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On Wednesday, Nov. 13, we’re going back to the municipal polls.

Thus far, we have four declared candidates for mayor, although the deadline for hat-into-the-ring-throwing is Oct. 9.

Housing, land use and the attenuating issues facing Saskatoon — a short supply of homes, homelessness, and an addictions crisis — are likely to drive a lot of votes in our community, so I asked all four candidates two questions:

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1. Could you distill your policy on shelters?

2. Please provide one other policy or idea that may advance building in Saskatoon.

I want to ‘get out of the way’ to the extent possible and leave the talking to the candidates, but I must make two things clear first — and you will see this in the candidates’ responses.

A city government is not responsible for health. The much-discussed and frequently-vilified shelter run by the Saskatoon Tribal Council in Fairhaven, for example, is in a provincial government-owned building, and its location was not chosen by city council.

Furthermore, the city’s zoning bylaw on group housing does not discriminate among types of shelters.

That said, here are the mayoral candidates’ responses in their own words, slightly edited for clarity and style. In some cases, long responses have been shortened.

Don Atchison, former mayor

1. This (shelter) situation has to be remedied immediately, and we must put forward a policy where this does not happen in any other community in the future. The federal and provincial governments will have to be the primary contributors financially along with human resources, but the city shall be part of the solution.

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We must move away from the “emergency shelter” mindset, which treats homelessness as a temporary problem. Instead, we need a solution-based response focused on long-term recovery, dignity, and reintegration into society. This means providing not just shelters, but a full range of support.

We require medical centres for those dealing with physical and mental health issues; recovery centres for addiction support; transitional centres to help individuals and families move from instability to self-sufficiency; and attainable homes — options for single parents and children, families, singles and veterans.

To meet this need, as mayor, council and the administration will work towards building 10,000 affordable homes over the next decade. These homes will range from 200 sq. ft. modular units for individuals to larger homes for families.

2. One of my top priorities is to make Saskatoon the most business-friendly city in Canada, and a big part of that means cutting red tape. Right now, our permitting process is holding back growth
and innovation.

In the private sector, if you don’t meet your customer’s needs, they’ll go somewhere else. But the city has a monopoly — there’s no competition, so projects get delayed, costing time and money.

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Cynthia Block, city councillor, Ward 6

1. It’s important to know that we cannot promise, as people trying to become mayor or city councillor, what is a provincial government responsibility. What I can promise is to try to work urgently with the province to access more resources, because unless and until people are safely housed, we will not see the community safety and well-being our residents are asking for and what they deserve.

My solution in this moment is to create a task force. That’s not about studying the issue; we already know what needs to happen. But unless and until residents are at the table, I continue to believe we are not going to get where we need to be.

In my eight years on council, we have constantly been working with fire, police, health, the province, and dozens of organizations in the city to try to effect change, but the problem keeps changing and it keeps accelerating.

The idea that somehow the experts and the elected people and the service providers are going to provide a better plan is not working. We need all of us in this together. That’s why it’s really important to have residents together and have it be public facing.

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2. Some of the things we might be wanting to look at is how do we incentivize conversions of commercial property that isn’t being well utilized and accelerate their ability to become residential. I supported HAF (the federal Housing Accelerator Fund), and that was hard, based on the fact that I think there are better ways to handle that for a city our size right now, but foundationally people need to have roofs over their head.

Young people deserve the opportunity to have access to homeownership. Right now, people can’t even rent, it’s so expensive. What HAF has done is it has allowed the city to find city-owned land to unleash our ability to start building these units as quickly as possible — working in partnership with affordable housing developers but also with market developers.

Cary Tarasoff, professional planner/architectural technician

1. We need to quit making the same mistakes, for starters. We need a purpose-built modular facility with spaces for dignified care of differing scales. Many of the people we refer to as homeless are actually unhouseable. They are unable to safely live on their own without posing risk to themselves or other peaceful residents of our city.

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We work with the province to build a modular shelter system in the north light industrial area. Building on screw piles, this modular system is purpose built and reconfigurable. The city can provide a lease on city land for the province to do this on.

The land branch has found a way to taxpayer-fund a purchase of nearly $60 million in properties for a proposed DEED (Downtown Event and Entertainment District) so taking some of our own land for this should be easy for them to accomplish. If in the future the province moves this to a new location, then we will have a vacant site we can sell to business.

Red Deer has recently opened a modular operation and luckily for us, we have experts in this type of construction within our own city so we are well positioned for this.

2. We wildly overcharge business for the water utility and we generally treat business like we are doing them a favour if they come here to expand or operate. City administration needs to understand that they are to provide a service and their past efforts for “business friendly” have fallen significantly short of the mark.

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I have seen numerous small and large business interests that have worked to get close to Saskatoon without having to reside within the municipality itself (to) get the benefit of proximity without the frustration of dealing with the City of Saskatoon directly. This has to change.

Gordon Wyant, former city councillor, Sask. Party MLA and former cabinet minister

1. I’m ready to take immediate action on shelters, unlike my opponent on city council who wants more talk and another task force. If elected, I will introduce a motion at city hall to relocate the Fairhaven shelter, working with local stakeholders including Chief Arcand and the provincial government to ensure it’s in a better location with access to essential services, while protecting residential areas.

I will also evaluate shelter site criteria to avoid past mistakes and advocate for better mental health and social service funding, focusing on proven models like the Police & Crisis Team (PACT). Leadership means collaboration, not finger-pointing, and I am ready to take real, measurable steps to address homelessness.

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2. I propose that Saskatoon take over abandoned houses which currently provide no tax revenue and invite crime. These are properties that the city has taken over due to foreclosure or abandonment.

It also includes a conversation with the provincial government around taking over ownership of under utilized housing and vacant housing by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. Partnering with educational institutes like Saskatchewan Polytechnic and SIIT (both of which I’ve had a conversation with), we could develop educational opportunities for individuals in home renovations and construction.

This would also include bringing industry to the table. By creating an educational focus, we can help to provide training in conjunction with educational institutes and the private sector, to help alleviate the need for more skilled workers and provide economic mentoring, while meeting at least in part the housing shortage our city faces.

Joanne Paulson is a Saskatoon author and freelance journalist who has been covering real estate, off and on, for more than 25 years. Do you have a fascinating real estate story to share? Get in touch at jcpwriter@sasktel.net.

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