Brody Langager, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Two uniformed officers on a recent afternoon stood standing over someone who was either sleeping or passed out along the sidewalk on 21st Street in downtown Saskatoon.
These are the types of incidents business owners in the downtown core are trying to stop, but a recent request from the Downtown Business Improvement District raised the ire of several residents and was pushed back by city councillors.
A report to Wednesday’s planning, development and community services committee detailed the BID’s request for the city to remove 34 benches due to “disorder, sanitation, vandalism and public safety at these locations.”
This isn’t the first time the BID has requested the removal of benches located along First and Second Avenue between 20th and 22nd Street, and along 21st and 20th Street, between First and Fourth Avenue. The organization called them “hot spots” for the homeless population, saying they “threaten the safety and vibrancy of the surrounding areas in the downtown core.”
Downtown BID chair Sara Wheelwright spoke at committee, saying the benches are locations to which police and fire have repeatedly responded.
Wheelwright also said these benches are “in dire need of repair and deep cleaning.” She said the benches have been urinated, defecated and vomited on, and that some have sharp edges.
City administration said it would be able to temporarily remove 25 of the 217 benches in the district, possibly reinstalling them by September 2027.
In response, committee received 24 letters from residents raising concerns.
Neil Markham wrote that “this feels too much like stepping on the neck of people who are already down.”
Fenton House called it a “borderline cruel band aid policy of bench removal.”
Abigail Lichen said this was “a jerk thing to do.”
Sargent McGowan noted that shoppers in the area won’t have a place to rest and that the idea further punishes people experiencing poverty.
“It’s bad for the city who’s been making efforts to expand growth in its urban centres. Making its main urban centre less walkable and livable goes against the principles guiding the rapid transit, active transit, and corridor development the city is trying to implement,” McGowan said.
On a recent random afternoon, most of the benches tabbed by BID for potential removal were free to sit on.
Some had writing on them. One looked like something had been spilled on it. But besides appearing weathered, one couldn’t be found that looked to be in disrepair.
Coun. Senos Timon said he felt the benches were in good condition, having looked at some that morning.
On the random afternoon, an old-aged couple was sitting, a rolling walker nearby. While some of the people on some benches appeared to be homeless, none were seemingly doing anything illegal; one group was being loud and one person was playing a guitar.
Besides the benches, people were sitting on other structures, like the bronze bust of Mahatma Gandhi.
Wheelwright said the locations of the benches are where people congregate, with encampments and people laying across sidewalks.
The report to committee seems to recognize that the proposed bench removals may not have the intended affect.
“This approach, and any future bench-related interventions, will not address the broader social issues contributing to current conditions. Nor is it expected to resolve public disorder, sanitation concerns, vandalism or perceptions of reduced safety downtown,” the report reads.
“However, the BID’s request responds to persistent site-specific concerns, including damage to public property, maintenance issues and activities affecting businesses and other public space users.”
Coun. Holly Kelleher asked whether there is data backing up the removal of benches to stop social disorder. City administration said they didn’t have any.
According to the report, bench removal would be expected to cost the city $6,000, with $5,000 for monitoring of the spaces. Reinstallation would be expected to cost $20,000.
Enhanced maintenance of the remaining benches would be expected to cost the city $30,000, which includes washing and graffiti removal.
Letters of concern
Among the two dozen letters written to the city, Thea Novotny pointed out that for some people facing homelessness, a city bench may be the only opportunity for rest.
“If an unhoused person can get some sleep on a bench, I can stand, or sit on the grass,” Novotny said.
“I hope one day we will have a council that considers the needs of all its citizens, not just those that complain the loudest or have financial motivation to continue to push people out of the core area,” Shelly VanBinsbergen wrote.
Coun. Jasmin Parker put forward a motion to defer the removal of benches until September 2027. She asked for more information from police and fire, as well as an assessment of public amenities in the downtown core.
Mayor Cynthia Block made a motion for the city to look into a dedicated line to report issues around maintenance, homelessness or drug use.
Both passed unanimously and will need city council approval.
Coun. Troy Davies recalled similar discussions around the Lighthouse, noting concerns raised over people sitting on the ground outside that downtown building.
“This is something that we dealt with for well over a decade, meeting with the province, meeting with council, meeting key business people — one was chased by (someone with) a hatchet at one point,” Davies said.
