Al-Sask Action

Friday morning Council moved to protect the Town’s need for new homes. It was a profoundly disappointing meeting as Council is moving forward with enforcing it right under the agreements with Al-Sask for non-compliance. The partnership with Al-Sask started with bold promises of how Al-Sask was going to meet the needs of Kindersley. Instead, Friday, we have placed miscellaneous interests against each of the titles to the lands purchased by Al-Sask to protect the Town’s right to reassume the titles to the lands per the agreement. Here is why we have acted.

·         Regarding Rosedale Phase 7, Stages 2 & 3:

·         Al-Sask has failed to meet its obligations under the agreement by not beginning to build a primary structure within the specified time period;

·         The agreement clearly states that should Al-Sask not begin construction within the specified time period then the Town may reassume ownership of the titles to the lands for $5,000 including GST.

·         This was a unanimous decision of Council with Councillor Goodheart absent. In the past Councillor Goodheart has declared pecuniary interest regarding Al-Sask.

No house for Phase 7 by Al-Sask. Nov 8 2013

·         Regarding the land for the subsidized rental housing with Sask Housing:

·         Al-Sask did not obtain the necessary development approval, required building permits, and begin construction within the specified time period;

·         Al-Sask did not complete the necessary construction within the specified time period,

·         Al-Sask also did not begin construction of a primary structure within the specified time period.

·         As a result Council moved that miscellaneous interests be registered on each title to the lands to protect the Town’s right to reassume ownership of the lands for $15,000 including GST.

·         Like the earlier motion this was a unanimous decision of Council with Councillor Goodheart absent. As I have said earlier, Councillor Goodheart has declared pecuniary interest regarding Al-Sask.

The picture is of the lot where subsidized housing should be located by Al-Sask.

·         For both decisions Council has also directed our CAO and legal Counsel to act appropriately to enforce our rights, yours and mine as citizens of Kindersley, per the agreement.

 The Town of Kindersley needs new housing and we needed it yesterday. We are committed to working with developers to ensure that we have new houses and rental units for most price points. On the one hand we have had to take this action with Al-Sask and on the other, pending provincial planning approval, we expect earth moving equipment late next week to start the process of turning the bare field east of Caleb Village, north of Motherwell, south of the railway, and east of the grid road, into a new residential and commercial development.

We are moving forward as well with the 8 acre site to make that available for further development. Once this mess is sorted with Al-Sask we will move forward with that as well.

I am disappointed we had to take this step but the land must be developed in a timely fashion for the good of our neighbours living in cramped conditions, for the good of our commercial and industrial businesses to grow, for the good of our region, and for our own good. We cannot be held up by developers who make business decisions that do not honour their agreements.