Warming location to open Dec. 15

The centre will operate seven nights a week from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., starting December 15, 2025, and continuing until April 2026.

“We know that extreme cold can be life-threatening, and this centre ensures that everyone has access to a safe space overnight,” said Major Ed Dean, with the Salvation Army in Prince Albert. “The Meeting Place is more than a warm building — it’s a symbol of care and community.”

The Salvation Army has hired and trained the staff needed to operate the centre. They will also help connect users with resources as needed.

This is the second year the province has kicked in funding for a warming centre in the city. This year, the grant is $260,000 and was funneled through the city and its community safety and well-being department.

“The bottom line is we don’t want to have people dying from exposure, especially if we’ve got ways that we can, you know, support folks who are on the street and don’t have a home,” said Mayor Bill Powalinsky.

Providing housing is not a city responsibility, but Powalinsky said it was important for Prince Albert as a municipality to do what it can.

“The ultimate moral test of any society is how it treats its vulnerable citizens,” said Powalinsky.

“The Overnight Warm-up Centre is a co-ordinated response between the Province of Saskatchewan, City of Prince Albert, the Salvation Army and strategic community stakeholders. This service is part of the continuing evolution of providing support for unhoused people living on our streets. Our future vision is our city no longer needing a service such as a warm-up centre.”

Prince Albert has multiple programs and services for people in need. The Exhibition Grounds emergency shelter will move to a permanent location in the City Yards lot a few blocks away, likely in 2026.

The final subdivision and other internal processes need to be completed before work can be done.

A complex needs emergency team will begin working soon, and a complex needs shelter is expected to open in the new year.

There are many moving parts at the moment with many of those parts co-ordinated by Dinsdale’s department, but more is still needed, the mayor said.

“It’s bits and pieces right now and we really need to provide or find the housing approaches and the support approaches. They’re going to meet people where they’re at. It’s going to require some what I’ll call therapeutic housing, it’s going to require subsidized housing, and maybe they’re not shelters — maybe they’re more like a communal living,” Powalinksy said.

The community well-being position was created as a result of a federal grant and expires in March, but Powalinsky said they are doing too much important work to simply let it end.

In addition to long-term, bigger solutions such as housing for women fleeing bad domestic situations, which makes up a lot of the shelter use, the city is trying to find a way to resolve the encampment issue.

“So we have these types of stopgap measures, but we don’t have the full robust strategy in place yet. When it comes to encampments, we need to figure out exactly what we need to do differently,” he said. “How do we pivot? We can keep tearing down encampments and they’ll still spring up.”

The city regularly meets with other agencies, such as the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Métis Nation’s local representatives to discuss strategies.

The city is actively pursuing funding to continue Dinsdale’s department and if needed, will find other ways to fund, according to Powalinsky.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Warming location to open Dec. 15

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