The Prince Albert City Council will head into its regular meeting Monday with homelessness response, shelter development, and a new research partnership among the key items on the agenda.
One of the biggest items before the council is a promised funding agreement tied to the city’s encampment response strategy for 2026-27. Administration is recommending approval of a $208,095.10 grant agreement between the city and Riverbank Development Corporation to allow the Community Safety and Well-Being Division to continue coordinating Prince Albert’s encampment response plan.
The report says unsheltered homelessness has continued to rise in Prince Albert. According to the city’s 2024 Point-in-Time count, 230 people were experiencing homelessness, including 106 who were unsheltered and 64 who reported staying in encampments. In 2025, that rose to 279 people experiencing homelessness, including 167 who were unsheltered.
Administration says last year’s funding helped support a more coordinated response involving the city, the Prince Albert Metis Women’s Association, Police, Fire, and outreach partners. The city says the mobile Hygiene Hub served more than 50 people daily between August and November, while bylaw services responded to more than 408 encampments over the past year. Planning is already underway for spring and summer 2026, with the mobile Hygiene Hub expected to be up and running again by the end of April.
Dinsdale, the city’s Community Safety and Well-Being manager, told the Herald this week during an interview about the winter response that spring and summer bring added pressure as more encampments become visible across the city. She said the mobile Hygiene Hub is expected to return as weather permits, with outreach staff helping connect people to services.
“We had feedback from health that there was a reduction in infectious diseases as people had increased access to handwashing and basic hygiene facilities, as well as, obviously, a reduction in the amount of people that are having to go to the toilet in public and things like that,” Dinsdale said.
Council will also consider the next major step in the permanent shelter project at 650 Exhibition Drive. Administration is asking council to approve the terms of a draft infrastructure servicing agreement between the city and Saskatchewan Housing Corporation for the work needed to service the site. The estimated cost is $1.23 million, and the report says the Ministry of Social Services and the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation have agreed to cover the full amount.
The servicing agreement covers the construction of municipal services needed for the shelter property, including water, sanitary, and stormwater services, roadway work, curb and gutter, sidewalks and boulevard improvements. Administration describes it as the last formal approval needed in the overall council process for the shelter, following earlier decisions on the sale agreement, subdivision, contract zoning, and development permit. Roadwork is expected to begin in summer 2026, with shelter construction anticipated to start in fall 2026.
A third item expected to draw attention is a proposed memorandum of understanding between the city and the University of Saskatchewan. The report says the agreement would formalize an already growing partnership focused on collaborative, solutions-based research tied to local issues. Administration says the proposed MOU is non-binding and does not create immediate financial commitments, but would establish a working framework for future projects.
The proposed agreement builds on discussions that began last year, when U of S Prince Albert principal Jay Wilson described it as a broad, non-binding framework meant to help develop “A Prince Albert solution to Prince Albert problems.” Earlier discussion around the proposal also said the partnership would lead to working groups involving city and university representatives to identify future areas of collaboration.
The city says work with the university has already helped inform practical changes such as the downtown parking app and has also touched on areas including student housing, wastewater surveillance, the alchohol bylaw and the Mobile Complex Needs Initiative. Potential future areas of collaboration include housing, economic development, technological innovation, data sharing, and mental health and wellness.
Dinsdale, who also spoke to the Herald this week during an interview about accessibility, said the proposed partnership could help the city identify future research questions tied to local needs, including accessibility. She said that if council approves the agreement Monday, the next step would be establishing a collaborative working group, with a signing event expected April 24.
When asked whether accessibility challenges could be part of that work, Dinsdale said. “It’s a great suggestion, and we could identify some accessibility challenges that could be considered by the U of S as a research project.”
Other items on Monday’s agenda include the 2026 property tax bylaws, two tax relief requests, creation of a hospital fit-up reserve, a Canada Public Transit Fund contribution agreement, a commercial construction incentive application, development permit applications for Princess Marageret Public School and a hotel on 7th Avenue East, wastewater and filter system rehabilitation work, the 2026 capital road rehabilitation and utility infrastructure program, and a motion from Coun. Darren Solomon for a walk light at the intersection on 10th Avenue West and 25th Street.
The City Council regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 20, at 5 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
