Addictions-treatment centre clears first hurdle at city hall
Assiniboia committee approves land-use changes to create Bruce Oake Recovery Centre in Crestview
Dozens of people in favour and against the creation of an addictions-treatment centre in a west Winnipeg residential neighbourhood made their case on Tuesday evening before a trio of city councillors.
At the conclusion of an eight-hour meeting, city council's Assiniboia community committee voted to approve land-use changes that would permit the 50-bed Bruce Oake Memorial Centre to rise on the site of the decommissioned Vimy Arena on Hamilton Avenue, in the Crestview neighbourhood in St. Charles.
Couns. Janice Lukes (Waverley West), Scott Gillingham (St. James) and Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo, attending the first meeting since his election last month) agreed to subdivide three acres of city-owned parkland on the west side of Sturgeon Creek and rezone the larger chunk for residential use, specifically a rehab facility operated by the non-profit Bruce Oake Memorial Foundation.
The hearing, which began shortly before 7 p.m., saw more than a dozen people register in favour of the development and no fewer than 38 sign up to oppose. Only some of them chose to speak at the hearing, which concluded shortly before 1 a.m.
Broadcaster Scott Oake, who lost his son Bruce to an overdose in 2011, said he wanted to convince councillors not just of the need for an addictions-treatment centre, but of the prospect it may operate without conflict in Crestview.
"Recovery centres, the likes of which we are proposing can function beautifully in the midst of urban and residential neighbourhoods, and there are countless examples of that across the country," Oake said before the hearing.
Jennifer Bautista, whose son Gabriel Pereira died by suicide in July after struggling with mental-health issues and addiction, told the committee the need for more treatment options is immense.
"I wasn't supposed to mourn my 20-year-old son," she said.
Opponents of the centre argued the treatment centre will increase traffic in Crestview, increase crime, eat up green space and drive down property values. They also expressed concern about clients relapsing.
Darla Rettie, legal counsel for the non-profit Friends of Sturgeon Creek, also argued the proposed development doesn't jibe with Winnipeg's planning guidelines.
Empathy should not lead to poor decision-making.- Assiniboia MLA Steven Fletcher
"Reasonable people can differ on whether this particular parcel of property is the right fit for an additions treatment and recovery centre," Rettie told the committee, accusing council of rubber-stamping the project's approval.
She also asked Couns. Lukes and Gillingham to recuse themselves from the hearing because they voted on the Vimy Arena sale in January. The councillors declined that request.
Assiniboia MLA Steven Fletcher, who opposes the addictions treatment centre, told the committee not to be swayed by family members who've lost loved ones.
"Empathy should not lead to poor decision-making," he said, calling Winnipeg's plan to sell off the Vimy Arena site "a shady deal."
Council voted in January to sell the decommissioned arena site, which was valued at $1.4 million, to the province for $1.
The province intends to transfer the site to the non-profit Bruce Oake foundation.
The land-use changes for the site now face approval from council's property committee, executive policy committee and ultimately council as a whole.
Scott Oake said he would like to see construction begin this summer, pending council approval.