TIMMINS - Days before the deadline to let the province know an application for a new treatment facility is coming, a Timmins councillor wants to pause the process until there's better communication on the project.
On tonight's Timmins council agenda, Ward 1 Coun. Rock Whissell has a motion asking for the Timmins Wellness Centre of Excellence (WCE) process to be paused. He wants the partners to clearly explain the proposal, what services would be delivered and the potential impacts on the neighbourhood.
Two weeks ago, the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) announced it's in talks to buy the Ramada Inn at 1800 Riverside Dr. to turn it into the WCE.
The goal is to create a centralized service hub offering mental health and addiction treatment services and transitional housing support. It would not be an emergency shelter, offer harm reduction supplies or be a supervised consumption site.
The CDSB is leading the push, with the project partners including the Mushkegowuk Council, CMHA-CT, urban Indigenous service partners, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS), Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services, Timmins Academic Family Health Team, Northern College.
For funding, the CDSB is applying to be one of the new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs recently announced by the province.
The deadline to provide intent to apply to the province is this Friday, Sept. 20, with the final proposal needing to be in by Oct. 18.
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A tense public meeting was held last week, with hundreds of people showing up to the Ramada Inn information session.
A "café-style" event, the intent was for people to talk to the project partners one-on-one. With so many people in attendance, some did not have the opportunity to learn more.
By the end of the night, Whissell announced he was stepping down from the CDSB board.
Tonight's agenda also includes a motion to appoint Ward 5 Coun. Steve Black to the CDSB board as Whissell's replacement.
By sitting at the CDSB table and being privy to confidential conversations, Whissell has felt conflicted when constituents ask questions about the proposal. By removing one of the hats he was wearing, he said it's an opportunity to represent his ward.
Tonight's meeting is his first chance to bring up the project.
He addressed the issue on Facebook this morning.
"Tonight, I am presenting a motion that I strongly hope the Council will support. This motion calls for pausing the CDSB Ramada Inn project to prioritize public consultation, transparency, and open communication, ensuring the community's agreement moving forward," he wrote.
His post reflects the wording of the resolution in the council package posted by the city yesterday, which calls for a pause on the project.
A new agenda has been added today. The wording on the resolution now states that it's to request clarification on the facility.
Timmins council meets at 6 p.m. in city hall. The full agenda is available here.
Watch a live stream of the meeting online here.
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