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Metrobus reverses decision to remove bus shelters

Issue symbolizes need for more emergency housing: Ellsworth

JUANITA MERCER THE TELEGRAM juanita.mercer@thetelegram.com @juanitamercer_

After a flurry of criticism over the weekend, the decision to remove two bus shelters near The Gathering Place on Military Road in St. John’s was reversed Monday afternoon, Feb. 6.

A sign was taped to the shelters sometime last week indicating they would be removed by Feb. 15. The sign offered no reason for the removal. It gave a phone number to Metrobus customer service “for further information.”

On Saturday, Coun. Maggie Burton and Coun. Ian Froude tweeted their disapproval of the decision. End Homelessness St. John’s executive director Doug Pawson said the decision was a violation of human rights, and that it further stigmatized individuals in poverty and homeless.

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, St. John’s city council said it met with Metrobus representatives to discuss the issue, and council and Metrobus agreed the “bus shelter must stay in place for the time being.”

“There are ongoing safety and service issues associated with this shelter that must be addressed,” the statement said.

“City staff, together with representatives of the St. John’s Transportation Commission, will be reaching out to The Gathering Place to develop a plan for the management of this bus shelter. In addition, Mayor (Danny) Breen will be reaching out to Minister John Abbott to discuss the increasing concern of homelessness in our community.”

The statement was issued just five minutes before city council met at city hall for its regular Monday meeting. The issue wasn’t discussed at the meeting, but Coun. Ron Ellsworth answered questions from reporters afterward.

SEEKING SHELTER AT BUS STOP

Ellsworth said the situation with the bus shelters is symbolic of a broader, complex issue in the city: the need for more emergency housing.

“The demand for emergency shelter far outweighs what the province is providing, and I think that’s the bottom line,” Ellsworth said.

Earlier on Monday, Saltwire Network spoke with people waiting at the bus stop in front of The Gathering Place.

Two people described a situation recently in which someone was sleeping in one of the bus shelters. They said the person had covered the exposed areas of the shelter near the ground to keep out the wind, had taped cardboard around the bottom of the shelter, and had laid cardboard on the ground inside, which acted as a barrier from the cold, damp sidewalk.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Burton wrote, “Without adequate supportive housing units and resources that can go towards helping individuals with complex needs, we will simply push those who use (bus) shelters for, well, shelter, to another public space. Such as another bus shelter. Unless we know that someone who is displaced will be appropriately housed, the least we can do is not make the problem worse by taking away a space where someone has been taking shelter from the cold.

“It is crucial to maintain a compassionate lens when delivering a public service such as transit. When vandalism, threats to the safety of transit workers, and other very valid concerns arise, our response to this must not further endanger the lives of those already most at risk.”

FINDING SOLUTIONS

Ellsworth said the city has been in discussions with partners for about 18 months trying to find solutions to issues involving the bus shelters near The Gathering Place, and most recently The Gathering Place agreed to help keep the shelters clean — an initiative Gathering Place executive director Paul Davis said was going well, so he was surprised when he got an email from Metrobus general manager Judy Powell last week saying the shelters would be removed.

“That was the first I heard of it,” Davis said.

He said he met with Powell on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and his understanding was there is concern about Metrobus staff who have to clean and maintain the shelters, and concern about cleanliness and damage.

“I don’t know if the damage was done by guests of The Gathering Place or anybody else who uses it, and I know that this is not the only bus shelter anywhere in St. John’s that has had damage done to it — that happened in other bus shelters as well. So, I’m really perplexed to understand the rationale,” Davis said.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of a guest of The Gathering Place, many of our guests are challenged day to day to make sure that they have food to eat — a nutritious meal — and they have a warm, safe place to visit,” Davis said.

“If you walk a mile in their shoes, they come here because of a reason, and in their life they have challenges that they face that many of us don’t understand or don’t appreciate.

“So, using a bus is a benefit to them, but having to stand out on the side of the road, especially in February month, without any shelter from the elements while they’re waiting for the bus to come, I think is just totally unfair, irresponsible, and it’s absolutely the wrong thing for Metrobus to do.

“A public entity like Metrobus should be rising to the challenge of helping to assist those who are in need … instead of just taking the bus shelter out, and causing more difficulties. They should be rising to those challenges, and helping those people out,” he said.

Ellsworth said the phrase in council’s statement that reads “for the time being” means the city can’t commit to anything long term “until we have a solution.”

“How do we deal with individuals who are living in the shelters? How do we deal with damage to the shelters? And I think once we have that discussion with the folks at The Gathering Place, with Metrobus and with ourselves, about what are the opportunities for solutions, then I think we can give you a better answer on short term, long term, what the opportunities are,” Ellsworth said.

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2023-02-07T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-07T08:00:00.0000000Z

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