Ark Aid Street Mission has more questions than answers
Faith-based groups have more questions than answers as they continue to fight the City of London’s recent zoning by-law infraction handed to First Baptist Church and the Ark Aid Street Mission.
As parishioners gather for service at First Baptist Church, outside the homeless sleep in tents on a rainy Sunday morning.
They use the Ark Aid Street Mission in the basement of the church on a daily basis for food and showers.
“It's despicable that anyone would consider taking things away from the homeless right now. You look at the great work that Ark Aid does feeding 300 people a day. We're in a crisis,” said London North Centre MPP Terence Kenaghan.
However a complaint by businesses in the area has prompted the city to issue a zoning by-law non-compliance order, leaving Ark Aid looking for answers.
“We basically want to understand how the definition for a place of worship does not apply to either Ark Aid street mission as a faith-based organization serving people in charitable ways. How do we not fit within the place of worship designation for zoning?” questioned Sarah Campbell of Ark Aid Street Mission.
Downtown city councillor John Fyfe Millar says it is strictly a zoning issue with a commercial tenant in -the lower level of the church.
“This is not a question about the work that Ark Aid does. We know how important it is. We know what it means to the community and we know the compassion that they bring. But if not here, let’s work together to come up with a solution,” said Fyfe-Millar.
Across the city, Rector Kevin George has started a petition looking for support, which has received hundreds of signatures. He feels administration needs to review their definition of general assembly
“They have dozens of churches booked for polling stations during the upcoming municipal election. Well, should we all look at our leases that we have with the city right now and ask if we're breaking the zoning bylaw by having a general assembly for an election on municipal election day?” said George.
While a complaint has come to the city regarding the vulnerable people living around Victoria Park, those attending the church are in full support of Ark Aid.
“This is a core part of who we are and unfortunately it sends kind of a chilling note to all faith-based organizations to sort of suggest, okay, is that are we going to be facing this kind of scenario where we've got bylaw kind of issues that we additionally have to address when, when in fact, really what I think we all want to be doing, I think all Londoners of any stripe, want to be helping out the most vulnerable in the community as best we can,” said parishioner, Gord MacDonald.
The city has given three options to Ark Aid and extended its compliance deadline to Oct. 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, prepared to testify about a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.