Association says racism accusation unfounded A3
The Montgomery Place Community Association is “appalled” by accusations of racism made by former board member Pat Lorje, the board said in a statement on Thursday.
It was the board’s first public statement since The Starphoenix reported last month on its opposition to a proposed Saskatoon Tribal Council preschool. In it, the board denied Lorje’s claim of racism in a letter of resignation sent by email on Wednesday.
The statement, emailed by community association president Barb Biddle on Thursday, said that when the board voted unanimously to oppose an application to convert a bungalow on 11th Street West into a preschool, board members did not know the applicant was the Saskatoon Tribal Council.
The board was opposed to the idea of setting a precedent by converting a house for commercial or institutional use, the statement said.
“We are deeply saddened by the unfounded accusations of racism that have cast our neighbourhood in an unflattering light,” it added.
Lorje said she voted against the application, but then became disenchanted after a public information meeting on Oct. 11 that attracted more than 100 people. By then, the source of the application was known to be the tribal council.
Lorje said “racist” attitudes she witnessed at a Nov. 2 board meeting prompted her to resign. Another board member, Margie Tucker, said she also decided to resign following that board meeting, but she declined to give a reason.
Until Thursday, the board and Biddle had repeatedly declined to comment.
“We were appalled by board resignations announced through the media along with unfounded accusations of racism,” the board statement said. “We are an inclusive community and value diversity.”
The statement noted there are already two preschools in the Montgomery Place neighbourhood that are operating under capacity.
The preschool proposed by the tribal council would relocate an existing preschool operated in a city school as part of the Aboriginal Headstart Program. The preschool would host 16 children at a time twice a day, four days a week and focus on Indigenous heritage and culture.
In an interview on Thursday, Biddle said she knew the Saskatoon Tribal Council had applied for the preschool, but did not share that information with the rest of the board prior to the Sept. 4 meeting. The board voted to oppose the application, she said.
She does not know what could have happened at the Nov. 2 board meeting to prompt two members to resign, she added. “Absolutely, we were surprised to hear of the resignations through the media.”
A decision was made at the Nov. 2 board meeting to cancel a community meeting planned for Nov. 7 at the St. Dominic School library because more people were anticipated than could be accommodated in a school library, the statement said.
City hall is now planning a second information meeting. The preschool application would also have to be considered by the municipal planning commission and then approved by city council.
“We respect the process and we will respect the decision,” Biddle said.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council was unable to provide comment on Thursday.