Feasibility money for former men’s hostel narrowly approved

NEWS/ CITY HALL — City taxpayers will fund a $5,000 feasibility study to find out if the old Federal Building/ Men’s Christian Hostel can be used as a “community collaboration centre” for non-profit programs, but some council members don’t think it’s worth it.

A recommendation to City council from its social planning council today (Tuesday) asked for the funding in order to save the building from possible demise under a wrecker’s ball. Coun. Tina Lange brought forward the proposal, saying the study amounted to “a building inspection” to see what needed to be done to put the building into usable condition.

The United Way would purchase the building for a dollar from the Canadian Mental Health Association, the same as the CMHA paid, and maintain it for the community.

Coun. Marg Spina thought the City should look for alternatives, instead. There are already lots of free empty spaces in town that non-profits can use, she said.

“The United Way does great work but we do give them quite a big of funding. I don’t see that that’s a good use,” she said.

Lange emphasized that the old hostel isn’t a City-owned building and the City wouldn’t be paying to repair and maintain it. “It was going to be sold as a piece of real estate, and very likely torn down,” she said.

Mayor Peter Milobar supported taking the feasibility money out of the council’s contingency fund to find out if the building is re-usable. “It may be able to be repurposed, it may not,” he said, but the public would be unhappy if no effort was made to find a way of saving the 114-year-old heritage building.

“We need to really just leave this in the hands of the current owners,” Coun. Ken Christian countered. “The City can’t backstop everything.”

The feasibility grant was approved 5-3, with Spina, Christian and Coun. Nelly Dever opposed.