Peace River women's shelter gets municipal help to fix black mould issues

A northern Alberta county is stepping up to help fix a black mould problem that is forcing the women's shelter in Peace River to turn away women and children fleeing violence at home.

Northern Sunrise County voted this week to provide the Peace River Regional Women's Shelter with $20,000 in cash and another $130,000 via an interest-free loan due Sept. 1, 2025, shortly before the next municipal election.

The money will help pay for three new air circulation furnaces. The county has left the door open to forgiving the loan if the shelter is unable to pay back all or some of the money.

The shelter is facing a mould remediation and renovation bill of over $400,000. The mould was discovered at the end of November when workers were preparing to install new windows. The shelter can't take in families until mitigation and repairs are complete at the end of March.

"This is a local state of emergency by every definition I can think of," said Art Laurin, deputy reeve at Northern Sunrise County, at Tuesday's meeting.

"[This] gets them the funding they need to get the work done."

Carol Van Slyke, chair of the shelter's board of directors, and Norm Duval, a member of the board, are appearing at the six counties, towns and municipal districts around Peace River this week and next asking for financial help.

They appeared before Peace River town council on Monday, Northern Sunrise County and the Municipal District of Peace on Tuesday, and the towns of Grimshaw and Manning on Wednesday. They will visit Northern Lights County next next week.

Van Slyke told Northern Sunrise County Council on Tuesday that they have had to turn away 57 adults and 25 children from Nov. 28 to Jan. 8.

Privacy legislation prevents shelter staff from knowing whether those families sought help at other shelters in the region or returned to a dangerous situation at home.

"We have no idea," Van Slyke said. "That is a concern for us."

Van Slyke and Duval are asking each municipality for $20,000 each.

The M.D. of Peace said it would contribute $10,000 this year and the same amount in 2025. The shelter has received some donations from the community and local businesses.

Provincial responsibility

The province recently allocated $10 million over four years to help shelters make repairs to infrastructure, an amount that people in the sector say falls short of the investment needed.

While the Peace River shelter has kept the province updated on the situation, they say they haven't heard anything from Children and Family Services Minster Searle Turton, and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Dan Williams, who is the area MLA.

When asked by CBC, a spokesperson for Turton provided the same written statement that was sent before Christmas — that the ministry is talking with the shelter about its plans and what support is required.

Corrina Williams, reeve of Northern Sunrise County, said her council is concerned that women and children are being turned away and there is no way to follow up on whether they received help somewhere else.

She said it was disappointing to hear the province hasn't given the shelter an answer on what help it can provide.

"There is only one taxpayer and again we're asked to to pay for something that the province actually owns," Williams said.

Calgary-Edgemont MLA Julia Hayter, the NDP opposition critic for status of women, said the shelter shouldn't have to beg for help from municipal councils.

"This is the responsibility of our provincial government and the provincial government is falling short," she said.