City council approved rezoning a piece of industrial land in Edmonton’s southeast to allow a non-profit social agency to operate an emergency shelter there. Councillors voted 12-1 in favour of the rezoning from ‘medium industrial’ to ‘business employment,’ allowing Hope Mission to establish the 120-bed shelter at its existing building on Girard Road, close to Argyll Road and 75 Street. Nearby businesses and establishments include a casino, a church and a hotel along with several industrial firms. Coun. Ashley Salvador said much of the discussion at Tuesday’s public hearing revolved around whether the location was appropriate for a shelter. “This particular application did speak about having 24/7 supports and services on site, so that people have not only a place to sleep but places to go during the day as well, and fully integrated healthcare services and any supports that people might need to access,” she told CTV News Edmonton at city hall. Salvador, whose Ward Métis includes the Hope Mission land and facility on Girard Road, said she believes a shelter there is appropriate given the “extreme need” for such space. “There are thousands of folks without a safe place to call home, and without access to the supports and services that they may need,” she said. Hope Mission first started establishing emergency shelter space outside the city core, where most of Edmonton’s supports for vulnerable people have been long established, two years ago when it opened one near Yellowhead Trail and 149 Street. The agency hopes to open the southeast shelter before this winter. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell
