SASKATOON — Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand knows the community's concerns surrounding the Emergency Wellness Centre location on Fairmont Drive.
STC held a couple of open houses before fully transitioning to the new and bigger facility from downtown.
Thursday's open house was held to hear the concerns of the neighbourhood community, where Arcand assured them that they have safety measures in place for everyone.
He again issued the same statements after an anonymous person distributed flyers criticizing the facility in the Fairhaven community.
The flyers say the wellness centre poses health and safety risks as it would attract crime and lower the property value of houses and nearby business establishments.
Arcand said they have invested in the safety of the relatives and the surrounding neighbourhood while also having the Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department as partners.
“[Our peacekeepers], they are here and are always walking outside to do perimeter checks. To some, it may not be enough,” said Arcand during a press conference Thursday, Dec. 22.
“Based on our limited resources, I think we’ve met criteria that make it safe for people that work here and also for the relatives who are staying here.”
He added that they have a good base on how they work to ensure everyone is safe, as it remains one of their top priorities.
“We’re doing the best we can. We have not had a major incident yet, knock on wood, and that is what we are hoping to prevent,” Arcand said.
“But there have been ambulance and police calls. We acknowledge that, but it is to ensure that people are held accountable.”
Arcand said the security checks once a relative enters their facility effectively prevent them from bringing drugs or weapons into their beds. All those are confiscated.
“If we collect knives, for example, we call SPS, and they pick up the [weapons] immediately. It’s all about everyone’s safety,” he said.
“If people don’t want to follow the rules, they must leave. It is that simple. We’re not messing around with people’s safety; if they can’t comprehend, that’s their problem.”
He added that most of the relatives who enter the facility are all adults and must choose whether to follow their rules or leave since everyone’s safety is one of their top priorities.
