Cobourg council decided to limit the number of Emergency Care Establishments to two at its recent regular council meeting on April 30.
Council updated its bylaw by restricting the number of licenses to two. Currently, these apply to Transition House and Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre.
Alison Lester, the secretary of the Transition House board of directors, expressed her concerns that the amendment could force the shelter to close due to the need for two licenses. She argued that Northumberland County would need one as the leaseholder, and Transition House would need one as the operator.
She suggested the town change the bylaw language to specify its limit to emergency care “establishment” rather than “licenses.”
If the change is not made, it could mean Transition House would be forced to close.
Lester also raised concerns about the discretionary powers given to the town staff to increase or refuse licenses, saying it would force the county (which is responsible for housing) to create shelters elsewhere. This would spread resources thinly across municipalities rather than where the need is greatest.
Mayor Lucas Cleveland and staff explained the town’s interpretation. After some brief discussion and questions, council voted in favour of the amendments.
Listen to the presentation and the politician’s responses at the meeting. See if you agree to disagree with the outcome.
In Their Words is a feature that allows people to listen to what is going on at the various councils within Northumberland. No spin. No opinions. No one is telling you what to think. Just what was said.
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