A community-funded grassroots organization is fighting back against a recent decision by Peterborough city council to deny their application for a temporary use by-law to build sleeping cabins for people experiencing homelessness.
Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) announced on Thursday (October 3) that the group has submitted an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
On August 26, city councillors meeting as general committee rejected a city staff recommendation that PATH be granted a temporary use by-law that would have permitted the organization to build 24 sleeping cabins for people experiencing homelessness at 385 Lansdowne Street — the former Peterborough Humane Society property located east of Ashburnham Drive.
Back in December 2022, city council had also rejected the idea of allowing PATH to build 15 sleeping cabins at 845 Park Street to address the city’s homelessness crisis over the winter. Councillors said PATH should find another location and go through the planning process with city staff.
In March 2023, PATH entered into a three-year lease agreement with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region for the purpose of providing transitional shelter support at the Lansdowne Street site, which Habitat had purchased with the intention of later developing multi-unit affordable residential housing. PATH then began the land use planning process that would eventually result in an application for a temporary use by-law for the site, which is currently zoned as commercial.
That process culminated with the report from city staff, presented to general committee on August 26, that recommended the temporary use by-law be approved.
However, the discussion at the meeting about the staff recommendation became a referendum on the viability of PATH’s proposal itself, as well as the suitability of the proposed site, with council hearing from 10 delegations that included neighbouring businesses and residents who objected to the location of the proposed sleeping cabin community.
The final delegation to address council was Kent Randall, owner and principal planner of EcoVue Consulting Services, the agents for PATH.
“We of course, along with PATH, wholeheartedly support the recommendation from your staff to approve this temporary use by-law,” Randall said. “In your official plan, which provides policies for evaluating temporary use by-laws, there are a set of requirements that I believe we have met.”
Despite the city staff recommendation, general committee voted 8-2 against approving the temporary use by-law. That decision was upheld the following week at the regular city council meeting on September 3, after councillors voted against a motion to defer the decision to a later date, with a second motion for the city to work with PATH to find an alternate location withdrawn.
According to the media release from PATH announcing the Ontario Land Tribunal appeal, the organization’s community supporters and partners have rallied around them since council’s decision.
“We’ve been able to retain largely pro bono legal counsel who believes in what we’re trying to achieve and is eager to take our case to the Ontario Land Tribunal,” said PATH Board member Keith Dalton in the release. “We will demonstrate this is the right location. We’re confident we’ve done our due diligence in researching the suitability of this location, and others over the past two years.”
Dalton also pointed out that the city, which is funding the modular bridge housing community on Wolfe Street in downtown Peterborough (a similar transitional housing model to PATH’s, but for people with higher support needs), has reported positive improvements in the stability of the residents.
“To see the city acknowledge the effectiveness of transitional housing tells us we are on the right track,” said Dalton. “What PATH aims to do is to supplement what the city is already doing and to build on the lessons learned in the Wolfe Street bridge program to meet a very real and urgent need. PATH embraces a community-first philosophy and believes that communities can help solve homelessness.”
The organization says it will continue to make use of 385 Lansdowne Street location “to provide valuable community services” while it pursues the Ontario Land Tribunal appeal.
That includes a partnership with United Way Peterborough & District on a “Coats for Community” initiative, which will be announced on Monday (October 7) at PATH’s Lansdowne Street location.
