SASKATOON — It was standing room only at the RM of Corman Park council meeting on March 25 as residents of Casa Rio, an organized hamlet just south of Saskatoon, piled into council chambers to speak either in favour or against a proposed daycare facility.
After hearing over a dozen verbal and written submissions, councillors voted to deny the discretionary use application by Tykes & Tots Early Learning Centre Inc. to establish a “community care facility” on Parcel Z, NE 21-35-5-W3.
As outlined in the council planning report, the proposed facility would have supported up to 90 children and have up to 20 on-site staff. The applicant planned to build a 400-square-metre addition onto the existing 230-square-metre residence.
In the lead-up to the March 25 hearing, administration had mailed a comment form to all properties within a 1,600-metre radius of the property. The first mailout was affected by the Canada Post strike, so a second mailout was sent out in January; 33 of these forms were returned citing concerns and a lack of support for the application, while four were in favour.
In addition to these comment forms, the administration also fielded numerous phone calls and emails from residents either opposing or supporting the daycare, as well as a petition opposing the facility signed by 149 residents. Because this petition was not considered valid according to legislation, the administration did not verify the signatures.
Administration’s recommendation was to approve the discretionary use application, subject to several conditions, such as the applicant demonstrating at the building permit stage that they can supply water beyond what they are allocated through the Casa Rio water utility.
At the March 25 meeting, opposing residents raised a wide variety of concerns, ranging from the increased traffic resulting from as many as 368 vehicles travelling to and from the facility daily, the impact on an already strained local water system and other safety concerns.
For instance, one resident, Skye Muirhead, pointed out that one-metre snowdrifts are not uncommon along an adjacent road, forcing her to use a 4x4 vehicle to get to work. She also voiced concern about how long children would have to wait in winter temperatures if a fire occurred at the daycare.
“I do not understand how 20 (staff) will dress and evacuate 90 children ages one through six, and where they will wait in -30 C weather while hoping the Saskatoon Fire Department isn’t busy with something in the city,” she said.
Lalita Bharadwaj, who indicated she is a toxicologist, voiced a concern around potential exposure to farm chemicals among the children at the daycare, which would be surrounded by agricultural operations.
“Children are more susceptible to chemical exposure due to their developing physiology, their immature immune systems and their immature detoxification mechanisms,” she said. “Who will be liable in the event a child comes 20 years later as an adult and brings up a case of exposure to farm chemicals because they were outdoors playing at a facility (surrounded by) active agricultural industry?”
Arguably the main concern raised by a majority of opposing residents was the effect such a facility would have on the character of the area.
“Not one person who moved out there moved out there to be next to a commercial operation that will have 300-plus trips in and out every day,” said Mark Trimble.
“This application is, without a doubt, the most intrusive proposal our community has ever faced,” added Shannon Hardy, who dialed into the meeting remotely.
Not all were opposed to the project, however, as some residents with small children spoke in its favour.
Peter Sanderson said he had moved to the area with his family knowing that it was one of the “worst child care deserts in Saskatoon,” adding that the closest licensed childcare facility in Stonebridge does not permit residents of other communities to attend.
“Although my children will be getting too old to really benefit from this facility, we can do right by the hundreds of other families that will be living in this area,” he said.
Stephanie Moss, a mother of two and the pre-registrar for a local preschool, said that with 麻豆传媒AV Corman Park becoming a K-12 school, a daycare was the only piece missing from the area in terms of child care.
“Children are infants before they go to school, so we do not have that availability to serve our community members,” she said.
Council comments
Division 2 councillor John Saleski put forward the recommendation to deny the discretionary use application.
Saleski said that if the application had been for a daycare operation limited to 12 spaces, he would probably be in favour of it, but this was a discretionary use application for a 90-space facility.
“To me, that’s not what a discretionary use in a country residential area is meant for,” he said. “We’re looking at putting a commercial business into a country residential area where the residents are clearly not interested.”
Saleski voiced his own concerns around increased traffic, noting that he had once recieved a call from a ratepayer who was ridden into a ditch along Clarence Avenue, which runs north of Casa Rio.
“If we’re putting a couple hundred extra vehicles through that intersection a day, something is going to happen. Especially in winter conditions, people are in a rush to drop them off in the morning, and they’re in a rush to pick them up at the end of the day. There’s not going to be any carpooling out to 麻豆传媒AV Corman Park for people who work in the city or live in the city,” he said.
He also highlighted the concerns raised around children’s potential exposure to farm chemicals and the possibility that if a fire occurred, children could be left waiting in freezing temperatures for emergency services to arrive.
Division 6 councillor Steven Balzer thanked those who spoke on both sides of the issue, adding that he did not feel this facility was the right fit for the community.
“I think if Casa Rio was filled with 90 families with kids who are five years old, this would probably be a different discussion,” he said.
Reeve Joe Hargrave said that if this were a daycare for 12-15 children, he would probably not have an issue with it, but this was a large commercial business.
“I think it just changes the whole fabric of the community,” he said.
