The Salvation Army says it is open to adjusting its proposal for that multi-million dollar project in Vanier.  It met this afternoon with stakeholders to talk about concerns. Some of them called the meeting a stunt.

There's been a lot of criticism lobbed at the Salvation Army for its lack of consultation over this shelter complex planned for Montreal Road.

Now the issue is going back to council on Wednesday.

The site at 333 Montreal Road hasn't changed in the 2 years since the Salvation Army announced its plans for the old Concorde Motel.  But its concept of what might eventually be there is changing.

On Monday afternoon, the Salvation Army invited what it called stakeholders to a consultation meeting to address growing concerns, with a promise that it is open to adjusting the plan that initially called for a 350-bed shelter that would offer emergency housing and an addictions program

“It could be a smaller number of beds,” says Glenn Van Gulik, the divisional secretary for public relations with the Salvation Army Ontario Central East Division, “it could be some housing, the addictions program and what that might look like on site or off site.  We don’t know and that's why we want to come back to this community and talk through those points and make sure we understood them correctly but also that we understood the underlying challenges and concerns within those before we go ahead and start making some changes.”

Drew Dobson has spearheaded a group called SOS Vanier which has steadfastly maintained this project doesn't belong in this neighbourhood.  He's not sure what today's meeting accomplished.

“It almost sounded like they were willing to propose something completely different,” Dobson said after the meeting, “and I suggested if that was the case, it was time to withdraw the proposal that was on the table now.”

Among the other participants was Wendy Muckle with Ottawa Inner City Health who says the facility is desperately needed

“I'm pretty confident we will be able to work things out to accommodate everybody and come up with something that's good for the entire community,” she said.

But councillor Mathieu Fleury called the meeting a bit of a stunt and declined to comment.

“I'm really focused, I have a motion coming to council on Wednesday,” he said, adding, “There's nothing new here.”

Fleury added the only movement he wanted was for the Salvation Army to pull its zoning application.

This issue is back before council on Wednesday. Fleury wants to repeal the zoning for it.  The city's solicitor says council has the right to revisit the issue but if it reversed the decision the Salvation Army could appeal.

That leaves residents wondering what if anything will occupy the site.

“Who cares,” says one man near the site, “because they'll do what they want to do anyway and how they want to do it, so it doesn't matter what you say.”

“If they're going to build something they might as well build something to house a lot of people,” added another man, “because from what I see, there are a lot of people living on the street.”

There's also an ongoing question about that conditional sale on the property. The Salvation Army maintains it has an offer in place. But Fleury says lawyers have been pushing for 8 months to see it and question whether it really exists.  pATRICIA