City of Charlottetown wants to hear from the public on community fridge
Fridge in Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club parking lot needs permit to continue running
The future of Charlottetown's community fridge is in question, but for now it will be allowed to keep operating.
City council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to go to public consultations on a site-specific exemption for the community fridge in the parking lot of the Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club, where Valley and Connolly streets intersect.
Coun. Trevor MacKinnon abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest. Councillors Terry Bernard, Norman Beck and Kevin Ramsay were not in attendance.
The process was triggered by a complaint a resident filed with the city on Jan. 25 over the area surrounding the fridge.
"I don't know the details of the complaint, but it's my understanding it was based on some extensive garbage, some cleanup in the area, some concerns with neighbours," said Deputy Mayor Alanna Jankov, who also chairs the planning and heritage committee.
Charlottetown bylaw officers have been asked to help clean the property, Coun. Mitch Tweel said during the meeting.
"I don't think anyone is against a community fridge; I think what they are opposed to [is what] is being drawn into the neighbourhood," Tweel said. "Some people simply don't respect the neighbours."
Jankov said complaints about the fridge will be "fleshed out" during the public consultation process.
After the complaint was filed, council learned there were issues with the approval process, Jankov said. The wrong information had been given to the fridge's operator, the non-profit organization 4 Love 4 Care, when the project was still in the planning phase.
"The folks that run the community fridge started this process about three years ago, and they were given the green light by the previous planning and heritage administration. So, they were operating under good faith for three years," Jankov said.
"In fact, they do need a site exemption in order to operate on this piece of property because it is ... zoned [for] parking, so it's not a permitted use."
'An interesting situation to be in'
The application for the site exemption came from 4 Love 4 Care's Sandra Sunil on behalf of the Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club, which owns the property.
"It definitely is an interesting situation to be in," Sunil said of Tuesday's council development. "We're seeing a lot more donations coming into the fridge right now, so I think the need is there, and a lot more clients are using the space too."
She said the group will stop running it if the public consultations show the community doesn't want or need the fridge, but that doesn't seem likely to her.
"The support for this fridge has been really great and really huge. There are a lot of folks reaching out saying they'll come to the public meeting."
The deputy mayor confirmed the fridge can continue to operate as the city moves through the site exemption process.
"It's my understanding that the folks who operate the community fridge want to continue operating until there is no need," Jankov said.
"Right now there is still a need, so they do want to forge ahead to get themselves to legal conformity."
Waiving permit fees?
Jankov also put forward a notice of motion to limit fees for the organization, and others like it, that aim to address food insecurity.
She's asked the planning and heritage committee to create a report for council that looks at waiving fees for "folks who are supporting and looking out for the marginalized community, the unhoused and people with food insecurity."
If that rule isn't changed, it could cost $3,500 for a permit for the fridge to operate, Jankov said.
"They are just a small community-based organization," she said.
The public consultation is tentatively set for June 26. After that, city staff will provide a recommendation to the planning board, before the matter moves to council for a final decision.
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