I am President of @RitchieYEG. @mustardseedyeg has operated in the community for years (which I live across the street from) and we have supported the work it and others have done to help street involved folks, including supporting its application to become an overnight shelter. https://twitter.com/edmontonagainst/status/1325428423058096131

With the new proposal, we didn’t receive any advance notice, which is a departure from previous practices, and contacted @mustardseedyeg and @CityofEdmonton immediately to arrange a meeting to ensure we can understand the proposal and see how we can support.

There are a range of concerns, primarily we hope that the temporary new site has the supports and accommodate the needs of the folks who need access to it. For anyone who lives in Ritchie, we know there is an absolute need for something like this.

The encampments in the Mill Creek ravine to even on the street I live in, where @mustardseedyeg is bursting at its seams because need is so great, the need is so great. It’s also urgent that things move quickly.

But, the thing is we don’t know the full plan and how @mustardseedyeg @CityofEdmonton will approach these broader and other concerns because no one has shared any detailed information with us.

For this reason, we planned a townhall to get and share as much information with members of the community, especially to dispel myths and fears about the initiative that are being spread about the initiative. Initially, it was intended for Nov 5, but was pushed to Nov 10.

After learning about the specific details of the initiative, we can stake out a clear, unequivocal position. Any formal position we take has to conform with the objectives of @RitchieYEG, which includes

Feel free to criticize us for supporting @mustardseedyeg in the past or for taking the position that we will provide our stance on the new proposal after we actually learn what it actually entails (we get emails for both).

But, we have a duty to all our residents, including community members who access @mustardseedyeg, who are literally my neighbours, to support efforts to ensure that @RitchieYEG is a safe and vibrant community for all. That includes safe, secure housing and supports.