CITY HALL COUNCIL NOTES

MONDAY, MAR 13.

William Milne Place in the historic downtown fire hall has offered homeless and low-income men shelter for nearly 33 years but will soon become the community’s new long-sought warming centre.

The City of Moose Jaw entered into a 99-year shelter lease agreement with the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation (MJNPHC) on Jan. 1, 1990, before transferring the property to the corporation, a city council report explained.

The shelter at 139 Fairford Street West opened on Aug. 10, 1990 — two years after planning began — and provided 15 rooms to support older men.

Leases and subleases

At some point city hall signed another lease for onsite parking, with six stalls subleased to the corporation and six stalls unleased to anyone, the report continued.

The municipality entered into a sublease with Global Direct Realty Inc. (GDR) on Aug. 13, 2013. The sublease was for one year but continues yearly until terminated. Either party can cancel the sublease by providing 30 days written notice.

If the sublease is not terminated, the city cannot extinguish GDR’s rights simply by terminating the lease with the MJNPHC, the report said. Terminating the corporation’s lease without terminating GDR’s sublease results in the former becoming responsible for the latter’s sublease. This leaves both parties to determine their respective rights.

If this sounds complicated, you’re not alone. Even some city councillors were a little confused when the city administration presented a report about a new warming centre during the Feb. 27 regular meeting.

Signing new agreements

During the meeting, council voted 5-2 — councillors Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning were opposed — to assign the city’s sublease agreement with Global Direct Realty to the Moose Jaw Non-Profit Housing Corporation and mutually terminate the current lease agreements with the corporation.

The municipality will have the first opportunity to purchase the William Milne Place building in the future; city hall wants to maintain it as a heritage site.

This is subject to the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation fully releasing the city from the development agreement that both signed on March 6, 1989, and the project operating agreement signed on March 6, 1989 that was assigned to the corporation on Nov. 3, 1989.

Council also authorized city administration to negotiate the final agreements — to be presented on March 13