Recovery centre back before council

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This article was published 03/10/2023 (1093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon city councillors will have two options before them regarding a variance application from the owner of the former Redwood Inn when the matter comes before tonight’s regular council meeting.

The former motel, now under the ownership of Aurora Recovery Centre CEO Michael Bruneau, has been operating for several months as a facility designed to help women who have received treatment for addictions reunite with their children and help them transition to living on their own. Bruneau has been seeking a zoning variance to allow it to continue operating. But the initial application had been denied by the planning commission last July, forcing the owner to appeal the ruling to city council.

Commission members at the time expressed concern with the Redwood’s location being unsuitable for children, and questioned whether the variance application was the correct process to follow for such a facility.

When this issue first came before council, discussion around the table centred on how similar Aurora was or was not to a hotel, and whether it was suitable for a predominantly commercial part of the city. But a decision was put off until this month.

In tonight’s meeting agenda, city administration has recommended that the site specific use for the Family Reunification Centre be approved “in accordance with the letter of intent and site plan.” Following council approval, Bruneau would need to apply for a permit to complete improvements to formally establish the use, and would have one year to make those improvements.

However, should council refuse the variance application as proposed, city administration suggests the site would continue to operate as a motel and provide accommodation to lodgers for longer stays “as allowed in the Zoning By-law.”

This would still allow Bruneau to focus on providing rooms for family reunification lodgers, but the city would have “no ability” to add conditions of approval.

In a conversation with the Sun on Monday, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said these were administration recommendations, and that more options may come out of council discussion tonight.

“We’ll probably ask for other options,” Fawcett said.

An attached letter to the application suggests that approximately $200,000 in improvements have already been made to the site, including the renovation of a pool room into a multi-purpose space, and the creation of an indoor child-mind space — which required the installation of new flooring, paint, new furniture, decor, and toys.

Future improvements would include the renovation of all 62 rooms with new flooring, paint, furniture and decor, as well as the construction of a play structure, planter boxes, outdoor common areas, and a gym and recreation area in the multipurpose room, with anticipated costs reaching an estimate $1 million.

Under general business, council will also consider whether to move forward with applications for grant funding through the Municipal Economic Development Infrastructure Program for the following projects:

• 26th Street reconstruction (Park Avenue to Victoria Avenue)

• Eastview Landfill Cell 19 Leachate Collection System

• Standby generator

They will further discuss referring these funding requests to the city’s 2024 budget deliberations.

Also on the agenda is a presentation by former Brandon city councillor Jim McCrae, who wishes to respond to the council’s proposed resolution on genocide.

The regular council meeting will take place in council chambers at city hall, starting at 7 p.m.

» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com