Claude Berthiaume, Sudbury city councillor, grills staff over homeless shelter

A departing Sudbury city councillor grilled staff at the last meeting of his term over a homeless shelter not yet ready to house people this winter.

Claude Berthiaume, one of 10 councillors not returning to city council after the October election, said he didn't understand why the city didn't have a plan in place months ago to ensure an Out of the Cold homeless shelter would be ready for the winter.

"We knew that this was coming way back last spring," he said. "I'm disappointed, you know, that we waited that long to come out with the tender."

When Berthiaumequestioned the shelter's unpreparedness, staff said that after putting a call out in September, they didn't receive any acceptable bids. Council only received one proposal for the shelter, which was rejected.

Staff are now working on a back-up plan, which Berthiaume believes should have been created months prior.

City staff said their new plan involves getting the Salvation Army to operate the Out of the Cold program once more this winter. It will likely be run out of an old police station across the street from Tom Davies Square.

Last winter, the program didn't get up and running until mid-February.