Saskatoon downtown shelter proponents answer questions from the public [Video]

Saskatoon’s administration defended its choice of a downtown shelter site in a public information session at city hall on Monday, and the city expects it will move ahead.

Residents and businesses in the city’s core were invited to share their concerns and ask questions about the proposed 30 to 40-bed temporary shelter on Pacific Avenue at the morning meeting in council chambers.

While the province, which is responsible for the shelter, wasn’t present for the meeting, the Alberta-based Christian nonprofit it hired to run the facility was.

“People have fears. There are fears about a lot of things that are going on. I understand those fears. I think also from working from the perspective of The Mustard Seed, working with smaller shelters, it’s more manageable,” Megan Schurling, a representative for shelter operator the Mustard Seed told CTV News.

One of the direct questions to the panel, which had police, fire …