Regina city council to vote on purchasing Eagles Club building for new shelter

Regina city council is set to vote on another potential shelter location on Wednesday.

City administration has recommended that the council approve the purchase of the Eagles Club building located at 1600 Halifax St.,just a block away from Regina Police Services headquarters for $2.6 million. The city would then spend approximately $3 million to convert the property into a shelter.

The federal government has provided $3 million for the project, with another $3 million to come from the provincial government in the form of a loan that is forgivable after 10 years. That would mean no additional contributions from the City of Regina.

The purchase was previously discussed atthe Sept. 18 meeting of the city'sexecutive committee. Eleven delegates spoke, with many business owners from the area opposing the location, saying it would negatively affect them and others.

"Placing individuals with serious addiction and mental health issues in an industrial zone without direct access to these services not only undermines the city's own plan, but also sets these individuals up for continued struggles," said Miranda Michell, the owner of Fella & Fetch.

Seventeen delegates are on Wednesday's council agenda.

The city held an informational session on Tuesday night for property and businessowners near the potential location.

Earlier that day Mayor Sandra Masters said the intention was to discuss about anyconcerns and discuss how to mitigate them.

"There's some concerns that are based in a fear of the unknown and there's some fears that are based on the known," said Masters.

"We can take information away to create the plan for if the shelter goes forward, create the plan upon implementation and design, and they can take information and open up the stream of dialogue so that we can be proactive and responsive in advance of next summer."

In June, city council rejected a different proposed site location. City managerNiki Anderson has stressed that administration took concerns raised by councillorsduring that discussion into consideration when finding the new location.