Rhino's Ramblings - A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

By Robert Thomas - Opinion/Commentary

This week’s re-opening of the 7th Avenue SW bridge was met with a lot of appreciation by Moose Jaw residents. After close to six years vehicle access has been re-stored to that section of the Moose Jaw River valley using 7th Avenue SW.

For the two families who own houses on the south side of the Moose Jaw River they now have a more immediate access to the north side of the river rather than taking the longer drive involving going through a locked gate blocking the legal road allowance.

Their role on the issue continuing after the bridge re-opening is now out of the picture.

A gate locked by a Vancouver based developer who is looking for off-shore investment dollars in order to develop the former Valley View Centre property was the catalyst that forced the issue.

But were their actions altruistic?

With that said though the area is now teaming with people eager to rediscover what was lost with the bridge’s closure.

The re-opening of the bridge is seen as a victory for two families after a lengthy battle with City Hall, but what if I told you there is another narrative to the story going on here.

Would you believe me?

Or would you just mark it down as a conspiracy theory?

Through a series of documents obtained by MJ Independent through Freedom of Information (FOI) request we will piece together the puzzle about what really happened behind the scenes when it came to the re-opening of the 7th Avenue SW bridge.

At the February 22nd special Council meeting Councillor Dawn Luhning said there was a third option which had not been included when it came to the 7th Avenue SW Bridge. An option involving access through the legal road allowances running through the former Valley View Centre property.

For Councillor Luhning this third option was much cheaper and would allow the residents and others access.

But what exactly was Councilor Luhning talking about?

It is all about a series of letters the City sent out first to the Province and then to Carpere Canada - the new owners of the former Valley View property - about a cheaper access to the south side of the Moose Jaw River. Letters which Administration provided to Council and then were discussed in a series of in-camera meetings.

The cheaper access would utilize government owned road allowances and building a road around any buildings encroaching on those road allowances.

It was an issue the City saw brought to a head by Carpere who simply illegally locked the gate.

In a November 12, 2020 letter from city manager Jim Puffalt to John Zhang, CEO of Carpere Canada states “As indicated in my letter to you of July 29, 2020, the City was in negotiations with the Province to establish a permanent road through the property prior your purchase; and, we gave notice of intent to continue those discussions with you as the new developer.” (See letter below)

So the City was in fact negotiating with the Province to utilize the existing legal road allowances to allow access for the two families and everyone else to access the south side of the river. Something property owners Carpere Canada did not want. This fact is backed up in a separate FOI made by MJ Independent to the Province.

A solution costing an estimated $75,000 and hundreds of thousands of dollars cheaper than the $800,000 plus unbudgeted cost of repairing the bridge.

The letter goes further by stating there is a “perceived need to re-open the 7th Avenue bridge. If not for the blocked access through Valley View, there would be no need to reopen the bridge.”

But what perceived need was there when it came to the 7th Avenue Bridge?

Well there was a series of stories - ten in fact - about the need to re-open the 7th Avenue Bridge in the Moose Jaw Express. Articles which the City responded to they were not allowed to have their say on the issue before publication. This despite the fact the City’s policy is not to negotiate through the media.

In fact the City went even further with the Moose Jaw Express and complained about the biased reporting on the entire 7th Avenue SW bridge issue.

But what was Carpere’s response to all of this?

In a November 3, 2020 Carpere Canada stated they did not want to become involved “in a sensitive community matter that does not involve us.”

The letter goes on stating Carpere was wanting to continue their discussions with the City on other issues related to their proposed development on the former Valley View property.

The letter was CCed to Deb Thorn who coincidently at the time she was the project manager of Carpere Valley Developments (CVD). CVD is the division of Carpere tasked with negotiating the proposed development on the former Valley View Centre site. (see photo below)

Ms Thorn left her employment prior to the decision being made to approve the 7th Avenue SW Bridge.

But it should be noted the lawyer for the two families involved, David Chow, at the special February 22nd meeting of Council discussing the bridge, asked not only about the temporary nature of the proposed bridge repair given the proposed development but also the transfer of lands to the Wakamow Valley Authority by Carpere Canada if the development was given the go ahead by the City.

“That’s certainly an issue the planning and development department can get back to you on,” Puffalt said at the time to Chow about Carpere’s plans, adding “the land for Wakamow is a completely different issue at this time.”

But why did Carpere want to stay out of the issue?

The easy answer is money.

To put it simply the City’s position was the cost of repairing or replacing the bridge was something Carpere should help pay for.

The City saw Carpere as a major benefactor from the repaired or replaced bridge as their proposed development of the former Valley View Centre property was directly tied to the 7th Avenue SW bridge. No bridge meant no residential development.

In a December 16, 2020 letter (pictured below) to Carpere Canada the city manager wrote “As you have noted the 7th Avenue bridge is required for your proposed development.”

In that letter Pufflat wrote “…the City of Moose Jaw requests that Carpere 50 - 50 cost share the bridge development.”

In response Carpere said in a letter dated December 21, 2020 (see below) they should not have any financial obligations to repair or replace a bridge damaged in 2015. It was not their financial responsibility.

Carpere stated there had “been no motion passed directing you (City Manager Jim Puffalt) to seek a cost sharing of the impending bridge repair with our company.”

But did Administration need a motion to take the cost sharing option with Carpere?

It needs to be noted that all of the documents in this opinion piece were shared by Administration to Council at the time.

The issue had been discussed in-camera and there was most likely a tacit approval - although no official vote - from Council for Puffalt to request a cost sharing agreement with Carpere regarding the 7th Avenue SW Bridge.

In the end though the City changed its position when it came to Carpere cost-sharing the 7th Avenue SW bridge.

Council voted in favour of the repair at the special meeting with little comment other than Councillor Luhning pointing out the cheaper option - which the documents show was a major plank in the City’s position - was not part of the recommendation and Council discussions that evening.

Council voted in favour of the unbudgeted bridge repair and there was public jubilation.

The bridge was repaired and negotiations continue on Carpere’s proposed residential development.

Conditions which may be too bitter for the City to swallow.

We will release information and documents on the negotiations as we are able to.