Bid to halt Salvation Army shelter rejected by council

Ottawa city council has narrowly rejected Coun. Mathieu Fleury's bidto haltthe Salvation Army's controversial shelter on Montreal Road.

• Fleury urges council to overturn Vanier shelter decision
• SOS Vanier unimpressed by Salvation Army shelter changes

Fleuryasked his colleagues to revoke the previous council's decision to allow the350-bed facilityin the heart of Ottawa's Vanier neighbourhood, arguing thatsome councillors may have voted without knowingthe charity doesn't actually own the property.

Council voted 12-10 against Fleury's motion, much closer than the 16-7 voteduring the previous council termthatapproved the project.

The Salvation Armyhas made overtures to community groups in the last few weeks to alter the project. The proposed changesincludereducing the number of shelter beds from 140 to as few as 70, addingsupportive housingand keeping its addictions treatment centre in the ByWard Market.

The charity said they sent out invitations to a consultation before Fleury tabled his motion. Still, some opponents of the project called the Salvation Army'slobbying and media blitz of the last several days a stunt.

First-time councillor put on spot

Orlans Coun. Matt Luloff a first-time councillor and former veteran said the Salvation Army told him just before Wednesday morning's council meeting that they would havededicated private beds for homeless veterans, a cause dear to Luloff's heart.

Luloffsaid during last fall's election campaign that the former council had made the wrong decision on the Salvation Army file.

Still, he wasn't willing Wednesday to vote to rescind the project's approval.

"I hate the idea of even needing a new shelter," he told his colleagues."I wanted the community to be heard. I wanted the Salvation Army to listen and, quite frankly, I wanted this matter settled before I sat at this table."

Mayor Jim Watson says no proposal will satisfy shelter opponents

5 years ago

Duration 0:46

Mayor Jim Watson says no proposal will satisfy shelter opponents

'Clearly it was a conditional offer'

Luloffsaid one reason he voted against Fleury's motion was that he felt it was misleading.

Fleury had saidthe Salvation Army had misrepresented itself as the owners of the Montreal Road property, which may have influenced some councillors' decisions to vote in favour of the plan.

The organization did call itself the property "owner" on several official city documents, but also toldcouncillors at a public meetingthat it only had a conditional agreement to purchase the land.

That inconsistency may have given some councillors cover to vote against Wednesday'smotion. Certainly, Mayor Jim Watson who was an earlier and vocal supporter of the plan took aim at the whole ownership argument.

"Every member of the previous council knew exactly the ownership, because the question was asked at planning committee," said the mayor, urging council to vote against the motion.

"All of the final documents indicated clearly it was a conditional offer."

Community group SOS Vanieris appealing the city's approval of the projectto the province's Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

Fleury said at council Wednesday that if the appeal fails, the community will challenge the decision in court, which could delay the project for years.