Shovels may have already been in the ground at the site of a new Métis housing development in Meadow Lake, but now official approval has been given to an endeavour that will help mitigate homelessness in the community. During the May 27 meeting of Meadow Lake city council, a discretionary use development application received from the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) was approved. The MN-S is planning to develop four, three-bedroom affordable rental units for Métis families at 107 and 109 4th St. East (see story in the May 23 edition of Northern Pride).
“The buildings will be assembled as ready-to-move (RTM) structures at a manufacturing plant near Hague, SK,” explained Neil Marsh, the city’s planning and development manager, in his official recommendation to council. “Site work will include construction of the foundations, moving and installation of the pre-assembled buildings, service connections and final grading. Each building will be moved in two halves in order to minimize impact to trees along the route.” Prior to approving the discretionary use application, a public hearing was held to allow both the developer as well as community members to provide comments, ask questions or share concerns. Among those to address council was Mathieu Gaudet, MN-S housing manager.
“The units are intended to be affordable rental units for our Métis citizens in and around Meadow Lake,” Gaudet stated. “The anticipated completion date is January 2025 with tenants hopefully moving in by the spring. The units are approximately 36 feet wide, 27 feet deep with about 1,000 square feet per unit, three bedrooms and one-and-a-half baths.”
Also on hand for the public hearing was Mary Landry, a resident of 114 4th St. East. “I have to thank you (Gaudet) for purchasing those lots,” Landry said. “This is such a need. We need more families in adequate housing on the east side. I read through the specs and they are well thought out. One issue in that area is the laneway behind your proposed buildings. It’s dark and poorly maintained, and that is something I would consider… asking council or engineering if that can be addressed. I also appreciate the fact you have parking with your units because the culverts in that area make it very difficult for parking.” Landry went on to say she recently sold her house. “I am thinking of the new owners who are also a family,” she said. “Five to 10 years down the road, they will have a community there.”
On an unrelated note concerning housing, Landry asked council why there are so many rental units in town that have been damaged, are not repaired and, as such, remain vacant. “Is there something in place by the city or rental organizations to address the fact there is a lot of housing not being occupied and which is boarded up?” she asked. According to mayor Merlin Seymour, the reason so many housing units (operated by Saskatchewan Housing) remain vacant has to do with the limited number of companies available throughout the province that can properly remediate the buildings after previous tenants have moved out. “The reason we’ve been told they are vacant for so long is because they need a really deep cleaning because of what has happened in these homes before,” he said. “There are only so many companies able to do that type of work… There just isn’t enough people to do the necessary work to once again make these viable rental properties. That’s what we’ve been told by Saskatchewan Housing.”
Landry also asked if there is anyone employed who can regularly check on rental properties to ensure they are being properly maintained. City manager Diana Burton responded, stating the city is aware of issues whereby rental units operated by private landlords fall into disrepair because of poor maintenance or damage caused by tenants. “We are limited, however, because we can’t just go and check on people’s properties,” she said. “We can drive by and check the exterior of a property, and write a nuisance abatement order for an unsightly premises if not maintained. But, unless we are given permission by the property owner or tenant, or there is another public health reason to a allow a department of the city, we cannot enter.” Burton also said, with regard to another question Landry had about insurance requirements, this is something the city cannot put on a property owner. “We do find, however, the organizations in the business of renting multiple properties or the housing authorities quite often will,” she said. “As for the back lane, we haven’t in my experience provided lighting in the back alleys, but we can look into it.”
The new Métis housing units in Meadow Lake, meanwhile, are part of a $2 million investment by the MN-S to help address housing gaps. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new homes took place May 15.