When one door closes another one opens. During the regular meeting of Meadow Lake city council held Monday (Jan. 12), approval was given to a discretionary use application from Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries for the development of a building to be used as the new location for the Door of Hope and Meadow Lake Food Bank. The building will be constructed on vacant property at 307-309 3rd St. East. The motion was brought to the table by councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz and seconded by councillor Ron Dishko.
“The applicant desires to relocate the current Door of Hope and food bank from its present location at 105 2nd Ave. East, to a new building to be constructed on an empty lot at 307-309 3rd St. East,” reiterated planning and development manager Neil Marsh in his official recommendation to council. “The new building will incorporate the food bank, community kitchen and related office spaces. The applicant’s current building on 2nd Avenue East is greatly deteriorated and is no longer viable for their purposes: the food bank has outgrown the available space; the kitchen facilities are inadequate for their purpose; extensive upgrades would be required to bring the current building up to current standards of safety, regulatory compliance and long-term serviceability. A new building is a more economically viable choice than retrofitting the existing building.”
The application was originally presented to council in November at which time it was approved for advertising. Prior to Monday’s decision, a public hearing took place to allow members of the community to speak either for or against the proposal. According to city clerk Kaila Lefort, the city received several pieces of written correspondence regarding the application, two opposing the development and 49 in support of it. Among those in opposition is nearby property owner Lynora Laliberte. “I would like to be clear at the outset I support the important work carried out by Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries and recognize the value of modern, purpose-built facilities for community-based services,” Laliberte noted in her letter to council. “My concern is not with the organization or the services it provides, but rather with the proposed location of this development and its anticipated impacts on the immediate surrounding residential properties.” Laliberte went on to state her opposition is based on such considerations as the impact on residential character and compatibility, increased foot traffic and secondary impacts, the cumulative effects of existing developments, the potential impact on property values and residential enjoyment, and the limited residential representation on the block. “I respectfully ask council to consider whether this proposed location appropriately balances community service needs with the rights and interests of nearby residents,” Laliberte continued. “While I support investment in improved facilities for essential services, I strongly oppose this application and I believe alternative locations with greater separation from existing homes would be more suitable and consistent with good land-use principles.”
Also opposed to the Door of Hope relocating to 307-309 3rd St. East is Travis McCallum, owner of McCallum’s Autobody Ltd. which is situated near the proposed location. “We, McCallum’s Autobody and Towing Ltd., submit this formal objection regarding the application for the Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries’ soup kitchen, food bank and office building relocation to 3rd Street East,” McCallum wrote. “Our organization operates an SGI-accredited autobody and collision repair shop to a large portion of northern Saskatchewan. Our shop regularly stores many customers’ vehicles that have already sustained damages resulting from an accident, and they need to be able to trust their vehicle is in a safe environment while being in our possession.” McCallum went on to state his business is committed to public safety, property stewardship and responsible urban development. “We realize the importance of supporting vulnerable populations, but have serious concerns regarding the suitability of the proposed location based on significant foreseeable risks and direct impacts on our operations, neighbouring properties and the wider community,” he added. “The proposed location presents substantial public safety risks, land use incompatibility, nuisance impacts and traffic hazards. Our concerns are informed by ongoing security challenges, previous experiences with similar facilities in proximity to critical infrastructure and specific site limitations that would adversely affect emergency access and parking.”
Speaking on behalf of Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries’ was board chair Harry Ward. “We cannot deny we have a problem with some of our clients,” Ward said in response to those opposed to the application. “We are very aware of it, and we do as much as we can to minimize that. But, it’s true. To be honest, our dream for a long time was to move across the street and take over the Empire Hotel. That would have been, in a lot of ways, ideal. However, that option is not available and likely never will be. We really have no choice. We need to do something. We are quite aware a component of our clientele are not the best neighbours in the world… We will do the best we can to make sure there is no impact on the neighbours, but we can’t promise anything.”
As for the 49 pieces of written correspondence submitted in favour of the application, those came in the form of a petition distributed by Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries to numerous area businesses and individuals. Those which were signed and returned to the organization were included as part of Monday’s council agenda. In attendance to speak in favour of the application, however, was local developer Al MacFarlane of Meadow Lake Properties. “We have done a lot of work to locate a site that will facilitate the needs of Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries’ programs,” MacFarlane said. “I recognize people are always worried about things being built ‘in their backyard’, but there are very few other suitable sites we could find anyway. If someone magically finds one that works better for them, let us know. We’ve done a lot of work to try to design and build a facility that will suit that area, one that will meet the needs of everybody.”
Although he supports Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries’ endeavours, councillor Marty Bishop questioned the sincerity of those who provided written support for the application. “When I was looking at the support, those 49 people, they are almost all business people,” Bishop said “I am wondering if a lot of this isn’t a fair representation and if these business people are taking the opportunity to be on board with this so they can move the Door of Hope someplace else… When you look at the small number of people opposed to the application, I think they have a viable grievance. I don’t think the representation is apples to apples here… You say you’re going to do your best, but what happens if your best isn’t good enough?”
Prior to voting on the application, Bishop did offer a piece of advice to Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries. “This kind of development comes with its own separate set of problems and we all know that,” he said. “I do believe in my heart you people will do your best to alleviate any problems or concerns, but, since there are so few people who are against this, I think it would be great if you could reach out to them, talk to them and try to alleviate their concerns. Sometimes that can go a long way in making a world of difference.”
The application was subsequently approved, while another motion brought forward by councillor Mauri Young, seconded by councillor Tom Harrison and also approved, calls on administration to review and act on reclaiming the back alley in the area in question, ensuring it is fully accessible for emergency vehicles and other purposes. Meanwhile, Ward noted, with the application’s approval, Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries will now shift into fundraising mode. “We have been exploring our options there,” he said. “What we would basically be looking at is at least nine months to a year before we are in a position to turn sod, providing we can raise enough funds or get an indication we will be able to raise enough funds.”