91社区破解版

Revised - Premier Ranj Pillai embarked on a field trip Tuesday evening to visit a couple of members of the city鈥檚 homeless population.

The catalyst for his foray surfaced Monday, when NDP MLA Lane Tredger told the legislature there are 鈥渄ozens of people鈥� living in tents in the 91社区破解版 area.

According to Tredger, they include former residents of the former High Country Inn, some of whom are still seeking accommodation following the facility鈥檚 closure on March 31 for renovations.

Cabinet communications advisor Laura Seeley advised the Star this morning, 鈥淚 can confirm that Premier Pillai met with two individuals last night. These individuals, who provided their consent through Safe at Home, engaged in a conversation with (the) premier that lasted over an hour.

鈥淭o date, the NDP caucus has neither provided any information beyond their comments in the House, nor have they accepted our offer to join as we listen to individuals with lived experience.鈥�

Seeley added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 worth noting that premier didn鈥檛 just 鈥榮how up鈥� at their accommodations unexpectedly.

鈥淭hey met offsite at a third location determined by these individuals.鈥�

As Tredger recalled in the legislature Monday, on March 25, the premier stated, 鈥淲e want to make sure that those individuals do have a spot in the interim before we see the construction done.鈥�

Tredger said, 鈥淯nfortunately, despite the premier鈥檚 promises, we are hearing from people who used to live in the High Country Inn who are now completely homeless. Some are at the 91社区破解版 Emergency Shelter and some have resorted to sleeping in tents.鈥�

Tredger then asked, 鈥淥f the 26 people who used to live in the High Country Inn, how many have been provided with housing?鈥�

Pillai replied, 鈥淲e are hearing right now that some individuals have gone back to their home communities because they do have supports in rural Yukon, in some cases with the First Nations.

鈥淲e know that some non-profit organizations are finding other opportunities. I know that some of those individuals as well have been absorbed into the housing stock at Yukon Housing.鈥�

Pillai added, 鈥淪ome of the language that was used in the start of this question 鈥� I don鈥檛 know if that is factual. But I will come back to the House with exact information about where all of these folks are staying.鈥�

Tredger noted some hotels evict tenants every spring to make room for tourists, advising the House that the River View on Front Street has already evicted all its long-term tenants.

鈥淢any of the people who were formerly living in a hotel are now sleeping in tents,鈥� Tredger said.

鈥�(Sunday) night, we saw snowfall in 91社区破解版. It is still below zero at night. Living in a tent should never be someone鈥檚 only option for housing, and it certainly shouldn鈥檛 when it鈥檚 below freezing.

鈥淲hat is the premier doing to find housing right now for the people made homeless by hotel evictions?鈥�

Pillai responded, 鈥淥ver the spring, we did as many renovations as we possibly could to existing stock so that we could open it up and be able to move these folks into those rooms 鈥� more renovations than we have done in many years.鈥�

Tredger came back with their assertion that, 鈥淩ight now 鈥� today 鈥� there are dozens of people living in tents in 91社区破解版, even though it鈥檚 only April.鈥�

Tredger asked the premier what he will do about it.

Pillai replied, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to make a commitment on the floor of the House right now. The member opposite said that there are dozens of people living in tents in 91社区破解版 as of (Sunday) night.

鈥淪o, I will go there with you; I will meet with those individuals and we will find appropriate housing for those dozens of people.

鈥淚鈥檓 ready to go (Monday) night, so let me know after the day where they are at and we鈥檒l go (Monday) evening and meet with them,鈥濃�圥illai said.

鈥淚 want to know where these dozens of people are. I wasn鈥檛 made aware that there are dozens of people in tents.鈥�

As it turned out, instead of venturing out with Tredger on Monday evening, the premier embarked on his own on Tuesday evening.

Pillai told reporters Monday, 鈥淚 think I have an obligation to go there and speak with those individuals, and I called the Yukon Housing Corporation and said, 鈥榖e aware that I want to come up with some temporary solutions for all of these individuals that are out there.鈥�

鈥淲e want to make sure that they have an opportunity to transition into units.鈥�

He was asked to clarify the number of people from the former High Country Inn still looking for homes.

鈥淲e thought the number was much less until the comments came out (Monday) by MLA Tredger,鈥� Pillai replied.

Pillai was also asked if he had an idea of where the homeless people would be camping.

鈥淣o. I was made aware that there was a few folks in an area on the clay cliffs.鈥�

Reporters asked Tredger about the source of their information regarding people in tents.

鈥淚鈥檝e been hearing that from frontline workers who are supporting those people and from concerned citizens who are coming across them as they move around the city,鈥� they said.

Tredger hasn鈥檛 met with any of the homeless people yet.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 personally spoken with them. I think a lot of those folks really want privacy.鈥�

As for an evening excursion with Pillai, Tredger replied, 鈥淚 think he said that because he doesn鈥檛 believe that those people are actually there.

鈥淭he idea that the way to do housing is to take the premier wandering around to people鈥檚 tents at night and offering them a place to live 鈥� that鈥檇 be a wildly irresponsible way to do housing. It would make no sense, and also it would be really invasive for the people.鈥�

The 91社区破解版 Centre MLA added, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 take him into people鈥檚 living rooms without asking. I鈥檓 not going to take him into people鈥檚 tents without asking.鈥�

For months, Tredger said, the government knew this would happen.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e known that Safe at Home鈥檚 High Country project was going to close for months. So why he can act surprised now that there are people sleeping in tents? I don鈥檛 get it,鈥� they said.

Tredger refused to disclose the location (s) of the tents.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have the permission of the people tenting to do that. So I don鈥檛 want to share their location.鈥�

As for a long-term solution to homelessness, Tredger added, 鈥淔or some people who are homeless, it鈥檚 because there鈥檚 a lot of barriers to being housed for them, not just having a place, so we also need supported housing. And that鈥檚 some part of the conversation I don鈥檛 hear about a lot.鈥�

Kate Mechan, Safe at Home鈥檚 executive director, clarified Tuesday there were 28 people, including two couples, living in 26 units at the ex-High Country Inn.

Of those, she told the Star, 鈥淲e have two, three individuals that we know are actively camping right now. Another handful are couch-surfing.

鈥淎 very few are at the 91社区破解版 Emergency Shelter. We were able to secure some hotel rooms for April and for some folks May before those close out for tourism.

鈥淔our individuals found permanent housing, which is great.鈥�

Mechan said former residents with pets could possibly be the ones camping. Pets were permitted at the former High Country Inn.

The Hearth, as it will be called after the renovations, will have 67 units when it opens in early 2026. Former residents aren鈥檛 guaranteed units, as a lot can change in two years.

鈥淲e certainly don鈥檛 want to guarantee people units currently, because we want people to be actively pursuing permanent housing options in the interim,鈥� said Mechan.

Not including the $10.6-million purchase price, the tab for the renovationa of the ex-High Country Inn sits at about $30 million.

Most of the money is coming from the feds, with YG kicking in around $12.9 million through various programs, including the purchase of the Fourth Avenue building.

Mechan added, 鈥淎 variety of service providers, including Safe at Home, are working really hard with few resources for the types of resources that people with complex trauma need, like supportive housing, and so, this isn鈥檛 a Safe at Home issue.

鈥淲e come up against camping, and the idea of encampments every spring, and we have for a long time,鈥� she pointed out.

鈥淪o, I really hope that this is an opportunity to address the more urgent need for different types of housing, than just shelter.鈥�