Indigenous preschool clears hurdle

Planning commission endorses project as neighbourhood opposition dwindles

What at first seemed to be substantial neighbourhood opposition to a Saskatoon Tribal Council preschool appears to have evaporated. The City of Saskatoon’s municipal planning commission endorsed the proposed preschool along 11th Street West in the Montgomery Place neighbourhood with little discussion on Tuesday.

The application to convert a bungalow into a preschool for Indigenous children now heads to city council for a public hearing and possible approval on Jan. 28.

The city received two letters opposing the application, but no speakers appeared on Tuesday. The Montgomery Place Community Association wrote to the city in September opposing the application, but no representative appeared at the meeting.

“We respect the process,” community association president Barb Biddle said in a phone interview. “It’s going through the process and it is what it is.”

Lesley Anderson, the city’s director of planning and development, said in an email that the city has abandoned plans to hold a second public meeting in the neighbourhood.

Instead, the city sent letters to all residents earlier this month with responses to concerns residents had voiced, Anderson said.

The Saskatoon Tribal Council plan for the property includes converting it to accommodate 16 preschool children in the morning and another 16 in the afternoon. The three-bedroom home on the 21,607-square-foot property is listed for sale for $512,000.

Sharon Miller, who appeared before the commission on behalf of the tribal council, said the organization conducted a “very thorough search” over months for an appropriate permanent home for the Aboriginal Headstart Program.

The 11th Street property fell within the tribal council’s budget and offered good access from various parts of the city, Miller said. She added that the tribal council wanted a residential setting rather than an institutional one for “historic” reasons, an apparent reference to Indian residential schools.

The application endorsed by the commission says the number of children at the preschool can’t exceed 35. Preschools are permitted in residential neighbourhoods, but council approval is needed.

An information meeting held by the city on Oct. 11 drew more than 100 people. The community association cancelled a second public meeting set for Nov. 7.

Two board members resigned in the wake of that board meeting, including former city councillor Pat Lorje, who had been serving as secretary. Lorje said later that “racist” attitudes on the board prompted her to quit.

Biddle said in November that she was “appalled” by the racism accusation. Other than that, the community association has declined to comment on the issue.

Tribal council officials couldn’t be reached on Tuesday.