The initial deadline for public input on proposed changes to the Official Community Plan (OCP) as part of the River Pointe Park subdivision proposal was to have been Oct. 19, but city administration has extended the deadline so it can engage with additional stakeholders.
The proposed OCP bylaw amendment would change the future land use designation at 1155 Seventh Avenue Southwest to future residential from community service/parks/river valley conservation. The amendment would accommodate a new 100-unit residential subdivision along the Moose Jaw River in Wakamow Valley.
During the Sept. 21 regular council meeting, council voted 5-2 to have city administration proceed with public engagement on this initiative and prepare a bylaw change for the Official Community Plan (OCP).
Councillors Brian Swanson and Heather Eby were opposed.
Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, said during the meeting that the first opportunity for council to vote on the proposed bylaw change — and for the public to provide input or speak — would be Monday, Oct. 19.
During the Oct. 5 meeting, Swanson asked for confirmation that public consultations would occur Oct. 19. In response, city manager Jim Puffalt explained that city administration was still working on some of the project’s reports and believed the public consultation meeting should be postponed until all the information was acquired.
“It is a very sensitive issue and we want to ensure there is amply opportunity for everyone to speak,” Puffalt said, adding while Oct. 19 was the initial agreed upon date, city administration had still been working on the reports; moreover, project proponent Charles Vanden Broek asked for the delay.
Considering Vanden Broek worked with city administration for 18 months on this project without council knowing about it, and since council passed a motion at the previous meeting for public consultations to be held on Oct. 19, Swanson wondered why city hall wasn’t sticking to that schedule.
“I can’t accept the answer that there’s still stuff that (you’re) working on,” he said. “It just makes me wonder, who calls the shots?”
The public has been engaging with this issue since it was first announced, while Wakamow Valley Authority was planning to make a presentation, Swanson added, which means city administration should adhere to that date.
In response, city clerk Myron Gulka-Tiechko said the Oct. 19 date was not specified in the Sept. 21 council report or the motion.
“Well, I remember very clearly the last meeting, and Oct. 19 was the date mentioned. I find it extremely bothersome and disquieting that it’s not being adhered to,” replied Swanson.
While the date might not have been in the motion or council report, a City of Moose Jaw advertisement in the Oct. 7 issue of the Moose Jaw Express confirmed that the deadline to provide feedback or make presentations to council was Oct. 19.
“The proposed bylaw and any submissions regarding the proposed bylaw will be considered at the regular meeting of city council to be held in council chambers, city hall, at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, October 19, 2020. Dated at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, this 23rd day of September, 2019. (Authorized by) Myron Gulka-Tiechko – city clerk.”
In a news release issued Oct. 6, Sanson announced that public consultation on the OCP's proposed amendment was being extended.
“This is a very important decision and the public and stakeholders must be given ample opportunity to be heard and provide feedback,” she said. “We anticipate this being brought back to city council early in 2021.”
City hall would give public notice when this matter re-appeared before council, Sanson added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Oct. 19.
