The contentious VisionQuest transition house on Pratt Road is now facing scrutiny from a number of provincial agencies and the Ministry of Health to determine what the future of the facility on the Coast will be.
After some early investigations into what is and what will be going on at the house, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) planning and development committee passed a series of resolutions Thursday, June 11, setting up a process for VisionQuest to go through to operate the house.
David Rafael, senior planner for the SCRD, presented a report on the work SCRD staff had done so far with recommendations for further investigation.
The planning committee is asking the Vancouver Coastal Health authority (VCH) and the Office of Assisted Living Registrar (OALR) to see if VisionQuest's transition house falls within their jurisdiction.
Rafael said he was doubtful that VisionQuest's operation would fall in the scope of VCH.
"Indication is they may not be because under the current regulations, what VisionQuest describes, is excluded from the Act as far Vancouver Coastal Health is concerned," he said.
He added that OALR is a newly formed agency currently operating only in the Interior, and it may be several months before they can weigh in on VisionQuest.
Should VisionQuest get approval or notices from VCH and OALR stating they do not need approval, VisionQuest will also have to apply to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to get a permit for 'non-farm use' on land in the agricultural land reserve. As part of that process, the SCRD will require VisionQuest to hold a public hearing on their application.
In order to get approval from the ALC, VisionQuest must first get approval from the SCRD board.
SCRD staff have visited the house and determined work was being done on its septic system, but septic systems are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, not the SCRD. Ministry officials confirmed the work on the system was not being done by an authorized septic field installer and put a stop work order on the house until proper plans had been filed with the Ministry, though Rafael said VisionQuest staff have determined that changes to the system may not even be required for their planned use.
SCRD staff also confirmed the house was not entirely up to building code as some modifications to the house had been made without permitting, including a deck. Staff said the building may also require a sprinkler and fire alarm system, which it currently does not have. Also in the resolutions are plans to amend bylaw 310, the zoning bylaw that allows for transition housing. The SCRD passed the bylaw in 1985 and Rafael said it needs updating.
Rafael added that even if the months-long process to amend the zoning happens, the VisionQuest facility would be grandfathered in, allowing it to stay open.
Not addressed in the staff report are many of the concerns area residents still have.
Rafael's report followed a delegation by Kathleen Youdell, speaking on behalf of the neighbours, with safety and bylaw concerns. Youdell also presented a petition signed by more than 200 residents stating they do not approve of the facility being open on Pratt Road.
Youdell repeatedly listed concerns over the safety of VisionQuest's neighbours, changes made to the house without proper permitting and the lack of forewarning and accountability from the SCRD.
A report Youdell submitted to the SCRD states, "VisionQuest has only a 32 per cent success rate; this leaves 68 per cent of the residents to be evicted from the program."
Youdell said she also believes the VisionQuest house may be used to house sex offenders and asked SCRD directors to make community safety paramount.
"Our concerns are legitimate and are areas of interest to the SCRD. We ask you to take immediate action on these issues to ensure that the concerns of the residents of the Sunshine Coast are being addressed," she said.
During a phone interview with Coast Reporter on June 17, VisionQuest's board chair Earl Moulton said he is frustrated with the "harassment" the transition house is now facing from the SCRD, and he believes the complicated process will not change the end result for VisionQuest.
"The fact of the matter is, none of those individual organizations have any jurisdiction on the matter at all," he said. "All you have to do is read the statutes and know that we are fully in compliance."
Moulton added that he has reviewed the regulations for applying for non-farm use to the ALC and said as long as the building complies with zoning, it does not require an ALC permit.
"I'm not making this stuff up," he said. "I have a degree in law. I spent 28 years in the RCMP. I don't do things that are illegal, and I check things before they are done," Moulton said.
He added that the illegal deck was in place before VisionQuest began renting the house.
He said the success rate for VisionQuest facilities' residents was around "33 to 38 per cent," and that is about three times higher than the average for people trying to kick a drug or alcohol habit without the help of VisionQuest.
As for sex offenders, Moulton said VisionQuest has a standing policy to screen for and reject all sex offenders. "If they are a convicted sex offender, they ain't coming in. Period," he said.
