A new warming centre exclusively for women has commenced operations in Saskatoon's Riversdale neighbourhood, opening its doors on December 22, 2025, just days before the Christmas holiday. The facility, located at 325 Avenue C South, is situated inside a renovated former restaurant directly beside the Salvation Army's Crossroads Residential Services shelter. The City of Saskatoon purchased the property, and the Saskatoon Tribal Council is currently operating the centre.
Community Backlash and Lack of Consultation
The opening follows vocal opposition and concerns raised by the Riversdale Business Improvement District (BID) and area residents. During a recent city council meeting, the BID was given an opportunity to comment on the building's lease and highlighted several significant issues with the project's implementation.
Ephthymia Kutsogiannis, the newly appointed chairperson for the Riversdale BID and a local dental office owner of 34 years, expressed deep frustration. She stated the purchase of the building for the warming centre came as a complete surprise, with no prior conversations or consultation with the business community. "It is this lack of transparency, lack of accountability, lack of communication to the business community of Riversdale that ignited my need to reach out," Kutsogiannis told council.
She emphasized that the Salvation Army, which operates the adjacent shelter, also agreed that the location for the new women's warming centre was a bad idea. Kutsogiannis argued that if a similar facility were proposed in any other Saskatoon community, residents would be "up in arms," and that Riversdale deserves to be treated with the same respect.
Broader Impacts on the Riversdale Area
The BID chair outlined tangible negative impacts already being felt in the neighbourhood. She reported that companies are losing money due to security issues and that long-standing businesses are choosing to leave Riversdale. While acknowledging the critical need for housing and support services, Kutsogiannis criticized the continuous concentration of such initiatives in the Riversdale business district.
"(Riversdale BID) acknowledges the need for housing, they support housing initiatives. However, they do not support these initiatives to be continuously occurring in the Riversdale business area," she said. Kutsogiannis further contended that warming and drop-in centres only address the symptoms of homelessness and that the root causes of the problem need to be the primary focus.
City Response and Ongoing Tensions
The city noted in response that it does not control where social agencies choose to set up their operations. Councillor Robert Pearce observed that the level of anger expressed by the BID and residents in the area is growing.
When asked by Councillor Senos Timon what she would prefer to see happen, Kutsogiannis urged the city to stop treating homelessness as solely a "westside problem." She pointed out that some individuals in need of services are reluctant to travel to Riversdale, suggesting a more distributed, city-wide approach is necessary.
The new permanent centre replaces a temporary women's warming centre that had been running at the former Saskatoon Transportation Company bus terminal on 23rd Street. Its opening highlights the ongoing tension in Saskatoon between the urgent need to provide safe, warm spaces for vulnerable populations and the concerns of established communities about the cumulative impact of social services in specific areas.
