(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca) March 16, 2021 - 3:53 PM Penticton city council weighed in on B.C. Housing’s request for reconsideration of council s decision to close the emergency winter shelter at a former church today. Councillor Katie Robinson made a motion this afternoon, March 16, to receive the B.C. Housing correspondence and deny the request to allow the winter shelter at 352 Winnipeg St. to continue for another year. “We have a duty to all our citizens. These wrap around services we were promised continue to be non-existent,” Robinson said, adding emergency services personnel were starting to buckle under all this pressure.”
Penticton council stands by decision to shutter emergency shelter, despite pleas and threats from province - Penticton News
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BC Housing hoping to demonstrate need for more supportive housing in Penticton to a council wary to approve more - Penticton News
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(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca) March 12, 2021 - 6:00 AM Penticton city council is standing resolute on its decision to shutter the emergency winter shelter at 352 Winnipeg Street in spite of an ultimatum issued by the province. The decision raised the ire of B.C. Minister responsible for housing, David Eby and a resulting war of words advanced to action this week with a letter to the city from B.C. Housing CEO Shane Ramsey. Ramsey says Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki “indicated support” for a renewal of the temporary use permit at a meeting on Feb. 3, prompting an application to extend the permit from B.C. Housing the next day.
(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca) March 04, 2021 - 7:30 PM Initiatives to help Penticton’s homeless took an unfortunate step backwards this week following several heated exchanges between Penticton city council and B.C. Housing Minister David Eby. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a B.C. Housing request asking council to extend a temporary use permit to allow an emergency shelter to continue operating at the former Victory Church facility at 352 Winnipeg St.
Council’s refusal sparked angry words from the housing minister that were followed by an equally angry response from Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki and members of council, bringing homeless discussions between the city and province to frosty levels probably not seen before.