CHERRY GROVE – The MD of Bonnyville has approved the change in use of a property that was formerly used as a bed and breakfast to institutional use for a proposed group home.
The property is located adjacent to residential parcels and quarter section remnants, northeast of Range Road 420 and Highway 55 Intersection, 2.5 miles west of Cherry Grove.
The group home would be for children aged 0-17 years old, heard council, during the Sept. 10 regular council meeting. The maximum occupancy for the group home will be 10 minors.
“It was disclosed that the home is for developmentally delayed and differently abled children, not children with addictions or legal issues. The director of care is a former nurse, and the staff are experienced support workers with required training for the caretaker’s positions,” reads the background information provided to council.
Council heard from Babafemi and Olunike Ajayi during the Sept. 10 meeting. Olunike said the project was her dream and something she became passionate about several years ago. She stated that she currently works in long-term care in Cold Lake as a nurse.
Prior to moving to Canada in 2007, Olunike worked as a frontline worker in a group home in Houston. She says she fell in love with helping children with challenges. She then came to Canada, where she became a registered nurse.
In 2020, she began looking into getting a group home set up in the region. She received approval to operate in early 2023 and has since helped several youth, operating in Cold Lake.
Councillors had the opportunity to ask a few questions to Olunike regarding operations of the proposed group home near Cherry Grove, including access to the property, support services, and other operational questions.
A motion was also made during the meeting to allow Kristin Carter and Mogan Haase to address council. Carter spoke on behalf of her dad, Hasse, who lives nearby and had concerns about a perceived decrease in property value if a group home was located nearby.
Carter also expressed concern on how the municipality would enforce the group home’s operations and that only children of a certain criteria would be living in the group home.
It was affirmed to council that a change in use would have to be brought before council if different types of children in need were taken into the group home.
A motion to approve the development application was approved by council, with three conditions, including: the group home shall be operated as per provincial approval, the group home is for minors ages zero to 17, and the maximum occupancy is 10.
The motion was approved unanimously by all council members in attendance. Coun. Darcy Skarsen was not in attendance.
Aug. 27 meeting
The application submitted by Goshen Quality Care, applying for a change of use for the property, was first presented to council at the Aug. 27 regular council meeting.
Although administration recommended approving the application, council moved to postpone the decision due to opposition and potential legal disputes from adjacent landowners, and not having a representative from Goshen Quality Care present, due to an emergency.
At the Aug. 27 meeting, administration confirmed that proximity to the group home would have no impact on property value, but they did receive letters of concern from adjacent landowners who were concerned about the potential impact on their properties.
Carter also spoke at the Aug. 27 meeting, relaying her father’s concerns. Carter said that if the group home was to be approved, they would dispute the decision.
“We also have reached out to our legal counsel, and should this development be approved and progress, regardless of the fact that this would have a direct negative impact on my father's livelihood, the potential to further decrease my father's health due to increased stress related to the safety and security of his family and property, we are prepared to continue to dispute this development with our legal counsel,” said Carter.
During the Aug. 27 meeting, Coun. Ben Fadeyiw suggested council did not have enough information to make a decision and wanted more answers about access to amenities. Council agreed to bring the application back for review at the next council meeting, which took place on Sept. 10.
Goshen Quality Care director
In a recent interview following the Aug. 27 council meeting, Olunike, Goshen Quality Care director, said the group home would be a place of inspiration and belonging.
“I’m a registered nurse and I’ve been in healthcare now for 25 years. It’s my passion to work with children - it is my joy. It has been a living dream of mine to help children from whatever walk of life, to be who they want to be,” she said.
Ajayi says she does not want children to feel abandoned. She says she is passionate about helping children succeed and does not see the group home as something that would decrease the value of a neighbourhood.
“Most of the kids have been existing here in Cold Lake for over a year, and we are just looking to expand... One of the reasons I want that kind of a property is because I want to start doing animal therapy for them, and we need a bigger space to bring in small animals and maybe some goats to visit, just to give them that sense of belonging and connection.”
Ajayi adds that instead of having strangers coming in and out of the home as a bed and breakfast, her group home would provide a permanent living arrangement for youth.
