SASKATOON — Saskatoon Tribal Council Tribal Chief Mark Arcand is criticizing recent comments from a city councillor who called on the province to reduce services for people experiencing homelessness and to replace a First Nations-led service provider.
“We need to all be working together as a team to solve this community problem. It’s not a neighbourhood problem; it’s a community problem, it’s a provincial problem, it’s a Canadian problem, it’s a world problem,” Arcand said Thursday.
Arcand was responding to remarks by Councillor Robert Pearce, who used a forum at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention earlier this week to ask Premier Scott Moe to cut the number of beds at the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Emergency Wellness Centre and to replace the STC as operator.
“Those types of comments by Councillor Pearce feel like an attack,” Arcand said, noting STC has met its obligations and has had its funding agreements with the province renewed annually since opening the facility.
He called on Pearce to decide whether he is “part of the team or not” when it comes to addressing homelessness in Saskatoon. Arcand also urged the mayor and the rest of council to distance themselves from Pearce’s remarks.
“Let’s work together, personal differences aside. Let’s make sure we’re helping the public, representing the public and making sure we’re representing all interests of the citizens of Saskatoon,” he said.
Arcand thanked Premier Moe for stating publicly that the province remains committed to its partnership with the STC and that there are no plans to reduce the number of shelter beds while homelessness in the city continues to grow.
The city’s most recent Point-in-Time count, conducted in 2024, recorded 1,499 unhoused people in Saskatoon — nearly triple the 550 counted in 2022.
Data from previous counts has shown that more than 80 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon identify as Indigenous. That figure aligns with information gathered at the Emergency Wellness Centre and by STC’s Saweyihtotan street outreach program. Arcand said this highlights the need for culturally appropriate services delivered by Indigenous organizations.
The Emergency Wellness Centre has operated in the Fairhaven neighbourhood since December 2022. It has capacity for 106 people, including 21 spaces for families and children, 32 spaces for women, 27 for men and a 26-bed overflow area.
Between April 1, 2023 and Dec. 31, 2024, the centre served 4,969 people, including 701 who arrived as part of families. Staff helped 89 families and 281 individuals find long-term housing.
“When we work together, we have success,” Arcand said. “We’ve got to lift each other up and champion each other.”
