Facility’s Proposed Location Negatively Impacts Proposed Hotel - Proponent Tells Public Forum
By Robert Thomas
The proposed downtown location of a homeless shelter will negatively impact and is a potential deal killer to an upscale hotel proposed for the 0 block of River Street West, a hotel proponent told a packed full house public forum.
Speaking to an overflowing room at Monday evening’s City of Moose Jaw facilitated Community Wellness and Safety meeting James Murdock - a main proponent of the proposed hotel project - said the proposed Souls’ Harbour location is not a good fit for the hotel project.
“However the current location of the proposed Souls Harbour will certainly negatively impact the economic viability of this project. That is simply just the reality,” he said.
He spoke further about the economic times and how the Hilton hotel proponents were going to community finance the proposed hotel.
“With respect to the future viability of the Brunswick Tapestry by Hilton the current economic environment for construction of the new hotel is challenging,” Murdock said, adding “Our intent is to raise the funds locally for this project following in the footsteps of the legacy community group that made the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa a reality.”
The site of Souls’ Harbour’s proposed facility located on the 200 block of River Street West - MJ Independent file photo
Murdock began his speech stating he - and the proposed hotel group he spoke on behalf of - wanted to speak about the city as a whole and not exclusively about the proposed hotel invariably spoke about Souls Harbour’s proposed facility and the impact on the proposed Hilton hotel.
“We are encouraged we are having dialogue on this issue. We believe it’s critical to the economic future and vibrancy of our downtown and we must get it right,” Murdock told the public forum.
During his presentation he brought up the issue of public safety around the Moose Jaw Events Centre and what other communities were doing regards the locations of their facilities for the homeless.
“Pedestrian safety is top of (our) mind…locations of these shelters be subject to consultation with the City of Moose Jaw police and first responders and other professionals specifically in context of the demographic of pedestrian traffic, density and subsequent risk for residents in the community,” Murdock said.
Proponents of downtown shelters have stated having the shelters downtown is crucial to their success.
The downtown homeless shelter proponents point to accessibility for their clients to services as well as to other services the homeless use.
For Murdock the community needs to follow what has transpired in some other western Canadian municipalities regarding the locations of their homeless shelters.
“I encourage our municipal leaders and the proponents of homeless shelters to consider…following other municipalities across western Canada (who) are reviewing and locating homeless shelters away from public venues specifically for safety reasons.”
“Is there other opportunities to engage with other municipalities in western Canada?” he asked.
The meeting had been previously told by Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod the location of all facilities to assist the homeless was at the purview of the City (individual municipality) and not the provincial government that funds at least one homeless shelter presently in the downtown core.
Souls Harbour is privately funded and therefore not under the control of the province McLeod also stated.
It should be noted Mayor Clive Tolley in the past spoke to Souls Harbour asking them to relocate their proposed River Street facility. A major plank of Mayor Tolley’s election platform was the revitalization of the 0 block of River Street West.
Murdock said he had personally supported the creation of the River Street Mission - taken over by Souls Harbour in 2018 - but the location should be decided at the direction of the police, first responders and health care professionals.
“Well we believe the homeless shelter and services are important to the fabric of any community,” he said, adding “We believe the direction should be directed by healthcare professionals and community service leaders including the city police, RCMP and first responders.”
Murdock described the Moose Jaw Events Centre as a major economic engine of the city and that safety was important around the facility (downtown area).
“I can admit in the fall of 2020 I was supportive of the Souls Harbour Mission however (inaudible) reflect not on the Mission itself but the location.”
So far Souls Harbour has invested $500,000 into its River Street West project.
“The Moose Jaw Event Centre is an economic engine for the City of Moose Jaw. Visited regularly by tourists, families that reside in the region and residents of the City of Moose Jaw. This is home of the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Moose Jaw Curling Association and now also Moose Jaw Minor Hockey. Thus creating pedestrian traffic for youth and families,” Murdock said.
“It’s close proximity to Moose Jaw’s primary tourism and family asset,” he said.
Murdock did not dispute the facts about how Souls Harbour legally obtained the rezoning and approval for their proposed River Street facility - he said that he was not there to discuss the past - but the community really never had a discussion opportunity at the time due to the COVID pandemic.
“The fall of 2020 when the Souls Harbour facility was proposed and eventually permitted it was a difficult time…with the fallout from COVID and restricted ability to move and (congregate) with each other as community it was certainly frustrating…It’s unfortunate the community could not come together at that time to offer alternatives. What I don’t want to do is focus on decisions of the past as there is no doubt in my mind that all was well intended,” Murdock said.
It needs to be noted that there has never been community consultations on the proposed hotel for the 0 block of River Street West.
Both the proposed hotel and proposed Souls Harbour facility are private developments being developed on private property without any announced public monies. Neither are required to have a public discussion or consultations as part of their development requirements.
Murdock extended an invitation to the proponents of “the Souls’ Harbour Mission in Moose Jaw to engage with us in solutions oriented discussions.”
He added the conversation was about community and not the proposed hotel.
“Not with the hotel in focus but our community. I’m sure there is much we have to learn, know and look forward to the opportunity.”
Murdock was met with applause and cheers following his five minute and 40 second presentation.
EDITOR’S NOTE - MJ Independent did not cover this meeting and its entire discussion as it fell outside our strict June 30th deadline as we prepare to shutter this publication.
We are only finishing stories we were working on or were asked to cover before that deadline.
The redevelopment of the 0 block of River Street West is however a story on our to do list and so we covered this portion of the meeting.