Ward 1 councillor Dan Gibson is urging city council to take the time to make an informed decision as it looks at establishing a social housing project of 10 container homes on Beaumont Crescent.
Gibson was the lone dissenter Monday night as council voted 12-1 to investigate options and required needs for harm reduction housing at 106 Beaumont Cr., instructing staff to come back with a report in January.
“That, to me, felt very hurried and rushed,” Gibson said in an interview on Tuesday.
Gibson, who represents the ward that includes Beaumont Crescent, makes it clear that he is not against a project that would provide much-needed harm reduction, affordable social housing for vulnerable citizens.
“Without question, it’s the process,” Gibson said of where his concerns lie.
“We’re pushing through process quickly on a sensitive issue that should be given the time required to land this in a good place,” Gibson said.
“There is a need for supportive housing, I’m not denying that at all. How we proceed with providing that, I believe, needs to be done in a very transparent and equitable fashion.”
And not, he said, through a “politically-motivated motion.”
“I don’t believe any member of our community should wake up one morning and find out that their council has directed their city to fast track something like this in any location of the city.”
One of the main things he is calling for is public engagement.
He said he has already heard from area residents and businesses who have concerns and are looking for more information.
“I’ve been a pretty loud and vocal supporter of the tiny homes concept as well as the harm reduction to this point, that being said, we do have well-defined processes for advancing these files.
“(Monday) night, simply putting a finger on the map and signalling a motion to staff to ‘just help us get it done’ … it didn’t feel like that was the process.”
Gibson said his track record that shows support for affordable housing options will likely be ignored by those that want to unfairly paint him as someone opposed to it.
“That’s obviously a difficult part of this job,” he said. “That’s, unfortunately, the political realm we live in sometimes: ‘if you’re not with us, you’re against us.’”
His opposition isn’t NIMBYism, he said, it’s doing his job as a councillor for his constituents and wanting council to follow due process.
“We haven’t even afforded the residents to become NIMBYs. We’ve simply said ‘this is where it’s going,’” Gibson said.
Council has yet to finalize 106 Beaumont Cr. as the location. There is a second location identified by those looking to get the site established, but it’s on private property and remained unnamed.
“We need time. We need time on this file,” Gibson said.
“I would hope that staff would come back with strong recommendations on engagement to avoid this lack of process to go any further.”
Mayor Cam Guthrie pointed out at Monday’s meeting that there is a precedent of the city speeding up process to try and get more affordable housing in the city, pointing to the 75 Dublin St. project.
Other councillors also expressed concern on Monday that the project be successful.
“My major concern with this is that I want to be certain we do this right,” said Ward 3’s. Phil Allt.
