Barrhaven residents gather to oppose proposed 'sprung structures' for asylum seekers

Dozens of residents gathered in Barrhaven on Sunday afternoon to push back on a city proposal to build a tent-like structure to house asylum seekers.

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The City of Ottawa has shortlisted the area of Greenbank Road and Highbury Park Drive for the construction of a "sprung structure" to help provide emergency welcoming and additional transitional housing capacity to accommodate “unprecedented levels” of migration into Ottawa.

Barrhaven has been shortlisted from 70 possible locations across Ottawa for the construction of the shelters. Alta Vista and Orléans had also been considered as potential sites.

The modular fabric buildings could house up to 150 beds and have ignited controversy with many residents, with some citing safety concerns and others advocating for more permanent housing solutions.

A rally took place in Barrhaven on Sunday, attended by MPP Lisa MacLeod and local councillor Wilson Lo, who have led the push against the structures.

"It's not a dignified way to house people, even if it's temporary. It's not appropriate in Barrhaven. It's not appropriate for anywhere in Ottawa," Lo told CTV Ottawa.

"Other cities in Ontario have proven that with a similar amount of money and a very similar timeline, you can take advantage of the advances in rapid construction technology to build a permanent structure."

Lo moved a motion at a July city council meeting to take away staff's authority to look at the location options, arguing that staff would be making a multi-million dollar decision on introducing a new shelter system without council oversight. Council ultimately voted down the motion.

"I don't know what the actual, final decision is going to be, but these next few weeks are going to be very important because that's when the site evaluations come back," he said.

A conceptual image of a 'sprung structure' that could be used to house asylum seekers.

Residents say the community does not have enough social services to allow for a large influx of asylum seekers.

"Our community has grown so rapidly that we're still catching up in regards to infrastructure, but really, we don't have we don't have the addiction supports. We don't have the mental health supports, we don't have the health care supports," said Jason MacDonald, chair of the Barrhaven Business Improvement Area.

"There's so many different alternatives. There's so many buildings that not only could be utilized right now for the asylum seekers and for the refugees to give them a much better start here in our amazing country."

The city has prioritized the structures as a housing solution because they can be constructed quickly and have minimal foundational requirements. A similar structure was used during the COVID-19 pandemic at The Ottawa Hospital to expand patient capacity and is still in use.

Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr has supported the construction of a sprung structure in her ward but says they should be equally distributed to other parts of the city.

"We have neighborhoods all over the city that are sheltering folks, and I don't see why Barrhaven should be exempted," Carr said.

"I think a sprung structure will be a great alternative to using community centers that have been taken from their neighborhoods."

Barrhaven resident Xiaohua Ma said there should have been more transparency from the city about where the shelters will be installed. She said she has written letters to the mayor addressing her concerns, but did not receive a response.

"We want to understand how the city decided to put tents here. We would like to understand the procedure," she said.

"We want the city to hear our voice as well."

Barrhaven is one of the neighbourhoods being shortlisted as a possible candidate for the installation of a tent-like "sprung structure" to house asylum seekers.

Hong Yu, another Barrhaven resident, agreed there needs to be better solutions for asylum seekers.

"It is not appropriate for anybody. There must be a better solution for all the people," Yu said.

The city has not yet said whether a final decision has been made on the location of the sprung structure. Staff say the goal is to open the new structures in 2025.

Residents will be holding another rally opposing the proposal on Tuesday.