Potential site of women’s shelter/transitional housing re-zoned in Bonnyville despite concerns

Issue of location’s proximity to amenities and services was noted as a challenge by some of council and residents, although development permits for shelter and transitional home have not been filed.

Town of Bonnyville voted to change zoning on a west end property from urban reserve to industrial in a split decision at the last council meeting on June 25. 

The Bonnyville Friendship Centre looked to re-zone the area of 4801 66 Street in their future goals of creating a women’s shelter and transitional home. This is the area of the former Duclos Arms building. 

This launched a public hearing under the Town’s Land Use Bylaw, which brought some concerns from the public and council. 

However, Town council did agree to re-zone that area to industrial land. 

“It’s important to note that the decision was specifically just on rezoning. The proprietors of the land need to come back and apply for permits before they can do any building,” said Mayor Elisa Brosseau on The Morning After. 

“There are two pieces of property there that the Friendship Center I believe has purchased. In order to build a women’s shelter and transitional home, they needed to have the land rezoned. That was the topic of conversation the other night. Although, we did have people, because it was a public hearing, who spoke against it and some for it.”

Friendship Centre powerpoint

Janet Gobert and Cynthia Gamache from the Friendship Centre made a short presentation to council before the decision was made, outlining their intentions and goals with building such a facility. 

They are projecting to build a 35-bed shelter and 30-bed transitional home, which would include RN/LPN on-site, with various mental health and crisis support programming, amongst other areas. 

They also went over their men’s shelter, which after opening in 2020, closed. They say the lack of funding for men’s shelter and MAT programs has dwindled. 

Their lessons from that experience was that the space was limiting, staffing needed to be increased, and a larger, more vulnerable group in women and children fleeing abuse – needed to be addressed. 

“In the last two years, we’ve worked hard to identify service gaps in our community resulting in an increase of programs and services we offer to meet the needs of our community members,” said Gamache to town council. 

“In 2022, our detachment was dispatched to 391 domestic calls, and in 2023 It was 371.

“Each month approximately 15 local women and children fleeing abuse go back to their abuser because there are no bed availabilities in Cold Lake, St. Paul, Lac La Biche, Lloydminster, or Edmonton shelters. And these are just the women and children that we’re seeing at our agency. So how do we fill this gap in service? We build a women’s shelter.”

Pushback

Three residents came up to speak against the proposed re-zoning in terms of the future development, touching on similar points.

Chantal Vallee was one who spoke against the location, thanking the Friendship Centre and highlighting the need, but questioning whether a commercial area is the best location for it.

“My opposition is just because you’re in the middle of a commercial zone. And so you’re building this facility with 60 beds, 60 plus people, kids, families, that are going to be there for some time. It’s really not appropriate to be in the middle of a commercial zone. We already have issues with people walking on the roadways.

“It should happen in Bonnyville. But you’re out in a commercial area. There’s no sidewalk access, there’s no access to services for these families. I don’t know how long they’re going to be in this transitional housing. But coming from health care myself, I know that  they would want to have access to physicians, and walking to the store, walking to the park. Where are they going to do this here?”

Council

No applications for the proposed development have been made as of now.

Councillor Neil Langridge voiced similar concern to the landowners.

“If we’re putting a place where we’re we can see 60 beds with women and children in the middle of an industrial lands,” said Langridge at the meeting.

“I’ve been opposed in the past to  piecemealing rezoning permits all over because it’s what the applicants looking for, instead of a well thought-out process of why are we putting it here, does it make sense only to rezone that or not? So I obviously do have some concerns.”

Mayor Elisa Brosseau said that location of these facilities is always an issue.

“I think it doesn’t matter where they choose to put this, whether it’s more commercial, or industrial, or residential, they’re gonna get pushback, no matter what. It’s never going to be a good place. There’s always going to be opposition. I have no problem with rezoning it, and that’s just my two cents there,” said Brosseau.