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The councillor for Lowertown is calling into question the management of the Salvation Army Booth Centre after last week’s killing outside of the shelter.

“I’ve lost faith in the local organization,” Rideau Coun. Mathieu Fleury said. “I’ve lost faith that they can’t get to the core of the issue.”

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Fleury’s tough talk comes after 30-year-old Kayla Sullivan was stabbed outside the George Street building Friday. A man has been charged with first-degree murder.

Concerns about drugs, booze and loitering outside of the shelter aren’t new – it’s an ongoing problem outside the George Street building – but it seems Fleury has lost patience with the Salvation Army. He wants the shelter to set up a defined smoking zone for clients.

The Salvation Army says police have advised that a smoking area isn’t a good idea “for a number of safety issues.”

That’s from a written statement the organization released Tuesday, explaining there were two safety audits of the building done this past summer. The shelter’s executive director, Marc Provost, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.