Latest news with #shelters
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
200 active wildfires rage on in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Watch Air quality warnings have been issued in Saskatchewan and Manitoba as more shelters and hotels open rooms for evacuees. CTV's Scott Hurst reports.
CBC
16-07-2025
- CBC
1 in 10 Manitoba wildfire evacuees waiting in shelters as some Winnipeg hotels say rooms sitting empty
Social Sharing About one in 10 of all Manitoba wildfire evacuees remain in group shelters, sleeping on cots, as they await a move into more comfortable hotel room accommodations — even as some Winnipeg hoteliers say they have spaces sitting vacant. Approximately 1,100 of the 12,000 Manitoba evacuees currently forced from their communities were staying in congregate shelters as of Tuesday, including at the University of Winnipeg RecPlex, because they have nowhere else to go for now. That's despite some hotels in the city saying they have available hotel rooms that just haven't been booked yet amid the second provincial state of emergency declared since the end of May. "Although I have these 20 rooms available, they don't seem to be taking those 20 rooms," said Robby Sankar, general manager of the Viscount Gort Hotel on Portage Avenue. The Viscount Gort hosted more than 100 evacuees during the first wave of wildfire evacuations this spring. Sankar said although the Canadian Red Cross checks in with his hotel regularly to keep tabs on capacity, it has yet to reserve any spaces there for the most recent exodus of people from northern Manitoba. "We've had to stop taking some of our regular business, so we are keeping those rooms open for them, but we haven't had any call-backs to take anymore," Sankar told CBC News on Tuesday. Andrew Pomierny, a general manager with Four Crowns Inn on McPhillips Street, said it made 10 rooms available to evacuees during the first wildfire evacuation wave. They're making more available again now. "Even if we have to keep them open without putting anybody in there, knowing there's going to be a wave, that's our way of contributing to the help effort," Pomierny said. He said the Manitoba government contacts the hotel on a frequent basis to get capacity updates, but their rooms are still empty and unbooked for evacuees. "I have not received any requests yet as of last weekend," Pomierny said in an interview Tuesday. Of the roughly 12,000 current evacuees, more than 6,000 have already been put up in hotels in Manitoba, with another 1,300 staying in Ontario hotels, according to the provincial government. That's not including the 3,600 evacuees staying with friends and family, or the 1,100 staying in congregate shelters. Manitoba Hotel Association president Michael Juce told CBC News on Tuesday the organization is in constant contact with hotel managers in Winnipeg and have been sharing updates and resources with them. He said there are 7,600 hotel rooms in Winnipeg, though at any given time a number of those aren't accessible due to renovations, repairs and maintenance. Rooms are being prioritized for evacuees with accessibility concerns and other unique needs, say the province and Red Cross, which are co-ordinating emergency placements for evacuees alongside and leadership of Indigenous communities impacted by wildfires. Hotels say rooms sitting empty as Manitoba evacuees wait in shelter 5 minutes ago As people forced from their homes by fires in Manitoba look for accommodations in hotels, rather than shelters, some hotels say they have space, but the rooms aren't being booked. Space for other evacuees will be provided as it's available, the province and Red Cross said in statements to CBC News. "The province works to secure large blocks of hotel rooms over extended stay periods to minimize disruption and limit the number of moves an evacuee needs to make while out of their community," reads the statement from the province. "The province continues to re-evaluate hotel availability, and is working with the Manitoba Hotel Association and other hotels to support the evacuation response." The Red Cross is also working with Indigenous leaders on the operation of congregate shelters for those unable to stay with loved ones immediately upon evacuation. That includes some of the 4,000 people that Premier Wab Kinew said last week were expected to evacuate from a single fire-threatened community: Garden Hill Anisininew Nation. Some are now staying at the U of W RecPlex. Pomierny said Four Crowns Inn is ready to take in more evacuees if and when the province books rooms. "Even if it means for us to stay and wait with the rooms for a little bit, it's important to be ready when those people need help," he said.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Protesters, counter-protesters face off outside Toronto city hall over bike lanes, proposed shelters
Protesters and counter-protesters demonstrated outside Toronto's city hall on Tuesday over a host of recent decisions by the city, including on proposed shelter locations, bike lanes and methadone clinics. The Downtown Concerned Citizens Organization, in conjunction with Protect Bathurst, IntegrityTO, and several other community organizations, protested against a slew of recent moves by the city, including proposed shelters in the areas of 629 Adelaide Street, 2535 Gerrard Street and 66 Third Street. They also criticized Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's government, saying city hall is being mismanaged. Paul Macchuisi spoke on behalf of Protect Bathurst, a community group opposed to RapidTO — a plan to add bus-only lanes in some areas in the city. He said there was a lack of consultation with the community on the city's plan. "Five hundred thirty-one people attended the four sessions to make considerable changes to the Bathurst Street plan. That makes up only 0.11 per cent of the population and the affected wards. Do you mean to tell me that this is satisfactory city planning?" he said. Counter-protesters also gathered outside city hall, holding signs and speaking into a megaphone in support of bike lanes, bus lanes and shelters amid the protest groups' speeches. Marina Classen, a community organizer with a focus on harm reduction, said their purpose was to represent the most vulnerable. "We were seeing a narrative being created among this coalition that talks about the voices of purely the one per cent. There's a focus on homeowners, there's a focus on businesses, there's a focus on people that have a lot of privilege," said Classen. Ontario's government has largely had the backs of the main protestor group, passing laws that shut down safe consumption sites, give police the authority to clear out encampments, and rip up bike lanes. Planned shelters, bike lanes subject of plenty of debate Nine of the province's supervised consumption sites closed down in March, despite a court injunction that allowed them to remain open temporarily. Since then, Toronto's remaining sites have seen an uptick in visits. Under Chow's leadership, the city has been working to open 20 new permanent shelters with 1,600 spaces by 2033. The city's general manager of shelter and support services says the city is still identifying location, but some councillors and ratepayers have spoken out about the lack of transparency. Similarly, bike lanes have been a hot-button issue. The province has publicly said it needs to remove some bike lanes in Toronto to clear up gridlock. But, according to the city, projects with contracts awarded before the new rules kicked in can continue without restrictions, such as a bikeway on The Esplanade. Speakers at the protest against the city included Conservative Toronto MP Roman Baber, former mayoral candidate Anthony Furey and several local advocates. Coun. Brad Bradford was expected to attend it, but didn't show up. Classen said the group is using their influence to amplify its voice. "There is a majority of them that have a deep amount of privilege and connection to media, connection to political connections that allows them to amplify their voice, even though they are a small group. And the reality is that we need to show up and show that they do not represent our thoughts and our beliefs," she said. 'Democracy in action' Daniel Tate, the Executive Director at IntegrityTO, was one of the speakers at the main protest. He told CBC News that he welcomed counter-protesters, but described it as a "poor form" move. "It's democracy in action. I do think it's poor form to have a megaphone blasting in someone's ear when you're trying to say something, even if you don't agree with what that person is saying," said Tate. He said most of the counter-protesters do not understand the nuances of the issues. "They're labelling everybody here as anti-this, anti-that ... It's not such a binary. It's not such a black and white. There are nuances," he said. Furey said he wants to see more accountability from the city. "Unfortunately, in the past two years, the city is moving in the wrong direction on a number of key fronts, and I think what we're looking for right now is a call for accountability," said Furey. "Accountability of why so many homeless shelters, so many facilities that are supposed to be for compassion, have become community drug dens." Chow told reporters at a key to the city ceremony in St. Lawrence Market on Tuesday that she is willing to work and listen to all sides. "We have to work together, listen to each other, no matter what political strife one has, I'm always open to different ideas," said Chow.
CBC
14-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Evacuations continue in Manitoba's Island Lake region
As dangerous wildfires rage closer to communities, 12,000 people are currently out of their homes. At a news conference Monday, the province says it's prepared to house thousands more evacuees if needed, with additional congregate shelters on standby.
Washington Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
D.C. prepares for family shelters to exceed capacity under budget proposal
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser's administration is preparing for the city's family shelters to fill up under a budget proposal that cuts certain housing programs, pivots the city's homelessness strategy and seeks a return to congregate shelter — a prospect that has alarmed homeless advocates and organizations. The city is planning to keep families in shelters for longer periods rather than automatically providing them a housing subsidy known as rapid rehousing — a program that is facing steep cuts in the budget and that many have argued is flawed and in need of reform. With more families staying in shelters for longer, the administration is anticipating that it will run out of rooms in its family shelters, leading the Department of Human Services to begin searching for backup options.
