ATHABASCA – A proposed shelter/outreach building in downtown Athabasca is running into opposition from residents and business owners as expected, which is why there are procedures in place to hear everyone’s concerns, before a final determination is made, says mayor Rob Balay.
Over the summer, Athabasca Cares Community Housing Society (ACCHS) was gifted a downtown building that could potentially be used as the long sought-after shelter the group has been hoping to introduce to the community since its inception in late 2020. The group jumped into action to fulfil its mandate applying for the appropriate permits with the town and putting out a call for professionals to conduct an inspection of its vital systems, i.e. electrical, plumbing, structural, etc.
“This isn't a matter of us trying to find the best place to put it, it's a matter of what's available to us because we don't have the funds to buy a building or rent a building,” ACCHS president Krystal Zahara told the Advocate soon after the building was obtained. “So, when a place in town is gifted to us by a compassionate individual who cares about homeless individuals, we can't turn that down and we're going to do whatever we can to make a go of it.”
The Town of Athabasca approved a development permit Sept. 13 to initiate a 21-day period for those affected to express their concerns regarding the potential development. A notice was posted outside the building during that time, urging those concerns be addressed in writing to the secretary of the Subdivision and Development Appeals Board (SDAB) and town development officer and CAO Rachel Ramey.
Many of those concerns were expressed during a community engagement session held by ACCHS as part of its own information gathering process Sept. 26 at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex.
Several town councillors and mayor Balay were in attendance, along with a variety of residents, many of whom are business owners in town and are steadfastly opposed to the unexpected addition to the downtown core between the Great Canadian Dollar Store and the Landing Trail Liquor Store on 50th Street. A representative from the Advocate was unable to attend that meeting, but Balay estimated roughly 70 per cent of the room was against the project.
“I was happy to see that there were so many people that turned out for that. I think there were about 60 people. It was nice to see that our community is engaged on an issue,” said Balay following the meeting. “It may be a little bit of a controversial issue for some people, but I think (ACCHS) presented well and I think people were respectful throughout the night.”
Balay said he also spoke at the meeting about the process the application is now going through, as any potential development does, and that much of the opposition was in relation to the location of the building, not necessarily the idea of a shelter.
“Everyone will have a chance to have their say through the appeal process. And it is a process that has to happen in order for any development to go through,” he said.
Marcy Boisvert owns a home-based esthetics and spa business, and while she wasn’t in attendance at the ACCHS meeting, she regularly speaks with other business owners, many who were there asking ACCHS executive members for details on their plans for the building, some of which could and could not be answered at the time, but ACCHS said they would follow-up on.
“Many of those people who attended were business owners,” she said in an e-mail, adding there is always a dilemma for a business owner when they take a public stance on any issue. “There's a bit of uncertainty when sharing an opinion or perception when you are a business owner. In the past two years of COVID, businesses have struggled with additional expenses, shutdowns or restrictive work conditions. Businesses cannot afford discrimination from community members in a small town. There is a high level of apprehension when speaking out which could ultimately jeopardize business.”
She went on to say many are waiting to see how public discussions go in the weeks to come, what answers are delivered and what decisions are made.
If an appeal was made in writing following the appropriate procedure, a meeting of the SDAB must take place within 30 days of the closing of the appeal period. The board is an independent body made up of elected representatives from the three area municipalities, along with public members, that hears those appeals and has the authority to override a development permit issued by the municipality.
“So had it been that we had just not approved the application, the other side could have appealed, and there would have been a hearing regardless, so that was part of our thinking on town council — that this is probably going to get appealed no matter what decision we made, so let's make a positive ruling and then let the appeal happen,” Balay said.
Earlier in the year, ACCHS presented to town council for support of a more mobile and out-of-the-way solution to be placed south of the Athabasca Fire Hall for the winter, which was approved at the time with a number of conditions. That plan has now been abandoned with the gifting of the downtown building by local philanthropist Bob Edgar.
