The proposal to create the first specially built medical boarding house in Ottawa for Inuit was met with force by the local opposition.
As the city’s planning committee has to vote on development, land use disputes will raise concerns that some in the community do not value Inuit health care.
A new building for Larga Baffin, a boarding house for Inuit attending medical examinations in Ottawa, is planned for Hunt Club Road and Sieveright Avenue, a crossroads south of Bank Street and south of downtown.
Richmond Road’s current location is regularly overcrowded, with staff booking additional patients at local hotels.
The planning firm describes the project as similar to Ronald MacDonald’s house, with guests sometimes coming for a short stay to see a specialist, while others stay a few months to receive treatment for more in-depth procedures.
An application to increase the height of the new building by an additional four meters in some places and two floors in others is scheduled to be submitted to the planning committee at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
The application to amend the official plan of the city to allow six floors in all parts of the property goes to the Planning Committee on June 23, 2022 (Fotenn / City of Ottawa)
City officials recommended that changes to the official plan continue, but noted in their report that 350 comments were collected during the consultation process – 100 in favor of the proposal and 250 against.
In a summary of the comments received, officials noted that there were “major concerns” about increased crime and drug use, along with concerns about concerns and declining property values as a result of the facility.
“Residents believe the facility caters to an audience outside of Ottawa and is not of direct benefit to the community,” the report said.
Adviser against this proposal
count. Diane Deans, who represents the ward where the building will be located, said she opposed it “in its current form”.
In April, the deans held a public meeting, which was virtually attended by nearly 300 people. Many against the project expressed concerns about increased traffic to “illegal activities” to the high smoking rate in Nunavut and, as a result, the need for more parks to accommodate tenants.
A neighbor, who identified herself only as Madeline on Zoom’s call, was worried that the building would affect water pressure in homes bordering the proposed property.
“We are the first here,” she said at the meeting.
Dean Tester’s tweet comments from the April 26, 2022 meeting drew the attention of some of the Inuit community in Ottawa. (Dean Tester / Twitter)
Other residents concerned about the increased traffic said the location was not suitable for Inuit because it was already busy.
“My goal is to ensure that this facility, in its final form, is compatible with existing residential neighborhoods and that community concerns are addressed,” Deans said in a staff report to the planning committee.
Deans, who is not a member of the planning committee, declined to be interviewed. In an email to CBC, Deans said he acknowledged the facility’s dignity, but its importance did not matter to concerns about land use that it conveyed.
“We are proud to host this type of facility in our city and in our communities,” she said.
Harry Flaherty, chairman of the board of Larga Baffin Ltd., said at the meeting that the facility was needed because it was the only accessible way for Nunavut Inuit to access medical services.
“False and racist comments”
Catherine Takpani’s mother is one of these residents of Nunavut.
She is currently being admitted to a hospital in Ottawa, but remained at Larga Baffin when her knees changed and she was seeking treatment for a brain tumor.
Takpani, an artist living in Ottawa, was warned about the meeting when comments from it were tweeted and circulated in the Inuit community.
“I can feel my nervous system and feel my blood rise,” Takpani said, recalling the meeting. “There were a lot of misleading and racist comments.”
Catherine Takpani’s mother enjoys country food. (Submitted by Catherine Takpani)
For Takpannie, repulsion, which is not in my backyard, is another discriminatory barrier that limits Inuit access to adequate health care.
Takpani recently gained access to her mother’s medical records and found comments in which her mother was “confused as a drunkard” despite being sober for 25 years and helping other Inuit in her work in the Nunavut government.
“If you’re a local, it’s all very subtle micro-aggression, but it’s not micro and it’s very aggressive,” she said.
She also cited several studies, including one by the Tungasuwvingat Inuit, which called on the city to do more to combat the fact that Inuit treated in Ottawa have significantly worse health results than non-Inuit patients.
When Inuit defender and Larga pastor Baffin Manitock Thompson heard of the plans, she began to dream.
Thinking of mothers in the city treating cancer with their young children, she wanted a playground, a library and a sewing room for these families.
“It’s a completely different world. And feeling comfortable somewhere would help a lot … it will alleviate loneliness and nostalgia at home.”
“We are not here to make anyone uncomfortable. “We’re just here because we’re in pain,” said Manitock Thompson. (Submitted by Manitock Thompson)
Thompson said she was shocked to hear some of the comments made at the meeting, and called racism “old-fashioned.”
“We are just another human being. Some of us have problems. Some of us don’t. But we are not a stain of a problem, “she said.
“We are not here to make someone feel uncomfortable. We are here simply because we are in pain.”
Concerns about traffic are unfounded, says the project manager
The number one concern of residents is traffic, according to Bill McCurdy, whose company Creva Group Ltd. works on project management for Larga Baffin.
“We’re actually minimizing the impact on traffic and certainly providing a good buffer between residential neighborhoods,” McCurdy said.
Since they come from Nunavut, all Larga Baffin customers fly to Ottawa. They are then transported to their destinations in Larga vehicles.
Larga Baffin’s current home, seen here in 2017, is on Richmond Road near Carling Avenue, west of downtown. (Susan Burgess / CBC)
There are currently warehouses, a garage and a car dealership on the land, which he says probably generate more traffic than Larga.
McCurdy said Larga Baffin had good relations with her neighbors on Richmond Road.
There was “growing pain” when they moved to the retirement home, but the problems were fixed. Concerns about residents smoking on the sidewalk were addressed when a smoking area was built on the property.
Although the details of the site plan will be determined after zoning is confirmed, the new building will have 220 rooms, with 350 beds, a kitchen and public space for tenants, as well as a landscaped outdoor area.
If the zoning application is approved, the building is expected to be completed in the next three to five years.
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