Prince Albert city council has approved a winter grant agreement with Saskatchewan Housing Corporation to support a new overnight warming centre for the 2025 to 2026 winter season.
The agreement, valued at $260,000, will help provide a safe place for individuals to warm up overnight during the coldest months of the year. The provider has not yet been named but is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
Ward 3 Coun. Tony Head, who moved the motion, said he was encouraged by the progress on the winter response plan.
“Really happy to see this motion here today. It’s much needed in our city,” Head said.
Anna Dinsdale, the city’s community safety and well-being manager, told the council the grant will fund an overnight warming centre and that the timeline is tight.
“This grant is actually going to cover the costs of an overnight warming centre,” Dinsdale said. “We hope it will be available from the 15th of December.”
Dinsdale said the city issued the funding call weeks earlier and is now working through the final steps with the selected operator.
“I’m not in a position to confirm right now which provider that is because they’re still getting their internal kind of sign-off,” she said.
Dinsdale told council the location would be announced once the provider completes its internal approval process. She said she was not yet in a position to disclose the site but confirmed it will be a location that is already zoned and permitted for an overnight warming center.
Coun. Bryce Laewetz asked which location was being considered and whether the service would include beds. Dinsdale said the warming centre will not operate as a shelter.
“The warm-up location is very different from a shelter. There will be no beds,” she said.
On the question of location approval, Dinsdale explained that applicants were expected to propose sites already permitted for this type of use.
“When we put a call out for providers, we did ask that the location already be permitted and zoned appropriately,” she said.
Ward 1 Coun. Daniel Brown asked whether the council would see the final location before it opens. Dinsdale said the process does not require it to return to council as long as the chosen site meets the zoning and permitting requirements.
Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards asked for clarity on the city’s financial role, noting the agreement is administered through the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. Dinsdale said the city contributes a small subsidy annually, but the majority of funding comes from the province.
Coun. Darren Solomon confirmed the funding stream.
“So that would mean the funding is actually coming from the Ministry of Social Services through the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation; is that correct?” Solomon asked. Dinsdale replied that this was correct.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky thanked Dinsdale for her work on the winter plan and said the warming centre will help meet a critical seasonal need. Council approved the motion unanimously.
The warming centre will operate overnight throughout the winter season. The city will release additional details once the provider finalizes its internal approval process.
