloops.

“I just think we’re going to keep building these harm-reduction facilities, or wet [low barrier] shelters, and people are just going to keep coming. I know people that are on the street that do want to go home. They’re adults. They don’t need a red carpet to bus back into Winnipeg, or wherever they come from.”

The Mayor also argues the creation of more shelter spaces is going to draw more people into the city to take advantage of the services.

“Since around 2018 when they started bringing in these housing units and they were going to have wrap-around service, there’s been like a thousand people come in from all over the place,” said Hamer-Jackson.  “They’re coming from Vancouver, Kelowna, Surrey, Merritt, Prince George, Vernon, Williams Lake… Chilliwack. They’re also coming from a lot of different provinces. If we keep building them, they’re going to keep coming.”

Despite a significant amount of concern and opposition to the project being expressed, Councillor Steven Karpuk says he believes those who took part in the information session were able to better understand what’s going to be included in the shelter.

“I give credit all to the ASK Wellness staff that took time to meet with this very concerned, and very well organized group and just lay it out and give them the information. Because what they came away from, in my conversations with them afterwards, was a better understanding of what this would be,” said Karpuk.  ” Not to say that they were 100% in favor, but they were willing to consider that this might not be as bad as it was before they had that discussion.”

Karpuk argues the proposed site is designed to both house, and help, those who need it.

“We need to give them a bed. We need to give them a meal, so they’re not worried about where that’s coming from,” said Karpuk.  “They can now think of the next step. ‘Maybe I don’t want to keep doing this.’ Those services will be right there at hand.”

While it will be a low barrier facility, Joshua Knaak with ARPA Investments, which owns the property the shelter is being built on, says its design and location on Tranquille should help clear away some of the makeshift shelters people have established in different parts the north shore.

“It’s something that can integrate well, and really take some of the pressure off some of the other areas,” said Knaak.  “We’re seeing tent being set up in parks along the riverbank. There’s no question there’s a need for for housing.”

Kamloops City Council is being asked on Tuesday to sign-off on a Temporary Use Permit for the shelter site, which is the former Butler Auto and RV location at 142 Tranquille.

If the Permit is approved, the shelter will be run by ASK Wellness, and should be operational before the end of the year.

ARPA Investments agreed in October to lease the Butler site to BC Housing at market rates for 20 months, which would allow the City of Kamloops time to continue its search for a permanent site for the long-discussed North Shore Access Hub, and as ARPA works out its own plans for the site, which Knaak says will be redeveloped.