Email Sutcliffe Over Sprung Structure Concerns: HILL
This is an newsletter excerpt from Barrhaven West Councillor David Hill.
Regarding the city plan to establish communal sprung shelters for refugee claimants, I have spent a significant amount of time advocating with stakeholders, colleagues, staff and the mayor’s office to try and get us to a better solution.
This will continue. City staff has committed to releasing an official short list of potential locations for sprung shelters and their criteria matrix. Until staff release the list, any speculation about location and intention may well be based on outdated information.
This delay is a good thing from my perspective because it means that the concerns that have been raised with this program are being heard and taken into account. As much as we all want to know what is happening right now, I would much prefer to give staff the time they need to revisit their plan based on my recommendations than to pressure them to prematurely release half-baked information. I promise that as I become aware of more detail on this, I will share. The bottom line is the following:
- Should the plan impact on Barrhaven, I will have a series of public engagements in order to transparently and efficiently ensure that you have all of the information and that you have your voice heard.
- My position on this has not changed; I do not support a long-term vision of communal tent living in Ottawa. We can do better. If you wish to see more on this, go to this link which has my recent comments and media engagements.
- If you wish to have your voice heard on this issue, I would encourage you to send an email to Mayor Sutcliffe (mark.sutcliffe@ottawa.ca) so that he is aware of your concerns as we further discuss the programme.
- As always, if you have questions for me, just reply to this and I will get back to you.
David
This excerpt is courtesy of the city-wide community group Your Applewood Acres (And Beyond) Neighbours
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– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
Why can Calgary successfully use them yet Ottawa no? These are used by hospitals including ours. I suspect location is more important to this counsellor that the heated, purpose built structure which is miles ahead of a gym with cots.
Trudeau’s immigration policy is causing the need for these structures. How about insisting that Trudeau spend this fall and winter in one.
Why don’t the Ottawa folks capitalize the “Sprung” in “sprung structures? It’s not a generic term, it’s the name of the company that makes them.
“Sprung” is a proper noun and should be capitalized.
It’s “Sprung” as in Newfoundland’s infamous Sprung Greenhouse, aka “Premier Peckford’s Pickle Palace”.
LOL – Is the city using lower case to try to distract from another a sole-source contract?
I spoke to our councillor Cathy Curry tonight about this. She mentioned that only refugees would be there, not the homeless, and mentioned there would be a central kitchen. My concerns were that a fire on this fabric could kill dozens of people, and if homeless were brought in without sanitizing, then the poor 300 people would be infested with bedbugs. My concern was with fire suppression should someone have a heater in the cubical to stay warm, kind of like every woman in a government office. She promised to look into the safety and fire concerns. I did mention that a similar structure in Europe that housed refugees did catch on fire from someone cooking. She mentioned there would be a city staff member there 24/7
Hey C, I believe the refugees are homeless.