In front of a packed house of approximately 60 onlookers, city council approved the University College of the North (UCN) development agreement at a special meeting Oct. 4.
The agreement, between the province, who were negotiating for the university, and the city, will see the city provide a total contribution of $14,875,000 - $7 million in land, $6,675,000 in tax relief as the province will see a 50 per cent tax reduction on the campus, up to a maximum of $250,000 per year, until that total is reached, and $1.2 million in constructing a new road to the campus as well as a parking lot to replace the existing Thompson Regional Community Centre parking lot.
Many had been worried that the new campus could destroy any of the facilities currently in the area, but Gary Ceppetelli, city director of planning and community development, revealed that all groups had been consulted and found arrangements they could live with. The Thompson Zoo will remain in its current location, on land that will continue to belong to the city. The Wildlife Association property will be transferred to the province - but should the province wish to develop that property as part of the campus, they will be required to negotiate with the Wildlife Association to find a mutually acceptable solution. The province only has this option for the first ten years of the agreement.
The Red Sangster Ball Field diamonds do not have the same long-term security - they are also being transferred to the province, which will be able to develop them as they see fit provided they give two years' advance notice to the city. In that time, the city will search for alternate locations for the baseball facilities, which will continue to be named after Sangster no matter where in the city they end up.
The tennis courts will be the only facilities eliminated by the new campus, as they will be demolished to make room for a new parking lot for the rec centre - the existing parking lot being turned over to the province to become part of the new campus.
The agreement passed by a vote of five to one - Coun. Judy Kolada was absent, while Coun. Stella Locker voted against on the grounds that the city's lawyers had not had sufficient time to thoroughly look over the agreement. In accordance with the agreement, parts of the property are being rezoned from parks and recreational use to public and institutional use. A public meeting on the rezoning will be held Nov. 8.
Colleen Smook and Ron Matechuk, the two challengers to incumbent mayor Tim Johnston in the Oct. 27 municipal election, appeared before council as a delegation, repeating their wish - first made in an Oct. 1 press release - that council hold off on any decision about the agreement until after the election.
"We formally ask the present council to refrain from making any major decisions until after the next election," read the release. "There are many and far-reaching implications of this proposal that are not well understood by the citizens of Thompson. The next 25 days can be used to properly discuss these implications. We have very specific questions that should be answered before a decision is made."
"The biggest issue is the rezoning and that it's not going to be the normal housing, which is student housing, but family housing," said Matechuk, who noted that several residents had asked him to get involved in the issue. "We should have a campus first, housing later." The housing is slated to occupy land south of the existing wildlife building.
Like Matechuk, Smook spoke in favour of the university, noting that "an $82-million project deserves stature and recognition in this community," but suggested that a traffic survey should be undertaken, to understand what the new development will mean for traffic in the area, before any decisive action is taken.
Johnston took issue with a line in the press release stating that none of the current council had campaigned on the issue, producing a pamphlet from his 2006 mayoral campaign which specifically mentioned UCN, including student housing, as a priority.
Speaking several hours before the meeting, Thompson MLA Steve Ashton said that the province was ready to start on the campus as soon as the city signed the development agreement. "It is absolutely ready to go," she said. "The current plans are to begin major construction by next spring." It is expected that the campus will be completed by June 2013.
"I can't stress strongly enough that this is not a theoretical campus," Ashton continued. "We're not going to miss this opportunity. This is going to be huge for Thompson and for Northern Manitoba."
A group of Thompson residents, represented by Winnipeg lawyer W. Richard Whidden, sent a letter to the mayor and council July 19, asserted that the planned development agreement would contravene Thompson's zoning bylaws, which would only allow for student housing on the spot - not for students and their families, as has been proposed at every step.
In fact, the parks and recreational zoning currently in place on the space does allow for universities as an acceptable use. According to a legal opinion received by the city, the definition of university in this case includes housing, which can include student-family housing. "Student" is defined as a full-time student.
Most members of council spoke negatively of the letter. "What that letter achieved is stopping construction of housing this year," said Coun. Charlene Lafreniere.
"This will be a historic day for Thompson and Northern Manitoba," said Johnston. "It further defines who we are as a city, as well as what we want to be as a community."
The UCN campus, which is expected to be completed at a cost of $82 million, was officially announced in Thompson on April 12. Features of the new campus are slated to include a 24-unit on-campus housing development for students and families; new facilities for academic programs, and child care space for 75 children. The first phase of construction is set to see student capacity increase from 342 to 510. Renovations to some existing UCN buildings and off-site facilities will also be taking place to allow for expansion in the trades and technologies section of UCN. The school's goal is to see apprenticeship spaces increase from 48 to 150.
