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Salvation Army temporarily puts application for parolee facility on hold

Apr 16, 2013 | 6:05 AM

City council agreed Monday to give the Prince Albert Salvation Army time to collect data about a potential custodial care facility, essentially putting the application on hold.

On Friday, the Salvation Army sent a letter to city council asking it to withhold its application to operate a 10-parolee facility at 717 MacArthur Drive, the site of the Prince Albert Apostolic Church. Near the church at 620 MacArthur Drive is Westview Community School.

The proposed correctional resident facility would house 10 men on day parole in the federal corrections system.

“Due to the large amount of necessary facts that The Salvation Army wishes to present to council, we need more time to properly compile this needful data,” the Salvation Army’s Maj. Glenn Patey said in the letter.

“Once this data is sufficiently collected and recorded we will approach the City Council once again to have this matter dealt with in a judicial manner.”

A zoning bylaw amendment that would have allowed for the discretionary use of ‘custodial care facilities’ in an intuitional zone was to have received first reading in Monday evening’s council meeting.

However, the Salvation Army’s request has put that process on hold.

Mayor Greg Dionne said after the council meeting he believes the Salvation Army will return to council with its proposal.

“I think it’s a passion of the Salvation Army. And they do have funding available for it too. So, I do believe they’ll be back to us.”

The proposed facility has faced opposition from members of the community.

Coun. Charlene Miller said there are residents circulating petitions, all against the facility.

The site of the proposed facility is in Miller’s ward, and she said she’d been receiving about two calls per day about the facility.

But Miller herself is withholding comment for now. “I will wait until public council, like I’m supposed to do.”

Also declining to comment is Correctional Services Canada (CSC). In a November letter to city officials, Patey said the CSC was working with the Salvation Army to establish the facility.

In an email sent April 9, CSC spokesman Jeff Campbell said it would be” inappropriate to comment on matters surrounding a partner-run Community Residential Facility.”

He said community residential facilities are managed by community agencies on contract with corrections.

“The contract sets out detailed requirements regarding levels of control and assistance.”

In a March 26 letter to city planner Craig Guidinger, Patey said the facility already has interior video cameras, and the Salvation Army would install another camera at the immediate entrance once the building is approved for its use.

He said the facility will have a 24-hour attendant supervisor. It would also have two members of staff during the day and another one overnight.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames