Appeal to Conditional Use Permit
I am support of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre to be located at the Old Vimy Arena Site. I am aware that this matter is up for appeal on the conditional use permit. I have read all 607 pages that have been presented to you by people in opposition of the Centre. I am sure it is not lost on you that many of the pages before you are form letters and have very little variance in their substance. I have no vested interest in the project. I live within the City Ward of the proposed Centre but I have nothing to gain nor lose from the project. I am also a local blogger. spitfiretakesontheworld.blogspot.com My blog is focused on social justice.
My first blog entry on the subject was in January, 2018.
Not In My Backyard
Whether it is a small town or a big city, when there is an application to rezone something in a residential neighbourhood, it seems everyone has the same reaction. Not in my backyard. Whether it is a women's shelter, a transition home for refugees, a half-way house for newly released prisoners, or a group home for adult developmentally challenged, it doesn't seem to matter, no one seems to want it in their neighbourhood.
I felt compelled to attend an information meeting of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. Compelled because it will be, not in my neighbourhood, but in my City Ward. Compelled after reading Bruce's story and his family's wish to make this recovery centre his legacy. Compelled because of the opposition to this centre. I wanted my voice to be a positive one.
I decided to go for a walk today. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. My quest was to understand the home owner's opposition to having the closed arena site being converted to a much needed addiction treatment facility.
I took some pictures on my phone and want to explain what I found out.
The first picture was taken while I was standing on the immense green space at the back of the old Vimy Arena. You can see in the background what is the closest residential development. It is a town house complex. In order for someone who was participating in treatment at BORC to interact with someone living in the complex, they would have to walk and then cross a creek, and then get through the trees. I would think the residents living in that complex would be more worried about the drainage pipe that leads on the creek. I would be concerned about a wandering child being trapped in there.
The second picture is just a shot of all the green space along the walking trail of Sturgeon Creek Greenway. It is a beautiful walkway and you hardly feel like you are in the city. So much green space. A little bit off the trail is a playground where I take my grandson when he is visiting. Only one time was there another family with children using this space, but, typically we get the playground to ourselves.
The third picture is the front view of the old Vimy Arena from the nearest house. Although I couldn't get too close to the house as it was protected by a chain link fence and a barking dog. To get from the front door of the arena to the closest house, you had to cross a parking lot, go down a small ravine, and jay walk through the divided Hamilton Avenue. I counted the steps. I confess that there was so much on the walk to notice that I forgot if it was 123 steps or 173 steps.
The next picture is a selfie of me in front of the closed arena. I wore a black tank shirt so that no one would mistake me for a "white person."
A close shot of the front door of the building which seriously has past its "best before" date. The arena was built 1972 and closed in 2013. I looked in the windows and was very depressed seeing that it still has some garbage that might have been there for 5 years. It is just sad to see such beautiful spot not used or appreciated. There was a bench at the back of the property and I met the nicest man and his dog. He said he just loves to come to this spot and think. It is so tranquil. It is so quiet you almost want to whisper. He said he lived in the area and despite having found his own little corner of serenity, he would be happy to give it up or share with people recovering from addiction. He noted that anyone entering treatment would be highly motivated for help. He couldn't understand the opposition because he felt if it even just turned one life around, it would be worth it.
Just a shot of the walkway which is about twice as wide as the walkways that adorn Assiniboine Park. Can accommodate many pedestrians, cyclists, strollers, joggers, etc. It seemed this walkway was designed to be used and to be as inclusive as possible. Sad to think that some people living in the area don't get the irony of their opposition to the proposed centre.
I saw one the "white people" in her backyard checking out what I was doing. I recognized her from the community meeting saying she lived across the street. I stood on the side walk in front of her property. If you closely over my left shoulder, about my eye level, you see a little speck of brown, that is a piece of the exterior wall of the old arena. I think they could have a rave there and she would never hear or see any of it. You will also note an increased number of grey hairs that have accumulated on my head since attending the community meeting.
This is a shot from the pathway designed to show all of the beautiful trees that form a natural fence.
If you look closely across the creek, you can see a beaver dam. It appears that the beavers are the closest residents to the proposed addiction treatment facility. To me, the beavers would be the only credible opposition. And what I know of critters, they are fine with anything as long as it doesn't impact their ecosystem.
The last two pictures are just shots along the path. I don't think lack of green space is a credible argument for anyone living in the area.
I can't imagine a more perfect spot for a holistic treatment facility.
I have been asked to share what I love about Winnipeg. It has been more difficult than I anticipated. Full disclosure. I grew up not liking Winnipeg. I couldn't help it. I grew up in the friendly town of progress and beauty. The capital of the Parkland. The only problem was that no one told me that I was growing up in a small town. I thought I was growing up in a thriving metropolis. However, I was very aware of Perimeter Vision. I didn't think that Winnipeg really cared for what happened beyond the Perimeter. So, through a variety of circumstances, I moved in Winnipeg. When you are looking for what is right, you can find it. When you are looking for what is wrong, you can find that as well. For many years, I looked for what was wrong to confirm my hypothesis
Then, Winnipeg gradually wore me done. The Assiniboine Park has evolved into a world class park. I go there as often as I can and every time is a different experience and all of it good. The \Journey to Churchill display is one of the most excellent displays that I have ever seen in a zoo. An experience for all the senses and educates us as well. I have gotten to know the bears well and celebrate their life cycle with them. The Human Rights Museum is a life-changing experience. I have been many times and still feel I haven't experienced it all. It is one of the most visceral experiences that you can have. The many festivals. The opportunities who have to go for a walk and come across a significant hidden treasure that tells you about history. My favorite restaurant is Boon Burger, the first vegan burger joint in Canada. Yelling "True North" during the anthem of a Jets game is an amazing experience that you can't describe. For many Jets games, I had the honour of sitting behind Len "Kroppy" Kropioski. There was no way that you could be that close to the man when he was singing the national anthem and not cry. I know he lived in Kenora but the way the Jets embraced him is a symbol to me of everything that is right about Winnipeg. It turns out, I can go on further. I love Winnipeg.
But, I think the true reason that I love Winnipeg is the Friends of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre page on facebook. I can't tell you how much I enjoy this page. First of all, I learn so much from other people's posts. Secondly, the criteria for joining the group are not strict. In fact, I have seen pretty robust debates. I love that. I also have seen some pretty random comments that make my head shake, but, that is also part of the group that I love. People feel empowered to share their opinions. I tend to feel strongly about the Centre so I often post on the site. The "Friends of" page doesn't have to be as politically correct as the actual Bruce Oake Recovery Centre so it is a great place to share. Most of us don't know each other but we have become friends as we feel our role is important as warriors for the proposed Centre. I really can't wait for the party that we are going to have when we break ground. It is the final missing piece in the puzzle of loving Winnipeg for me. The only thing I didn't like about Winnipeg was the apparent apathy for community activism. Well, I can't say that anymore. The Friends of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre are passionate and prepared to back up their words by action. We care and not because we are getting anything out of it. We care because it is the right thing to do.
It almost always plays out the same way. A community group forms and opposes the rezoning to their local government. Their argument is usually the same, that their property values will go down or putting "these people" in the area makes a risk to the community. The other side points out that this venture will bring increased employment to the area and increase revenue to the local government in increased property taxes. The government approves the rezoning. There is hard feelings for a while. After a few years, it is all forgotten as the fears don't materialize.
In my neighbourhood, a battle is occurring over a proposed addiction treatment centre. The Bruce Oake Recovery Centre is one step away from City Council approval for the sale of land for $1.00. The building and land which is proposed has been out of use for several years.
The story of this proposed recovery centre is worthy of noting. Bruce Oake was a young man battling addiction. He went to treatment and was doing well, but, as often happens with addiction, he had a relapse and died of an overdose.
He was part of a loving family and as a testament to this, the family want a treatment center with hopes that it will prevent another family from experiencing a loss.
It is an incredible love story and requires the family to live their private pain publicly as they try to establish this legacy. They are exposing their lives to scrutiny from a judgmental public. They are not benefiting in any way other than trying to help the community. In fact, pursuing such a dream must be causing them great exhaustion.
They are proposing a 50 bed facility using a holistic approach to treating addiction. The website contains a wealth of information noting that for every $5 spend on treating addiction, that $95 is spent on incarceration. The proposed facility would be modeled after a facility in Calgary.
At first, opposition to the facility from the neighbourhood focused on fear. Fear of having people suffering from addiction in their neighbourhoods, fear of "these people" smuggling in drugs or burglarizing their possessions in order to sell them for drug money. These ignorant assumptions were quickly quieted. As a treatment facility, there would be less substances on hand than there would be at a 7-11. The people seeking treatment would be focused on treating their disease not contributing to it.
The opposition switched tactics. Now, the opposition doesn't want the facility because they want to preserve the green space for recreational use. The trouble with this argument is that if they had truly wanted the area for recreational use, it would have been used for that already. The land has been unused for several years.
The independent Member of the Manitoba Legislature appears to be leading the opposition to this facility. He is trying to argue both sides of the issue. On one hand, he believes that the facility should be built but just not in his backyard. He has suggested another site, not in his riding, that would be better. On the other hand, he has also toured the facility in Calgary and sees many problems with the model so he doesn't see the value in such a facility here.
Whatever happens, we must acknowledge that addiction is a huge problem in our society. It is estimated that 1 out of 10 people suffer from addiction. It is further estimated that the addicted person significantly impacts the lives of 4 people. In the case of Bruce Oake, he had a loving mother, father, and brother, and a partner. So, in reality 1 out of every 2 people will have their lives impacted by addiction. No one is suggesting that the Bruce Oake recovery centre will solve all of the addiction problems, but it is a step in the right direction.
One can only hope that when the people opposing this facility have a struggle with addiction, that they have a treatment centre to help with this disease. They can only hope that a group of compassionate people will take a risk to help people in their backyard.
Due to my interest in the subject, I attended a public meeting on the subject last summer. I wrote a blog entry about that meeting.
One of my saddest days in Winnipeg
Since the land has already been rezoned, the BORC is going to happen and the meeting was to update the community on progress and get input on a few minor details.
I didn't realize that it would be one of the saddest days I have experienced in Winnipeg.
When I arrived, I experienced the "white people". They were people dressed in white who were there to oppose the Centre. In order to get in to the community centre, I had to pass two "white people" who were at the door with placards in opposition. It was intimidating. They didn't deter anyone from entering but those signs didn't make anyone feel welcome. I happened to be wearing a red shirt so they didn't speak to me at first and they only spoke to the many people who wearing white. When I am filling out surveys, I check my age in the 45-54 box. I appeared to be younger that any of the "white people".
We were asked to sign in and give our email address for further updates and to fill out a survey. The "white people" were not going to sign anything and one of them said that if you signed in, you would secretly be pledging $1000 to the Centre.
The first hour was to look at the architectural designs and to indicate which of three seemed the most preferable. The Centre looks beautiful and a state of the art facility. Something that should bring nothing but pride to the city. The questionnaire mainly focused on the fence surrounding the centre and how high it should be. My feedback was that a fence was not needed. Why make people who are trying to reclaim their lives feel like they are in a fenced colony, like, I don't know, a prison. There are some beautiful trees that could be put there to provide a nature fence, if needed.
The "white people", for the most part, didn't look at the drawings or the boards. The "white people"| seemed to seek out anyone who was a member of the media to talk to. I listened to a few of the interviews and had a hard time keeping a straight face. Happily, for most of the them, their interviews never went to air. One woman said she lived three houses away from the centre and she had grandchildren visiting from time to time and she didn't want her grandchildren to interact with "those people." She indicated that she had one grand-daughter who was 8 and one grand-daughter who was 10. I couldn't help to think of the amazing job the school system is doing now with children. They have adopted their curriculums to such things as conflict resolution, diversity, empathy, and others. I'm sure this woman was not actually speaking on behalf of her grand-children and they likely would have more compassion.
After looking at the crowd of "white people", quite frankly, I was worried about my 2 year old grandson when he visits. I don't think I want him interacting with those "white people".
The white people wanted the facility to be built in an industrial area and no where near a residential area. Yes, that is the answer. Put people who are motivated to recover away from all people. That will really give them hope and confidence in their re-integration back into sobriety.
There was a beautiful family wearing black t-shirt and carrying a giant collage of pictures. It turned out the pictures were an homage to their young son and brother who had died by suicide 10 days earlier. He suffered from addiction and wanted help but there was no where available for him to go. Despite them wearing black t-shirts, they had a positive aura around them. Truly beautiful people who just loved their son and brother. It was hard to know where there grace came from. Their pain had to be raw after only 10 days, yet, there they were, full of grace.
The very presence of this family, 10 people, seemed to anger the "white people". There were about 100 "white people" who felt this family was distracted their message. There ended up being a verbal confrontation between the father and the "white people". I started writing things down that I heard. One "white" woman said "who cares about your son?" I don't think the father heard this. Another "white" woman said, "what kind of father are you that you didn't get help for your son and let him get so bad?" The father answered with grace and kind compassion. I wanted to punch the "white" woman in the nose.
One "white" lady in a scooter said she would have to leave because she her heart was racing from this controversy. She kept saying that to her fellow "white people" but it took her another 20 minutes to leave.
The two "white people" who had been waving placards decided to leave saying they didn't expect to be attacked and the meeting was a waste of time. Deep breathe.
One "white" woman felt this was discriminatory because now she would have to drive farther to take her grand-children skating. Well, the ice rink tha was previously there is now rotting after being closed for years. I guess, living across the street, you wouldn't have noticed. So, you have a rotting building but you are not worried about your property values and instead you are worried when adding a state of art facilitiy.
Apparently, the "white people" have hired a lawyer to try and stop construction. What a poor use of funds. They also have asked Steven Fletcher to be their spokesperson. Because Steven Fletcher is known for his compassion and tolerance and getting along with people.
I didn't see any of the candidates who were running in my Ward for City Council. If they were there, I didn't see them. I do know that one of them is a "white person."
The "white people" also had the audacity to complain that they couldn't even be offered a coffee for attending. All the "white poeple" left in the first hour.
They didn't get to see the presentation of the architects and the foundation people about the plans. And, they didn't get the coffee and donuts that were provided to those who stayed.
That blog entry was viewed 36,000 times in Winnipeg with overwhelming support for the Centre. However, I feel I must comment on something else that happened. I received several nasty messages on social media. Nasty is understating it. I was called horrible names such as being racist and other nasty things. Talk about cyber bullying. I was experiencing it and it was not comfortable. I couldn't believe that Winnipeggers couldn't disagree on an issue and refrain from nastiness.
I also notice that people in opposition claim that there has been no public consultation on the matter when they haven't stayed at public meetings to learn about the project. It is sad. There was an Overdose Awareness Day held last August. People were sharing heart-wrenching personal stories and people in opposition wouldn't even give them a courtesy of letting them speak uninterrupted for two minutes. I really think the tactics that some of the people in opposition have used need to be taken into account as this speaks to character.
Seriously? Opposition to BORC opening at old Vimy Arena Site
I have blogged about the proposed Centre many times but I also want to talk about the potential of "community" that this Centre will bring to the Area and why this Centre has become so important to me and my partner.
What I Like About Winnipeg - Friends of Bruce Oake Recovery Centre
Name: Shelley Ireland
I am writing to share my support of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre to be located at the Old Vimy Arena Site. In addition to compassion and kindness, my reasons are economic.
I believe in people and their unlimited capacity to grow. I believe in hope. I believe in change.
I believe in the ideals of our legal system that it is better for a guilty person to go free rather than to convict an innocent one. I know the power off addiction. So, I also believe that it is appropriate to treat an addicted person as many times as it takes, rather than to not try and to lose an addicted person to the disease.
I have strongly supported the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for those reasons. Also, I have found fault in the arguments of the people opposed to opening the Centre at the Vimy Arena site.
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