North Bay’s low-barrier shelter to reopen early August
The low-barrier homeless shelter on Chippewa Street in North Bay is reopening at the beginning of August.
The shelter closed at the beginning of summer due to health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mark King, District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board chair, confirmed the city's shelter will be open again Aug. 1.
"It was the best possible method that we could use at that time,” said King.
He said people accessing services at the shelters were temporarily put in motels where they had their own private room due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the homeless community.
"In the past what happened at the low-barrier shelter when it was open and dealing with the COVID outbreak through the whole system, paramedics did actually attend and did immunize people," said King.
The Crisis Centre North Bay oversees operations at the low-barrier shelter. CTV News reached out to the crisis centre, however, our calls were not returned.
"The crisis centre is ready to move into the low-barrier shelter," said King.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit never declared a COVID-19 outbreak in the homeless population due to a perceived spike in stigma. However, those who oversaw a tent city were told by the health unit to keep the encampment open due to several COVID-19 cases spreading in the homeless population.
"We did our best to contain the outbreak but we had to let them out every so often so they could get their methadone and stuff like that," said Terri-Lynn Stevens, HOPE’s outreach manager who helped oversee the tent city operations.
Stevens said she hopes reopening the shelter will help resolve some issues for homeless people.
"It put a lot of stress on them,” she said, referring to when it had to close. “They denied people from going into the low-barrier for ridiculous reasons and unfortunately it did create quite an issue that we had to resolve."
King said he hopes health unit staff and paramedics will be on-site to vaccinate more homeless people at the shelter in hopes of avoiding any future outbreaks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.