Group Asks City For Plan On Cleaning Up The Downtown
Story and photos by Robert Thomas
If you were to listen to a presenter at Monday afternoon’s meeting of Council the city’s downtown is not yet a post apocalypse nightmare but then again it’s nothing like the rosy picture as described in Wikipedia.
In fact it can be downright ugly.
Something the presenter wanted to know what the City, as well as the police, were going to do to change it for the better.
Carolyn Ross, a spokesperson for the organization Good Neighbours Group, addresses Council about concerns in the downtown and what is the City going to do about them - MJ Independent photo
Speaking on behalf of the Good Neighbours Group Carolyn Ross told Council they had just completed an informal survey of downtown businesses and only one business was not concerned.
“They no longer feel safe in their own business,” Ross claimed.
She said incidents that have occurred and the culture that has taken hold that “many people are afraid to visit the downtown area.”
Many of the incidents happening in the downtown are not reported, she said.
Ross said unless something is done to stop what is happening in the downtown “tourism and the downtown culture will suffer.”
The incidents are harmful and chasing people away.
She wanted to know what were the City’s plans for a culture change and how can the group support it.
Councillor Heather Eby said she was aware of the concerns and problems but wondered if government was the solution or was it more complex.
“I don’t know if the government can fix it better than people” Councillor Eby said.
More police may not be the answer.
“If we have 100 more police officers I don’t know if it will change the things you want to change,” she said.
On the positive side she said Council had been instrumental in shutting down the crime ridden Stadacona Apartments with lots of people in the area thankful for it.
“This Council was part of closing down the Stadacona Apartments (when) that landed on our tables.”
Former tenants from the now closed Stadacona Apartments are bussed to temporary shelter in a local motel - mj independent file photo
Mayor Clive Tolley spoke about attending a private invitation only meeting last week - Community Caring Strategy- that brought together liberal left leaning organizations and supportive media to brainstorm a soultion to the “crisis” downtown.
The Mayor asked if the approximate 25 people who came as support - many downtown business owners - if they had been invited to the strategy meeting. None of them had.
“We would try to compliment them any way we can,” Mayor Tolley said about the meeting.
“Many of the solutions are what you are doing and going out and speaking to people.”
The Mayor said more people in the downtown - a busier downtown - was a major step in discouraging undesirable people from being downtown.
“It will scare (certain people) away because it doesn’t suit them.”
The concerns about Crescent Park are something Mayor Tolley said he has personally investigated going so far as to venture into the park at night.
“So far I haven’t been accosted,” he said.
Part of Ross’s presentation dealt with the problems on Main Street but she also spoke about the problems in Crescent Park as well as inside the Moose Jaw Public Library.
People sleep in a downtown ATM - MJ Independent file photo
Mayor Tolley went on to ask if any of the over 20 people had been asked to and attended the Community Caring Strategy - none of them had been invited.
He suggested that he would get the organizers of that meeting with the Good Neighbours Group.
“Let’s get these two groups together. Together we can do more.”
Councillor Dawn Luhning reiterated that more activity was key in dissuading undesirable people from the downtown.
“The busier our downtown is the better it is going to be.”
“The more events and more traffic you have downtown the more they disperse,” Councillor Luhning said, adding “we need to be proactive but let’s not run away scared.”
Councillor Doug Blanc said the deterioration of the downtown was one thing discussed and some time ago an increased police presence had been discussed.
About businesses not reporting incidents Councillor Blanc, who sits on the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners, urged those who were aware of incidents to report them.
Moose Jaw was not unique, he said.
“This is a problem there are a lot of Canadian cities we need to deal with it.”
Councillor Blanc pointed to the provincial government needing to step up with therapy and counselling.
“If we get them off of the drugs and get them treatment it may help with the problem,” he said.
Councillor Jamey Logan spoke about the way the court system is addressing the problem.
“Right now it is catch and release like a fishing hole,” he said.
Councillor Logan also questioned the number of actual homeless in Moose Jaw.
“They’re (all) not homeless they (just) don’t want to go home.”
It needs to be noted Square One Inc - the group planning to open a warming/cooling shelter and women’s emergency shelter, commissioned a point in time (PIT) count of the unhoused in late August 2023 in Moose Jaw to apply for funding.
The group promised to release the PIT count and up until now the results have not been publicly released.