ATHABASCA — Doctors, nurses, and a variety of other hospital and medical staff interested in living and working in Athabasca will have a short-term place to stay while getting established in the area, courtesy of the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County.
During the Dec. 5 council meeting, Town of Athabasca councillors voted unanimously to enter into a co-ownership agreement with Athabasca County to purchase a transitional house for health care professionals. A maximum of $175,000 was allocated for the project, with funds to come from reserves.
“Everybody knows that it’s a real challenge to find a place to rent,” said Gerry Kiselyk, vice chair of the Regional Health Care Attraction and Retention committee in a Dec. 14 interview. “Because of the drastic need to have these (medical professionals), we can’t say, ‘well we want you here, but we sure can’t find anywhere for you to live.’”
Athabasca County councillors passed their own motion to enter into the agreement during their Dec. 12 meeting but with a 5-4 vote. Councillors Natasha Kapitaniuk, Ashtin Anderson, Camille Wallach, Kelly Chamzuk and Reeve Brian Hall were in favour, while councillors Tracy Holland, Rob Minns, Gary Cromwell and Joe Gerlach were opposed.
The motion will see the county commit the same dollar amount of $175,000 towards the purchase of a transitional housing unit, with the conditions that the agreement be amended to allow flexible tenancy for recruitment purposes, as well as required information sharing between the two parties regarding tenants, proposed annual budgets, and quarterly financial statements.
“The transitional housing is not the municipalities getting into business, it’s the municipalities having the tool available to make sure we can provide a service,” said county Reeve Brian Hall.
“We’re losing opportunities to have professionals come live in our community because they can’t find suitable housing. This allows them to come and transition. So they’ve got something while they find the right place for them, and our whole community and region benefits from that,” said Hall.
Town Mayor Rob Balay said while both municipalities still have the finer details of the agreement to iron out, the hope is a suitable property can be found within a “couple of months.”
‘Fiscally responsible’ problem solving
County councillors conducted their conversation around the agreement in closed session due to contractual concerns, but town councillors shared their perspectives openly.
“I definitely see how many unattached patients we have in our community right now, and it’s definitely a problem,” said Coun. Jon LeMessurier. “When we’re trying to attract people to our community — and retention, both — having a local physician is a huge, huge benefit.
“I definitely see the value in this project, and I think that it is a way we can make it fiscally responsible and we’re not losing out,” added LeMessurier.
“One of the drawbacks we’ve had with attracting people is that there’s nowhere to live in this town,” said Coun. Dave Pacholok. “I know the doctors that have come in have had issues with trying to find a place to rent, and I think this would go a long way towards alleviating this issue.”
The majority of the town’s investment — $100,000 — into the project will use funds from the sale of Dr. Josephine Brown’s house, a beloved doctor and active community member in Athabasca from 1947 to 2010. The house was gifted to the town in Dr. Brown's will following her death, and in March 2023 councillors moved to sell the property.
A document on the town’s website describes her as “the cornerstone of medical profession in Athabasca for 40 years," and Balay said a transitional housing unit for medical staff in the area is another way to keep her memory alive.
Funds from the sale of the house were restricted, and a request to name the transitional unit after Dr. Brown was included in the agreement between the town and county. “Part of it was just to honour and respect the legacy that Dr. Brown left in this community. We wanted to make sure that that wasn’t lost,” said Balay.
