REHAB FACILITY PUT TO A VOTE

A proposed youth treatment facility got a welcome from Birch Hills
town council, but citizens have demanded -- and are getting -- a vote on it.

Over the past year, the Prince Albert Grand Council has looked at
locations in the area for the facility, which would have 15 beds for
youths aged 12-17 who have substance addictions.

It now has 20 acres of raw land lined up in the southwest corner of
Birch Hills, said chief executive officer Darrell Haysom.

The town is about 40 kilometres southeast of Prince Albert and has
about 1,000 people.

A public forum in early September gave people a chance to find out
what the facility would be like.

"I have to commend them," said Haysom. "They asked intelligent
questions, listened to the answers and then made the decision."

Citizens gave it the green light and since then, town council has
approved the zoning and the purchase of the land, he said.

But a petition with 226 signatures was dropped off at the Birch Hills
town office on Thursday asking for a yes-or-no vote on the matter,
said Mayor Gordon Dyck.

So, in accordance with town bylaws, Dyck said a binding vote will be
held on Oct. 25, the same day as municipal elections.

"Our council is behind (the facility) 100 per cent," he said.

An agreement for the PAGC to purchase the land has been signed, he
said, but council will have to abide by the vote.

The petition asking for the vote does not indicate whether the
signatories are for or against the facility, just that they want to
vote on it, said Dyck.

For Haysom, just reaching this point has been frustrating because of
the hurdles involved getting acceptance from future neighbours.

"With any type of project such as this, we're going to have people
for it and people against it," he said.

Some people think substance abuse is a problem everywhere except
where they live, he said.

But he said a high school student stood up at the forum to tell
people the youth in Birch Hills are dealing with substance abuse as
much as those in any other community.

A deal was close just a few months ago to use land in the Rural
Municipality of Buckland for the facility.

However, Buckland's council voted in August against allowing the land
to be used for such a facility.