LMT November 12 2018

6 Last Mountain Times • Monday, November 12, 2018 • lmtimes.ca
TOWN OF LUMSDEN
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the Town of Lumsden intends to
adopt a bylaw under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend Bylaw 15-
2002, known as the Zoning Bylaw.
DESCRIPTION
The proposed bylaw amendment will add a new residential zoning district, the
“R4 - Canyon Creek Subdivision Residential”, to the municipal Zoning Bylaw. The
proposed R4 zoning district includes site development regulations very similar to
the “RE - Estate Residential” zoning district, except that it includes a side yard
setback for corner lots of 3.6 metres (the RE district prescribes a 7.6 metre side
yard setback for corner lots) and a smaller minimum site area and minimum site
frontage, respectively.
REASON AND INTENT
The intention is that if the R4 zoning district is added to the municipal Zoning Bylaw,
that a separate zoning bylaw amendment will be made at a later date to effectively
rezone the Canyon Creek subdivision to this new R4 district. The proposed R4
zoning district will include minimum site frontage and minimum site area that is
consistent with the actual parcel sizes and frontages within the Canyon Creek
subdivision.
The reason for the creation of the zoning district is to establish a zoning district that
is more conducive to the actual parcel sizes within the Canyon Creek subdivision.
The Canyon Creek subdivision is currently zoned “RE-Estate Residential”, as such,
most parcels within the subdivision are not compliant with the prescribed minimum
site areas and frontages. Additionally, the lot sizes within the subdivision are not
large enough to accommodate a 7.6 metre side yard setback for corner lots, making
it extremely difficult for individuals to build homes on corner lots.
PUBLIC INSPECTION
Any person may inspect the bylaw at the Lumsden Municipal Office, located at 300
James St North, in the Town of Lumsden, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00
PM (open over the noon hour) from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Copies of the proposed bylaw are available at the Lumsden Municipal Office for a
cost of $1.00 and are on the Town of Lumsden website: www.lumsden.ca, under the
‘announcements’ tab.
PUBLIC HEARING
Council will hold a public hearing on November 27,
2018 at 7:30 p.m. at 20 Third Avenue in Lumsden,
SK. in the Council Chambers located at the back
of the Library, to hear any person or group that
wants to comment on the proposed bylaw. Council
will also consider written comments received at
the hearing, or delivered to the undersigned at the
municipal office before the hearing.
Issued at the Town of Lumsden this 5th day of November 2018.
Luke Grazier, Community Planner/Development Officer
MINISTERIAL MESSAGES
Can you see it?
I remember a day years ago, driving to work with
a colleague who was a hunter. As the sound of the
pavement was thumping under our tires, out of the
blue he said “Can you see it? Do you see that deer
over there in the field?” I looked and looked and for
the life of me I simply could not see that deer, but he
was talking with such assurance in his voice I knew
it must be there, it was just not coming into focus
for me. Finally, with much effort, I was able to see
what had come into view so easily for my friend and
there it was, a big, beautiful White Tail meandering
through some bush.
How easy it is to see something when your eyes
are trained to perceive it! AND, how easy it is to be
oblivious to what is going on around you when you
don’t know what you are looking for.
There was a group of men who were in the countryside
among many people who had nothing to eat
and there was need of food to help them in their
hunger. A discussion broke out among some of them
which convinced them that there was nothing that
could be done. They thought that it made logical
sense to see the equation: no food, isolated, no
help,no options.
But what they failed to see was that Jesus was
right there among them and in Him there is always
hope!
In Mark 8:17 Jesus finally says to the group, “Why
are you talking about having no bread? Do you still
not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to
hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the
five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets
full of pieces did you pick up?”
Then the people replied that they had seen and
had picked up the remnants of bread after everyone
had eaten their fill, and this was after Jesus simply
and miraculously multiplied what little food there
was in the first place!
It’s hard to imagine the disciples experiencing
something as eye-catching as that and then to find
themselves in exactly the same situation and no
one even suggested the possibility that Jesus might
be an option again--a way through which a situation
might change and yet their eyes didn’t see the
possibilities.
Well, I’d like to say that I am very different from
those disciples, that I can see clearly Jesus in my
everyday life and the possibilities and options that
He provides for His children, but if I’m honest, I
am more like the one who is driving down the road
and simply cannot see that deer that is so plainly in
view: I just needed the eyes to see.
But again, my hope does not rest in my abilities
to perceive, or the sharpness of my mind, or even
the extent of my experiences, my hope rests in
Jesus. He promises to walk with me and help me to
perceive important things that are simply foreign
to me, and just like those disciples, He is all about
helping us to learn what it means to live with a
Kingdom mindset. Thank God that He is for us and
not against us! We are in good hands.
Oh, and by the way, even though the disciples
were a little slow in their perception, the miracle
still happened. Jesus still fed all those people and
were satisfied.
I have a sneaking suspicion that He is still about
His business today. . . .can you see it?
-Reverend Brian Tysdal
Strasbourg Alliance Church
SECLUSION rooms CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
cognitive diagnoses: “Well, this all will come easy
to you. You’re really good at all things disability
related!”
I chewed on that statement a lot, aware of the experiences
of other families who’ve gone before me.
The one thing I knew for sure was that I was going
to love my kid fiercely for the unique little thinker
he would turn out to be.
Media and social media portray childhood
disability in extremes, making it difficult for those
who don’t have first-hand knowledge to understand
the complete picture. On one side, you see videos
of cute little kids taking their first steps or uttering
their first words and succeeding “against all odds;”
on the other, I regularly encounter families who
receive articles from well-meaning friends and
family on controversial therapies claiming to “heal”
a disability diagnosis.
It would be difficult for anyone to fully understand
the lives of families like mine given the mixed
bag of (mis) information out there. So maybe this is
why the use of seclusion rooms in Canadian schools
never seems to get the attention it deserves.
Seclusion rooms are separate spaces used to physically
isolate a child in emotional distress. They can
vary widely: sometimes padded, sometimes small
and with no windows, some with dim lighting to
help the child de-escalate and some with a lock on
the door.
Many Canadians might be surprised to learn
there have been several reports of their use on
children with disabilities in recent years in schools
in British Columbia and Ontario - including a court
case against their use in Alberta.
One challenging reality for some kids with developmental
disabilities is that there are often triggers
that cause a child to physically lash out or ‘melt
down.’ There are many reasons for this to happen,
such as an inability to communicate, sensory overload
or social challenges. So what else can be done
in place of seclusion rooms when this happens?
Plenty.
It’s well understood in the field of developmental
disabilities that a child’s behaviour is a form of
communicating something amiss in their world.
Identifying and addressing the trigger can help
prevent the behaviour. A modern understanding of
disability through research
informs how to effectively
deescalate these isolated
‘melt down’ moments, seeking
solutions that ensure
everyone involved remains
safe. Forcefully locking a
child in a closet doesn’t
come close to making the
list.
Having regular conversations
between parents,
Rae Martens
teachers and support teams at school to ensure
everyone is aware of developments and on the same
page with how to treat certain situations is essential.
Whenever possible, including the student in the
conversation helps them to understand their needs
and potentially learn to communicate those needs
before things escalate.
The idea behind seclusion rooms comes from
their use in mental health facilities. But while mental
health facilities are subject to regulatory processes
and inspections, there’s little accountability
for the use of these rooms for children in schools in
Canada.
Alberta is moving in the right direction by
convening a working group of parents, advocates,
specialists and teachers to set new guidelines when
isolating students with behavioural issues. It’s a
first step anyway. But it’s time for a national conversation
on the use of seclusion rooms in Canadian
schools.
Canada has ratified the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child and the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These
were created as models for the safety and equality
of all persons. Now we need to be taking a good look
at how we can ensure these standards are upheld
for all Canadian kids. Looking at eliminating seclusion
room use would be a good place to begin.
-Rae Martens, based in Calgary, is an active partner
in child disability research. She is also a contributor
with EvidenceNetwork.ca, which is based at the
University of Winnipeg. This spring she spoke at the
United Nations regarding rights-based approaches to
childhood disability in Canada. www.troymedia.com
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer