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THURSDAY, September 12, 2024 • www.X.com/merrittherald • www.merrittherald.com
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City, residents want answers on shelter Laísa Condé & Kenneth Wong newsroom@merrittherald.com
Around 200 residents attended the town hall that addressed the new location of the homeless shelter. Photo/Kenneth Wong
LEGION WEEK
Merritt Legion Branch 96 is celebrating National Legion Week on Sept. 20.
MID-AMATEUR GOLF
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Local athlete Diana Lorenz shares her experience at the Canadian Women’s MidAmateur Championship.
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Since the news broke last week that the Knights Inn in Merritt was to be converted into a homeless shelter, opinions and rumours have swirled through town as to the repercussions of the BC Housing project. Merritt city council and staff attempted to address the public inquiry at a town hall on Sept. 6, where it was standing room only at the Merritt Civic Centre. According to a press release, BC Housing’s lease on the Knights Inn will provide 40 shelter spaces until March 30, 2027, with an investment of $1.9 million in annual operating funding for the new shelter. However, despite the vast size of the project by the provincial body, Merritt CAO Cynthia White said that the city was largely unaware of the deal between BC Housing and Knights Inn. “In our communications with the owner (of Knights Inn), there was no intention that they would sign this lease,” said White. “So we were not aware that this was happening and that the lease had been signed until people started calling the mayor about it.” In a Q&A sheet with questions received prior to the town hall and handed out during the forum, the city stressed that BC Housing brought a presentation forward to the mayor and council in June this year, to which council indicated that they did not support a low
barrier shelter in the community. “I would like to say that in the meeting of June (with BC Housing), the presentation was at a public council meeting, which is available online, council told BC Housing they were not in support of a low barrier shelter in our community, which is essentially what this is,” White said at the town hall. Noticeably absent from the town hall was any BC Housing representative. City staff noted that BC Housing was given multiple avenues to attend the meeting both in-person and online, citing that they felt “unsafe”. “For myself, I find that very offensive,” said Mayor Mike Goetz. “I hate the fact that a group that doesn’t know this community thinks that we’re immediately going to jump on somebody and be brutal? That’s not who we are,” said Goetz. “We expect the BC Housing to be here, it is unconscionable that they feel scared that they can’t come here and take some heat,” said Goetz. “They’ve put us in this position, so now we’re taking the beating for them.” According to White, BC Housing has indicated that there would be 24/7 on-site support for fence and shelter residents will be asked to participate in the upkeep of the building and grounds. Cactus Annie’s co-manager Derek Mosley expressed doubts on BC Housing as his bar is at the same See MAYOR Page 3
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