Councillors hear disturbing stories from downtown library

Like other supplicants at Monday night's city council budget meeting, Matthew MacDonald, chief executive officer of Sault Ste. Marie Public Library, was allowed just two minutes to explain why he needs more money than he got last year.

MacDonald was angling for $161,336 to hire a full-time security officer and a social services technician.

Here's a full transcript of his chilling presentation:

Two minutes isn't a whole lot of time, so I thought this was the best way to illustrate that we need to request what we're asking for.

So I'm going to read you something from an October 18 incident report: "He got up, picked up the table, and slammed it down, narrowly missing my foot. In a heated tone he accused me of 'murdering people and that he has seen me do it.' I tried to mention the rules of conduct, but he kept cutting me off and saying about harassment was in the books.”

From a library staff member: "When I think of the library, I think about it being a safe and welcoming place for our community. The staff including myself work so hard to ensure this is how the community feels when they walk through the doors. Lately, that is almost impossible as none of us, including patrons, feel safe.”

A typical description of what staff often have to deal with: “I have been involved in calling emergency personnel for drug overdoses in the downstairs washrooms, watched as co-workers have been verbally assaulted or physically threatened and managers who are continuously being pulled away from their duties to assist with wellness checks, destruction of property or disruptive behaviour.”

From a November 8 incident report when staff arrived to work: "[Someone outside] dropped her pants and urinated against the cement wall. They continued and sat down at the staff emergency exit. They ate food, smoked cigarettes, and then brought out tinfoil, hypodermic needles, spoons, lighters, and pipes.  [One] smoke[d] a substance off of the tinfoil."

From a staff member on safety entering and exiting the building: "Due to the changing nature of the downtown and increase of library visitors with mental health struggles or under the influence of drugs/alcohol, I feel anxious leaving work on my night shift, and even sometimes when arriving at work in the morning.” 

From a former staff member: “The patron was completely out of control. Needless to say, my niece, her two boys, her husband have never or will never return to the library…. The library has lost four patrons… that we know of… how many more just leave and never return when similar things happen? We need to provide a safer library experience for our community.”

Finally, this staff member asks: “If parents stop bringing their children to the Library, what future readers will we have?”

Our budget requests are not sometime our board and staff want. It is something we need.

Two years ago, Sault Ste. Marie Public Library unsuccessfully asked the city for cash to hire a security guard as part of a $176,175 proposed increase in municipal funding.

The role of public libraries has been changing in recent years.

As one of the few remaining places where people are free to hang out, warm themselves and use washrooms without expectation to spend money, libraries have moved to the front lines of community struggles with homelessness, opioids and mental health challenges.

Last month, SooToday revealed that library staff had complained to the Ontario Ministry of Labour after an irritated, threatening man near the downtown main branch entrance forced a facility lockdown.

Last night, MacDonald disclosed that 21 security incidents were reported at the library in October, including two lockdowns and four panic button presses.

That compared to just two recorded security incidents in 2019.

As part of this year's city budget deliberations, the library is asking for $78,868 to add a full-time security guard and $82,468 for a social services technician whose duties would include educating library staff on social services and community assistance options.

"The straining of mental-health supports and increase in drug-related activity and violence in the downtown area have led to drastic increase in the frequency and severity of incidents at the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library," MacDonald said in a report prepared for last night's city council meeting.

"Additionally, the fallout from these issues has resulted in extreme stress and considerable mental health strain on our staff, volunteers, and patrons," he said.

"With security limited to three hours a week and no social worker on staff, we are limited in our ability to address urgent situations promptly and effectively. The library is the social worker of first and last resort."

With many, if not all city library staff seated in the council chambers, MacDonald explained that the downtown library's cantilevered construction is inviting underhoused individuals to sleep under the eaves.

"Just the way that this library is built, it's very inviting for people to go and sleep under. We had a previous policy which had staff go out and we recognized after that event that it was putting our staff at risk.

"I've been in contact with social services. We've now changed that procedure. Staff are no longer going out. What we're doing is we're contacting Social Services.

"They come out if they can. We have their hours of operation. When they're not open, we're next moving on to the Downtown Ambassador program.... hoping that they'll be able to come and provide them with information and help them reach the resources that they need.

"Following that  because they're only open certain hours as well, our final step is to contact police services and have them come out to address the issue because it is a safety issue as well for our staff," MacDonald said.

City council is planning further budget deliberations for Dec. 11 and 12 with senior city managers presenting summary budgets for their areas.

If councillors can't find ways to cut a staff-prepared preliminary operating budget, the levy increase will be 7.2 per cent.

Tax policy, rate options and recommendations will be considered in March and April of next year.