Sidney Fire Chief Brett Mikkelsen says Sidney is not sending unhoused people to Victoria.
Speaking at the council meeting on Monday (Nov. 25), Mikkelsen took the opportunity to put an end to circulating discussion that the town is contributing to overcrowding Victoria shelters.
"We wouldn't be able to, and nobody from the local government of the town of Sidney is providing transportation."
Mikkelsen explained that under the Assistance to Shelter Act (ASA), local police and the RCMP are the only ones who can assist or provide transportation to shelters.
In 2009, ASA became legislation under B.C.’s Extreme Weather Response (EWR) program granting local police and the RCMP the capacity to assist a person who is homeless to a shelter during extreme weather alerts.
The council discussed a letter that Mayor Marianne Alto sent to all Greater Victoria mayors requesting that they set up an emergency warming center for the homeless during severe weather events immediately.
While Mikkelsen stated they do have an Extreme Cold Weather Response Plan in place, the council approved a motion to have the town staff submit a proposal to construct an Extreme Weather Response shelter in Sidney. Similarly, a motion was approved to reply to Mayor Alto's email.
The current plan states that emergency management personnel, bylaw officers, and the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP will connect with at-risk community members when temperatures drop in Sidney to inquire about their well-being and go over safety options. Transportation is not a barrier for anyone who wants to relocate and remain at a warming station.
Mikkelsen, who leads Sidney’s response program said the town looks at continuous feedback for improvement and revision.
One method is to look through the RCMP's annual logs, which record contacts with the unhoused who refuse or consent to travel to Victoria or another shelter location during extreme weather.
"I've been told that it's very uncommon for someone to accept our offer," he stated.
Before news began to circulate that other municipalities in the Greater Victoria region were sending their homeless to the capital city, the fire chief added they had shared the town's Extreme Weather Response Plan, created in 2023, with the City of Victoria.
A significant portion of Monday's council meeting was spent discussing the many technicalities of establishing a warming shelter.
“I want to make it very clear that shelter support is a provincial responsibility,” said town CAO, Liam Edwards. “But they look entirely to municipalities to deliver the service in partnership with predominantly non-governmental organizations and groups such as the St. Andrews Church in Sidney.”
Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith acknowledged the community’s compassionate response to the warming shelter but said determining the location and identifying an NGO to help run the shelter are two big issues that need to be addressed.
Although the number of homeless people in Sydney varies, there are currently about 12 homeless people in the Sidney area.
