Public consultation has begun to choose a permanent location for mining camp style housing to address the encampment issue in Timmins.
Residents can provide input on the four locations that include highway 655 across from Gillies Lake, Pine Street South, Spruce Street South and 110 Feldman Road.
Chief Administrative Officer Dave Landers says there are a lot of needs for each of the different locations.
“We need access to help people to get there, we’ll need power, water, there will also be a need for some sort of food preparation and meal support,” he said.
Landers says the Cochrane District Services Board proposal also looks at helping to stabilize people to move into permanent housing.
He adds that something had to be done so the public wouldn’t have to encounter people living their private lives in the local parks and public safety.
“We had started some work in terms of trying to identify some city owned land that might be suitable and then at Christmas time an announcement from government came that there would be a funding initiative that our social services might be eligible for,” he said.
The city of Timmins was approved for $3.2 million worth of funding from the provincial government late last month.
