Council Conditionally Approves Student Residence

A former seniors residence has found a new life housing foreign teenage students but there is a catch.

In order to be approved for a discretionary use permit the property owners must have eight off-site parking spots meeting Administration’s approval.

At Monday evening's Council meeting conditional approval was given to convert the former Oxford Place Seniors Home, located at 1007 Main Street North, into a residence for foreign high school students attending A and L Royal Academy.

A and L Royal Academy is located at 52 High Street West in space where the Royal Bank was previously located. A and L Royal Academy offers English language instruction to students from mainland China and in September will open a private high school.

A and L Royal Academy is owned by Wing Lam who is an immigration consultant.

Lam, who lives in Toronto, immigrated to Canada 30 years ago and has expanded his immigration consulting business into Saskatchewan in response to the province's immigratiom policies including the Immigrant Nominee Program (INP).

An aerial shot of the property marked in blue shows the surrounding neighbourhood and parking opportunities - source City of Moose Jaw

PURPOSE OF THE RESIDENCE

Speaking by video link the Brent Boechler, who owns the property, said the senior's care home was closed due to low occupancy and the opportunity to offer the facility as a residence for Academy students was a natural progression.

“(With) low occupancy we decided to seek another use,” Boechler said. “The long term objective is to be living accommodations for (A and L Royal Academy) high school students…it’s an integral part of the school…Oxford Place will certainly be able to provide that.”

The long term goal for A and L Royal Academy follows the philosophy of it founder Lam, school principal Jeff Matheson said. The philosophy was a result of Lam's own personal experiences when he immigrated to Canada 30 years ago.

“He (Wing Lam) wanted to help other students get a more focused education when they come to Canada,” Matheson said.

For their first year the Academy had six language students.

When the high school is totally full the goal is to have over 100 students.

Staffing numbers at the Academy were planned to start at five and once all students arrive ramp up to 15 staff members.

“We are expecting over 100 students to come to the school. Due to the epidemic the federal government…(made it) extremely difficult (to bring in students).”

Despite the difficulties in bringing in students due to the pandemic Matheson said there should be about ten high school students or enough for the high school to open this September so residence space is a necessity.

“We need to have a safe and secure place for our students (to live),” he said.

A and L Royal Academy is located at 52 High Street West n the space previously occupied the Royal Bank. The private high school will be located here - MJ Independent photo

RESIDENT CONCERNS

A number of concerns have been raised in the neighbiurhood about what Oxford Place is converting in to.

Boechler said he had heard rumours people were saying the plan was to board off the windows and turn it into a boarding house.

Asked where the rumours originated Boechler said he had no idea.

“I think people came to their own conclusions…I don’t know how they came up with those conclusions,” Boechler said.

“This is students boarding not a men's club,” he said.

There will be staff supervising students in the residence at all times.

Matheson said there was nothimg nefarious going on just dedicated students who pay $30,000 annually on school fees and living in the community.

“They are here to study. They aren’t here to do anything else. If they do get into trouble they can be deported,” Matheson said, adding “the people we are bringing in are good people.”

Matheson said despite aiming to have over 100 students attend A and L Academy's high school the school had nk intent to house all of them at Oxford Place.

He said discussions were on-going with the Church of God to house 25 - 50 students. Home stay placements were also beimg looked at.

Other concerns surrounded off street parking.

Councillor Chris Warren said he felt the neighbourhood concerns were properly addressed in the Academy's presentation and he could support recommending allowing Oxford Place to convert into a student residence.

Councillor Warren said there were many economic positives to having the Academy operate in Moose Jaw.

“These are high school students who are likely privileged from where they come from,” he said.

LANDING ON NO PARKING

Parking was a major hurdle for the proposed residence with neighbours concerned about losing hard to come by street parking spots to students and staff.

“They do not have a driver's license let alone a car. So the parking issue should not be a problem,” Boechler told Council.

He said the facility had six off street parking spots which would allow 15 students to move in.

Despite Boechler saying there was sufficient off street parking Administration said it did not satisfy bylaw requirements.

“We are not convinced there is direct access for six spots. Maybe one or two,” director of planning Michelle Sanson said.

Sanson said not only do vehicles need to have direct access without jostling vehicles around but the number of students dictated how many off street parking spots would be required.

For example 20 beds would require eight off street parking spots and 23 beds would require nine parking spots.

“If they do increase the density they would have to come back to Council with a discretionary application,” Sanson said.

At this point Councilfor Brian Swanson added a friendly amendment to the approval motion that the required off street parking had to be met with Administration’s approval.

The conditional approval passed unanimously.