Fredericton emergency shelter delays opening again

When Fredericton's new emergency shelter will open remains unknown.

The shelter was expected to open Friday night after last-minute efforts to bypass city zoning policies.

But that didn't happen.

"It's like up and down, up and down — a roller-coaster," said Bernard Wayne Chabot, who arrived at the shelter Friday at 6:30 p.m., 90 minutes before it was scheduled to open.

He hoped to get a bed there, so he wouldn't have to spend another night in a tent city, where he's been living for the past week.

Shelter didn't open

But his hopes were dashed when he and several others were told the shelter wouldn't open.

Chabot said he left the shelter and walked back to the tent city for the night.

"It's a mile each way with all your stuff, your gear — you're froze. Now you've warmed up a little bit, your feet are already pruned, and back out in the cold," he said.

Initially, the shelter in the former Anglican bishop's house on Brunswick Street was supposed to open Thursday night, but was delayed because of a zoning issue.

On Friday, amid growing public outcry, city council held an emergency meeting.

It voted to suspend the city's zoning bylaws so the shelter could open, as long as the province provided a letter of indemnity covering the city, said Mayor Mike O'Brien.

Province provides waiver

Jeff Carr, the minister of environment and local government, sent a letter to the city Saturday saying it would send a waiver on Monday to be in effect until Dec. 13 "as long as all parties are acting with due diligence, in good faith and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and statutes.

"I trust that this will satisfy Council's qualification of its resolution and allow the shelter to operate between today and December 13, 2018."

Before the letter was sent, O'Brien said he was positive the shelter would be able to open Saturday night.

It could be the news Chabot, and others sleeping rough, have been waiting for. "We live hour to hour now," Chabot said.