Saskatoon’s longest-serving mayor, Don Atchison, is promoting 3D-printed trailers to help solve homelessness in his comeback bid with ‘minimal’ spending.
All politicians crave favourable media coverage, but one of the candidates running for Saskatoon mayor asked if we could spend the night together last week.
That bears further explanation.
Atchison crammed his 6-foot-2 frame into what is touted as the world’s first 3D-printed trailer for a chat in front of the office of Wave of the Future 3D Printing in Saskatoon’s North Industrial area. The trailer is adorned with signs promoting Atchison’s campaign for mayor.
He met Wave of the Future owner/operator Randy Janes at the Broadway Street Fair in September and suggested the trailers, which are constructed using recycled pop bottles, could help house homeless people.
It’s tempting to dismiss this pitch as another wacky idea from the city’s longest-serving mayor, who once promoted a dome over downtown Saskatoon and who briefly insisted all visitors to the mayor’s office wear a tie.
But Janes said his 15 years working in the recreational vehicle industry have instilled confidence that the trailers, once produced, could withstand temperatures as low as -50 C due to their vapour barrier construction.
The made-in-Saskatoon prototype is too small for Atchison to stand up in, lacks a door and has only temporary windows. So the trailer where he and I could spend a night together to test its ability to withstand brutally cold weather has yet to be built.
The trailers can be produced cheaply, too, according to both Atchison and Janes, for about $15,000 each. And they can be manufactured quickly, they say, with 150 possible by the end of the year. That would cost about $2.7 million.
Atchison acknowledged there are many unanswered questions, like where the trailers would go — he said he’s aware of corporations that might donate land — and whether they would meet provincial government and city hall standards.
Plus he conceded they would not be suitable for people living with addictions.
“We just can’t have people sleeping on the street,” Atchison said. “That’s the bottom line. And I think this can give us a lot of relief in that area right now.”
The trailer proposal represents the sort of attention-grabbing concept Atchison might need in his second comeback attempt after Mayor Charlie Clark’s 2016 election victory ended his 13 years in office.
Atchison, now 72, finished third, behind Clark and former provincial cabinet minister Rob Norris, four years ago.
Atchison admitted he’s running a “totally different” campaign this time with his wife, Mardele, as his campaign manager. Ken Gryschuk, the former business manager for Cosmopolitan Industries Ltd., is also helping out with social media.
“And the reason we’re doing that is we want to be able to show the public that we don’t have to do things the same old way all the time,” he said.
Atchison arguably got value for his money in 2020, finishing with 20 per cent of the vote, while Norris, who spent more than $192,000, only managed 26 per cent.
He also pointed out that the Saskatoon Christian school and church rocked by allegations of physical and sexual abuse were only involved in one mayoral campaign of his in 2006. “Heavens no,” Atchison responded when asked if he was aware of the abuse claims back then.
While Atchison announced his comeback bid in August, he said he feels the campaign is only getting underway for real this month.
“I don’t think you need to spend the most,” he said. “And I think when we’re out there and we’re talking to people, I think the message rings clear. The response at the door is, ‘Thank goodness you’re running.’ ”
Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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