Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 9, 2021, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B1 SCHEDULE YOUR CONSULTATIONFree So natural looking nobody knows but you! For Cosmetic Complete or partial dentures, call us today! 274 Smith Street leedentureclinic.com 204 943-4048 OR TOLL FREE 1 866-943-4048 Proof of immunization required: QR Code and photo ID DO THE DOWNS EVERY DAY! Simulcast racing from top tracks STEAK FRIDAYS & PRIME RIB SATURDAYS $2495 4 PM - 8 PM 140 VLTs 10 AM - 1 AM 204-885-3330 ASDowns.com $1495 Reservations not required • Roast turkey • Mashed potatoes • Stuffing • Fresh veggies • Gravy • Cranberry sauce Pumpkin or apple pie $4.95 4 PM - 8 PM Today through Monday CITY●BUSINESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM B1 SATURDAY OCTOBER 9, 2021 SECTION BCONNECT WITH WINNIPEG’S NO. 1 NEWS SOURCE▼ ALL the usual fixings, but fewer seats. That’s how Winnipeg’s soup kitchens and missions will serve Thanksgiv- ing dinner to homeless and vulnerable people this holiday weekend. When Siloam Mission hosted its lunch Friday, little more than 100 people were allowed to sit in its large Stanley Street dining hall at a time, which can accommodate as many as 400. Rather than letting people mingle after they ate, diners were ushered out to al- low others — about 500 or 600 in total — to savour turkey, mashed potatoes, stuff- ing and gravy and pumpkin pie. That’s different from last year, when the mission gave takeout meals to most, and the core group of about 60 who lived at the shelter full time dined in. “It feels really good to be able to do something that’s a little closer to nor- mal, especially for this holiday meal. I mean, that’s the point of it, people can gather and have something that feels more like a homecooked meal, a little more like eating with family,” said Siloam communications manager Luke Thiessen. Masks are required to enter the mis- sion and there is plenty of hand sani- tizer stations. Staff cleaned tables and other surfaces between sittings. Only three people were allowed per table, rather than the usual eight. But because the mission and others like it are considered essential by the province, the diners didn’t need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, Thiessen said. Union Gospel Mission on Princess Street will host a reduced-capacity sit- in lunch Saturday, with about 60 people allowed in at one time for three sittings, up from about 30 per meal last year. “We do make sure that everybody sanitizes their hands when they come in, and are wearing masks — all those things,” said Union Gospel senior chap- lain Mark Kelm. “It’s a time to give people hope when they really need it. It’s a time of year when people, they realize the losses that they have… and we’re glad to have the opportunity to bring some love and care to them.” Patrons won’t need to show proof of vaccination at Union Gospel either, but the mission plans to have a mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinic on site during the holiday lunch. “People will be able to get vaccinated if they want to as well,” Kelm said. Meanwhile, the Salvation Army and Agape Table opted for takeout meals, same as last Thanksgiving. Salvation Army handed out 370 take- out turkey dinners at its 324 Logan Ave. location Thursday, rather than allow anyone to eat inside because of size constraints. “Still had the works,” said Lt. Brian Dueck of the meal doled out to those who needed it. Agape Table gave about 500 people a clamshell of holiday fixings to go Thursday and Friday, and plans to feed another 500 on Monday. “At the end of the day, you take some- thing out of it because you’re able to provide the marginalized community with a very nutritious meal... we don’t know if they’re going to eat over the weekend,” said Dave Feniuk, the non- profit’s general manager. “We’ll top it up again on Monday.” erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @erik_pindera Serving up pared-down Thanksgiving gatherings ERIK PINDERA JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Siloam Mission staff member Sonja Lavallee preps a tray of turkey to be served Friday. O N a scenic stretch of land along the Red River, encampments sheltering homeless Winnipeg- gers sit below and beyond large, expen- sive homes. A man wrings out a shirt. Nearby lawn chairs sit precariously close to the river. One encampment adjacent to a walking path near the Louis Bako River Landing canoe launch just off Higgins Avenue at Annabella Street, is filled with everything from furniture to cooking tools to children’s toys. Some of the unhoused take shelter here, away from the concrete bridges. Now that word has got around about the city breaking up encampments under bridges, some living on the riverbank are expecting to see new faces soon. This is one of the safest and most comfortable places for someone expe- riencing homelessness in Winnipeg to be, says a man digging a fire pit. “The city doesn’t care about the home- less, we’re just a statistic to them.” While the soft and uneven terrain along the river might not offer the safety — by comparison — of bridge concrete, the risk is outweighed by the reward, says the 50 year old. “It’s better to wake up to that than to a bunch of traffic,” he says, referring to the relatively serene river scene. In February, a fire ignited an aerosol can, killing someone at an encamp- ment in this area. It’s a safety risk the City of Winnipeg says is behind its new no-tolerance policy for people living under bridges. Rules that went into effect Oct. 1 ban “camping and/or gathering” under bridges. Any encampments within three metres of a bridge structure will be cleared out. There have been 94 recorded fires under or near bridges this year, and the city will be “prohibiting reoccupa- tion of the space,” a spokesperson says in an email. “We will continue to work closely with our network of supports to help relocate these residents or to assist them with accessing transitional housing if they wish. The city will continue to cover the initial cost of transitional housing for residents who choose this option,” the spokesperson says Friday, adding areas already cleared will be revisited if officials receive reports of new encamp- ments. It’s End Homelessness Winnipeg chief executive officer Jason Whit- ford’s first week on the job, and he says his first priority is ensuring the encampment clearing is carried out smoothly for the people living there. “Bridges are part of Winnipeg’s in- frastructure, they were never intended to be shelter of any means for people, that’s not a humane type of shelter, and not in a humane way to live,” Whitford says. “I do understand and support the city’s action towards that, they are an unsafe area. The fires that are often- times used for warmth could create more devastation.” He estimates there are approximate- ly 115 encampments, with five to 10 people living in each, around Winnipeg. When it comes to supporting the homeless population, the city has a long way to go, but the decision was made with the best interests of the community in mind, Whitford says. “There is no bad guy in this situa- tion. I think that it’s maybe viewed that way, that the city is the bad guy for taking down these encampments,” he says. “And the city is acting in the best interests of the broader community, including the homeless population.” One local activist disagrees. Steven Champagne works with People Over Profit Winnipeg, a col- lective of organizers that works to get socialist and ecologically aware candidates into municipal politics and advocates for housing for all. The group has been critical of the decision made by the city, calling it a further injustice against a community already mistreated by municipal politicians. “The institution itself and city coun- cillors love to discuss ‘public safety’... that is focused on making a certain segment of society feel safe, and all it does is further entrench systemic discrimination and abuse against those who are already experiencing the full brunt of it,” he says. Shelter, for the time being MALAK ABAS Encampments along river anticipate population growth after city clears bridge areas; fear they could be targeted next MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A number of temporary shelters have appeared along the Red River in Winnipeg this year — and could increase as the city pushes such encampments away from bridge areas. ● CONTINUED ON B3 B_01_Oct-09-21_FP_01.indd B1 2021-10-08 10:29 PM ;