Reimbursement for Use of Fort York Armoury,
Trinity-Niagara
The Community Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (June 1, 1999) from the
Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services; and further directed that a copy thereof be forwarded
to the Federal Minister of Defence and the Federal Minister Responsible for Homelessness:
Purpose:
This report reviews the City's use of Armouries as Homeless Shelters. It recommends that the City reimburse the
Department of National Defence for the most recent use of the Fort York Armoury.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The cost to the City is estimated at $80,000.00. The funds for this are available in the 1999 operating budget of the Shelter,
Housing and Support Division
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
- as per the City's agreement with the Department of National Defence, the Commissioner of Community and
Neighbourhood Services be authorized to reimburse the Department of National Defence for costs of $80,000.00 for the
use of Fort York Armoury during the period of April 15, 1999 to June 4, 1999; and
- the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.
Council Reference/Background/History:
While the use of the armouries has been discussed at Committee previously, no specific reports have been brought forward
on this issue.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
History:
Including the most recent use, armouries owned by the Department of National Defence (DND) in downtown Toronto have
been used as emergency shelters on four occasions since 1996.
In January of 1996, the former City of Toronto opened the Moss Park Armoury, located on the northeast corner of Jarvis
and Queen. The facility was open for a two-week period to accommodate people during a period of extreme cold weather.
At that time, the City directly operated the facility.
Armoury facilities were not used again until the fall of 1998. At that time, Council approved a motion to recognize
homelessness as a National Disaster requiring emergency humanitarian relief and directed staff to undertake all measures
to address the issue. The shortage of hostel beds was becoming a severe emergency. In order to bridge this service gap and
to allow staff the additional time necessary to open winter beds, the Fort York Armoury, located at Lakeshore and
Strachan, was opened. The facility was able to assist up to 150 people nightly and was open from November 12 to
December 7. The Red Cross managed the site with support from Salvation Army, St. John's Ambulance, City staff from
Hostel Services, Ambulance Services, and Public Health.
In January of 1999, the Moss Park Armoury was opened as a warming centre for 42 hours. This was in response to the
extremely heavy snowfall experienced in Toronto that made it difficult for homeless people to move around the City to
access services.
In April 1999, Council passed a report capping occupancy of the single men's shelter system at 90 percent. Occupancy in
the single men's system averaged 96 percent in the first two weeks of April. On April 14, the single men's system was at
99 percent and the entire system occupancy was at 96 percent. Staff were directed to take the steps necessary, including the
opening of other facilities, to maintain occupancy at 90 percent or lower. As a result, the Fort York Armoury was again put
into use from April 15 to June 4, 1999, in response to high numbers who were using the emergency shelters.
Operating a shelter in the Armoury is a last resort used as an emergency measure only. Shelters operated and funded by the
City must adhere to the Hostel Standards that govern standards of operation, services, conduct, health and safety, etc. Many
of these standards were not met at the armouries due to the physical and operating limitations, thus making armouries
unsuited for long term use.
Impact on DND of the Use of the Armouries for Emergency Shelter:
Neither of the downtown armouries is a "vacant building". Both are active military installations. Army reserve units, which
are used in both domestic and overseas operations, are administered and trained in both buildings. The armouries also
house several Cadet Corps. The part-time nature of the reserve function and the voluntary involvement of cadets require
that the armouries be available seven days a week, in the evenings and on weekends.
The emergency shelter use of the site affected DND operations from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the morning. Actual
operating hours were 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; however, staff were on site before and after to do set up and clean up. During
these hours, the use of the parade floor was restricted to approximately one half of the normal space available and military
did not have access to some classrooms, bathrooms and showers. Additionally, during the time the shelter was on site, a
significant number of events required rescheduling and relocation.
Agreement with DND for Reimbursement of Costs:
Neither National Defence nor Canadian Forces policies allow the long-term or indefinite use of DND facilities for
non-military purposes. Despite this, DND and individual staff have been extremely supportive of the use of their facilities
as emergency shelters. They have made facilities available to the City within hours of the request being made. On three
occasions, they provided the City the use of their facilities without recovering any costs. During the most recent use of the
Fort York Armoury, the City agreed to reimburse DND for additional costs arising from the shelter use of the site. These
costs included additional staffing costs for DND, increased utility and service costs associated with shelter use, and
increased garbage disposal costs. The final cost figure is $80,000.00 which represents a cost to the City of $5.20 per square
foot for the term of this agreement.
Alternate Sites:
Staff of the Shelter, Housing and Support Division have identified two alternate sites for new shelters. The owners of both
sites have agreed to enter into leases with the City and negotiations are currently underway. Staff are committed to a
process of community consultation and are working closely with local councillors on this matter.
Conclusions:
The City has been able to use both the Fort York and the Moss Park Armouries on short notice to provide emergency
shelter space to homeless persons. The Department of National Defence has been extremely co-operative regarding the use
of these sites. It is recommended that as per the City's agreement, they be reimbursed for the costs associated with the
emergency shelter use of the Fort York site in April and May of this year.
Contact Name:
Elaine Smyer,
Hostel Co-ordinator
Tel: 397-1384
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Councillor Jack Layton, Don River, appeared before the Community Services Committee in connection with the foregoing
matter.
