R.M. of Prince Albert council. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Too Many Questions

Proposed ‘tourist camp’ tabled by R.M. council

Sep 14, 2019 | 12:00 PM

A proposed tourist camp in the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Prince Albert is being met with some resistance.

Over a dozen people showed up to a public hearing Thursday at the R.M. office. Theresa Worobetz, who has been an active member of the local crime watch group, stressed concerns about strangers coming to her community.

“We don’t have anything for tourists really to see out in our area other than if someone wants to stop beside the road and stare out at my donkey or our alpacas or our horse and even then I am going to pull over and question them,” she said.

“If it’s in my backyard I think it’s going to be pretty safe” _{– Duanne Braaten}

At a meeting last month, Duane Braaten first introduced his plans to council, and had described how his tourist camp would include equine therapy, a man cave, a petting zoo, cabins, and even a space for RV parking so families could come out for the weekend. He had explained how he wanted a place for families to come and relax and detox from the stresses in their lives.

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Duane Braaten answered questions from a number of concerned residents at Thursday’s meeting. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Tammy Lutz and her husband recently bought a property in the area and plan to build a house. She said her whole reason for moving to the country was to escape the crime and noise from the city.

“[The tourist camp] would 100 per cent defeat the purpose of us moving there and as well we would want to address the resale value of our property as I firmly believe [the camp] is going to decrease our property value,” she said.

The most common question raised by residents was what exactly Braaten planned to do on his property. Council had a similar feeling. Div. 4 Councillor Richard Wilson described the plan as “random” and said nothing seemed “nailed down.” Div. 3 Councillor Barton France echoed that concern and said he would like to see something more defined.

In the end council opted not to vote on the proposed application and tabled it to next month’s meeting to give Braaten time to deliver a more concrete proposal. Speaking with paNOW after the meeting, Braaten appeared taken back by the negative reaction to his plan and offered assurances that his tourist camp would pose no risk to public safety.

“If it’s in my backyard I think it’s going to be pretty safe. It’s not going to be opened up to just anybody,” he said.

The next council meeting has been scheduled for Oct. 10. Braaten acknowledged he knew he had some work to do the next few weeks.

“I just tried to be as open and honest as I could. You know it’s going to be a variety of things to try and make it work but it’s all going to be family based and farm based,” he said.

–

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell