Charlottetown mayor pushes back after province moves to keep shelter, outreach centre on Park Street [Video]

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown says the city hasn’t ruled out a legal challenge after the province stepped in to ensure the emergency overnight shelter and Community Outreach Centre would continue operating at its current location — despite the city’s opposition.

On Tuesday night, Charlottetown council rejected the province’s request for a zoning change to cover the operations on Park Street in Charlottetown. Approving it would have allowed both services to remain in the area indefinitely, although the province had previously insisted the location would be temporary.

Days later, Housing Minister Steven Myers announced regulatory amendments to create a special planning area taking in a large plot of land that includes the Park Street property on which the shelter and outreach centre are located.

‘This is not just about Charlottetown,’ Mayor Philip Brown warned as he responded to the P.E.I. government’s move to give itself planning power over the Park Street parcel of land that hosts outreach services for vulnerable Islanders. That followed a vote by …