Vol.110–No. 12 • 12 Pages
Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Wednesday, March 20, 2019
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Ag, Oil & Business • 2
Opinion • 4
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Obituaries/Classified • 8
Group home may still be built in The Creeks By Greg Nikkel Members of council and administration met with representatives from Social Services, Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, Weyburn Group Homes Society and Terra Developments on Monday “to discuss a path going forward to meet the needs of the Weyburn Group Homes Society, their clients and the community of Weyburn.” The meeting was in response to the council meeting of the week before, when comments made by city councillors on March 11 about an application to build a personal care home in The Creeks, along with the decision to deny the application, ignited a firestorm of reaction by the public on social media, the Internet, in the Legislature and with a protest held at the entrance to The Creeks on Coteau Avenue. In the statement made by council on Tuesday morning, the application which was first rejected will be brought back to council at the earliest meeting that would be allowed by the city’s bylaws. “All parties came to Monday’s meeting looking for a positive solution and left feeling that the direction going forward will get this home built in The Creeks,” said council’s statement. Coun. Brad Wheeler and then city council as a whole issued apologies for the comments made, and Mayor Marcel Roy held a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday to explain what happened and why. Mayor Roy told reporters that council was simply following the process for an application for a discretionary use permit, and with “pushback” from residents in The Creeks, they felt they had to vote that way. In the Legislature, Wey-
burn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan told the assembly he has visited the three existing group homes operating in Weyburn and commented, “Any neighbourhood would be lucky to have them.” Premier Scott Moe said on Twitter, “The Saskatchewan I know can do much better. Our province should be the best place in Canada for persons with disabilities.” Former premier Brad Wall also weighed in on Twitter, saying that the decision needs to be reversed. “Saskatchewan has worked hard to provide dignity, care and quality of life through more group home spaces to our most vulnerable fellow citizens. In turn, they bring dignity and care to any neighbourhood.” The mayor and council were also urged by Social Services minister Paul Merriman to reconsider the decision, and he told reporters, “It’s a very slippery slope when people from the community are picking and choosing who lives on their street and who doesn’t.” Many comments made in reaction to the city’s comments and decision urged city council to reconsider the decision. In their statement of apology issued on Thursday, council said, “As a council, we are continuing to exhaust all avenues to find a solution to get the care home built and to begin the healing process with our community.” Council turned down the application for a care home after residents of The Creeks flagged concerns such as safety, traffic and property values as reasons they didn’t want the group home located there. A protest was quickly organized for Wednesday evening, and a crowd of around 60 people lined both
No safety concerns here
Review Photo 2360 — Greg Nikkel
Xavier Cameron, in the arms of his mom Deidre, held a sign proclaiming, “I am not dangerous!”, as they joined a group of around 60 residents on Coteau Avenue at the entrance to The Creeks subdivision on Wednesday evening. The protesters were upset that city council had denied a request for a personal care home for the Weyburn Group Homes Society to be built in The Creeks. sides of Coteau Avenue with signs expressing their disappointment and outrage at the comments made by council. The group included two buses from the Weyburn Group Homes, with staff and residents on hand to be part of the protest. At one point, a single resident of The Creeks came out to talk to the protesters and to explain what her concerns were. The
woman, who did not identify herself, told the group her main concern was the ownership of the home by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, and that there was no guarantee that 10 or 15 years down the road, the group home might be turned into something else like a halfway house. She said she went to the meeting with the community with Colin Folk of Wey-
burn Group Homes, and he explained what was being proposed for the personal care home, including that it would only house four residents, with two to three staff there on site 24/7. She said she would have no problems whatsoever having a group home for neighbours if they had this guarantee, since the Group Homes Society would not be the actual owners of
the home. “I don’t think it should matter where people with special needs want to live,” said a protester. Another protester said the comments made by council were “awful” and “disgusting”, but the resident insisted that the views expressed were not her views, and that she would love to have the group home located there. Continued on Page 5
Premier states revenue-sharing to rise despite tight budget By Terry Pugh, Clark’s Crossing Gazette Municipalities across the province will receive $10 million more in revenuesharing funding this year despite a looming austerity budget, according to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Speaking at the 114th annual Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) conference in Saskatoon on Wednesday, Moe said the new formula, negotiated between the provincial government and municipal officials over the past two years, resulted in an allocation of $250 million this year to communities. The new formula will see municipalities receive threequarters of a point of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) revenue from the previous two fiscal years. Moe said this amounts to a four-per-cent increase in municipal revenue-sharing over last year. He added this hike is significant given the “tight”
provincial budget which will be unveiled in the Legislature today, March 20. Despite economic headwinds, Moe said the province is experiencing continued growth, and municipal funding will fuel that expansion. “The funding will be provided within the confines of a balanced budget that will strike the right balance between continued investment and fiscal restraint,” said Moe, adding the revenuesharing formula provides transparency and predictability for both municipal and provincial governments. “The increased revenuesharing is a practical demonstration of the provincial government’s commitment to municipalities across Saskatchewan,” said Moe. Moe said grant applications from municipalities and other eligible organizations under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program are now being accepted by the province for initial consideration. The in-
take period runs from March 15 to April 30, 2019. “Strategic infrastructure investments are key to improving our citizens’ quality of life and positioning our communities for growth,” said Moe. “Infrastructure funding can also go further when groups work together, which is why I challenge community leaders to work together and consider submitting projects that can serve a region and its people.” The premier announced the province is committing $5 million to the Saskatchewan Conservation and Development Association for effective surface water drainage projects. “We need effective water management solutions in our province,” said Moe. “Right now we have a number of very good projects. There are 96 conservation and development associations that are in place and they work well. Continued on Page 3
Mayor addresses news conference at City Hall Mayor Marcel Roy spoke to reporters at City Hall on Wednesday about the decision made at council on March 11 to reject the development of a personal care home for the Weyburn Group Homes Society in The Creeks subdivision. The decision ignited a firestorm of controversy, and first Coun. Brad Wheeler then Weyburn city council as a whole issued an apology for the comments made at Review Photo 2347 — Greg Nikkel the council meeting.