Despite opposition from EnVision, City Council is moving forward with a local improvement plan that will see Acres Drive extended from Industrial Road to Keating Road.

The total cost of the project will be around $3.1M. Councillor Michael Zwaagstra says that total will be paid for by affected properties.

"When we are paving a road or constructing the underground sewer and water main, often we do it as a local improvement plan which means that the properties which border that road then pay for the development. It is a long-term policy of the city and it is reflected in our city bylaws. In this case, the calculation was done the same ways as any other time, that all properties which are along that road were portioned based on their frontage."

As most of the stretch is undeveloped, the vast majority will be paid for by the Community Development Corporation which will recover the funds upon selling the newly created commercial lots. The only building that is currently on that stretch is Eastman Recycling Services which is owned by EnVision.

Because ERS is on the corner and it would be unfair to make EnVision pay for their stretch of both Industrial and Acres, they are to pay 50% of what the other businesses on that stretch will pay when purchasing one of the new lots. EnVision’s portion of the project comes out to $102,826 which can be paid over five years.

EnVision Executive Director Jeanette DeLong appeared before council on Tuesday with an impassioned plea, asking the city to find another way to pay for the plan.

"We object to the plan as it has no benefit to us and our dollars need to be spent providing supports and services to people who live with an intellectual disability. We are stunned that this was ever considered as an option by the city, to have a local charity be the only taxpayer impacted by the plan for a road that has no benefit for the charity."

DeLong also noted it has been a hard few years for ERS with the fire they had not long ago and with the dropping revenues created by a week recycling industry.

Geoff Dilts, President of the volunteer board of directors for EnVision Community Living, also appeared before council reiterating what DeLong had to say and noting they feel as though they were not given the appropriate amount of time to respond to this plan which has created a lot of stress for the organization.

Despite these objections, Councillor Michael Zwaagstra moved to give the Local Improvement Plan first reading. He acknowledged the amazing work that EnVision does in the community for those with intellectual disabilities but then went on to note that EnVision actually already agreed to this when they purchased the property.

"In 2007, when EnVision, then known as ACL, had purchased the property and built there they had signed a development agreement. I am going to quote exactly what the development agreement states. 'The developer, that is the organization, acknowledges and hereby agrees that it shall pay its fair portion of the paving to be done in the Steinbach Industrial Park new subdivision by way of a local improvement levy'."

In addition to that, Zwaagstra clarified that when Envision purchased the property they only paid 50% of what their neighbours to the south paid for their portion of Industrial Road because it was known that Acres Drive would one day also be paved.

"Again, this is a standard road development, this is how we do all of our local improvements, there has never been a time that I am aware of where the city has, in a local improvement plan, carved out a particular property and said, 'this property doesn't have to pay but the other ones do'. It has never happened, not in the entire time that I have been on council that I am aware of."

Zwaagstra adds carving out EnVision from this local improvement plan would create a significant and challenging precedent for the city and every property in any future local improvement plan would have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Councillor Susan Penner seconded the motion noting these levies are based on land and not what is built on that land.

With Councillor Damian Penner absent from the meeting, 5 of the 6 members present voted to give the plan first reading with Councillor Jac Siemens voting against the plan.