BONNYVILLE – A youth group home was given a green light to operate in the Town of Bonnyville in mid-July after all but one council member voted in favour of redesignating the land use of a single-family dwelling.
Adjacent landowner letters went out on June 15, telling residents a permit application had been received to change the land use of a single-family dwelling to allow for a group home to open for youths between the ages of zero to 17.
Residents were asked to provide comments or concerns to the Town prior to July 5. There was a total of 40 notification letters mailed out to neighbouring properties, with 16 responses being returned to the municipality.
Presenting to council on July 11, the Town’s development officer Joe Kopala indicated that 81 per cent of the responses were concerned about increased crime in the area. Another 63 per cent of respondents were concerned about increased traffic.
Concerns about disruptions to the quiet neighbourhood appeared in 69 per cent of resident feedback, while 13 per cent of responses included concerns about a drop in property values. Another 13 per cent of respondents objected to the presence of the group home without providing a reason.
Kopala indicated that group homes are listed as a discretionary use for Single Family Residential parcels in the Town’s current Land Use Bylaw. With that, administration recommended approving the development permit with four conditions.
The conditions specific to the redesignation of the land as a group home included that the applicant must provide the Town with a copy of a license from the provincial authority stating they are able to operate the group home.
Administration also recommended that no more than six residents can reside at the location, including any combination of staff, residents requiring care, and residents not requiring care.
The owners of Faith in Roots Inc. were present at the regular council meeting to answer questions.
Coun. David Sharun inquired if Faith in Roots had attempted to open a group home in any other community.
Darren Morton, the vice president and co-owner of Faith in Roots, acknowledged that if the Town approves their development permit, it would be the first group home they would operate.
“This will be our pilot project,” he said, adding that they had gone through the process to open a group home in the Town of Elk Point. “But unfortunately, their decision was a no.”
Sharun followed by asking, “With this being a public location, do you foresee any of the parents coming and disrupting the process?”
Faith in Roots president and co-owner, Kelly Morton, responded, “When the children are placed into our home it is private. The parents don't know where they are. And if there are meeting with the parents and they get one-on-one [time] with supervision, the child is picked up first, and then the parents.”
Before asking a question, Coun. Brian McEvoy, prefaced by saying, the size and scope of the group home is that of a family with four kids, “So, I'm not worried about the traffic volume and all the rest of it. It comes back to the primary concern, which Coun. Sharun touched on, the 81 per cent [concerned about increased crime].”
McEvoy asked for further clarification on the placement process, where youth are coming from, and what the screening process is before Children’s Services or Delegated First Nation Agencies (DFNA) place kids in their care.
“How they're placed is, it could be your neighbour who has children and they have just made poor choices. They were reported on, and the government got involved. It could be anybody,” explained Kelly.
In June, there were 9,226 children and youth receiving child intervention services in the province. Of those, 7,782 children and youth received services while in care, states the Government of Alberta’s Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary.
Darren added, “The screening process will be determined by me and Kelly. We will not be accepting troubled youth coming out of detention centres... Our target is mainly for the children that are literally just coming out of their homes as Kelly was saying and being brought to us.”
The vice president also indicated that the group home will not be accepting youth that have past criminal records.
“This is, in my view, just a very formalized foster home,” said McEvoy.
Coun. Neil Langridge asked why the town was chosen as the location for a youth group home rather than a more rural setting.
“We did look at that. There's ups and downs to each,” Darren answered. “We're treating this as a close-knit home – as a family-based home. What’s better than to get the kids involved with the community?”
Speaking to the cultural aspect that Faith in Roots hopes to provide youth in their care, Darren told council that he grew up in both the Bonnyville and Kehewin area and that it is important to him to pass on his Indigenous heritage and cultural teachings as he did with his own children.
“Culture's a big part of it,” he said.
In June of this year, 75 per cent of children and youth receiving services in care were Indigenous, states the Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary. Yet, Indigenous children only make up about 10 per cent of the child population in the province.
Darren indicated that they would be collaborating with Tribal Chiefs Family and Child Services East, which is based in Kehewin. Tribal Chiefs will oversee the care given by the group home and provide support to youth through its programming.
These supports will include counselling, play therapy sessions and monitoring of the group home operations.
The group home will also be subject to visits from the fire inspector, annual visits from the Town’s development department, and unannounced visits from provincial agencies and Tribal Chiefs. There will be staff on site and awake 24 hours a day, as well as video cameras on the outside of the building.
Kelly noted from the outside, there will be no difference from any other single-family home in the neighbourhood.
Administrative documents state that approving the development permit would fit the wellness component of the Town’s strategic plans “by keeping children in our community and allowing them to have a safe environment.”
All of council voted in favour of approving the development permit with the four conditions, with the exception of Coun. Sharun, who voted against the motion.
