NIMBY – an acronym for not in my backyard – is an element of local politics everywhere and certainly St. Albert is no stranger to that type of thinking. It’s often used as a pejorative term for those who oppose new developments, but sometimes it can be justified. For example, it’s reasonable to expect outcry if someone is trying to build a strip club in a neighbourhood, but how do you justify adults demonizing a group of children moving to their neighbourhood?
Yet that was the scene in St. Albert this week during a public appeal for a group home in Pineview. This group home would house six young siblings, all under the age of seven. The children had been neglected and have been living in separate foster homes, but would now get the opportunity to live together.
The meeting heard residents with varying concerns. Some had concerns about traffic and parking, but with a three-car garage and driveway, any impact would be negligible.
Others were concerned that allowing these children and their support workers to move into the home, would lower property values and that the staff would ruin the character of the neighbourhood. One man went so far to say he was worried there would be “killers,” “rapists,” and “halfway-house people” in the neighbourhood.
It’s hard to imagine any opposition if a “normal” family with six children moved in. These children haven’t done anything wrong, but already some of their neighbours are casting them as nuisances. Where is the compassion?
Efrem Bahta, director of Stepping Stones Group Care (who would operate the home) noted that many of the complaints were not really about traffic or parking.
“The mentality of ‘not in my backyard’ is really disheartening,” he said. “These kids need a home. They have the right to live in a community. They have a right to live in a place where they add value.”
Fortunately for these neglected children, some residents came to the meeting to show support for the group home and gave a much-needed voice for inclusion.
We’ve heard this type of NIMBY complaint too many times over the years. In the now infamous Habitat for Humanity case a few years ago, the ugly reaction by some St. Albert residents made national and international headlines. And just last fall at a hearing for the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board residents compared living near a group home to having a death in the family. A ridiculous notion given that in this instance, it was hardly any type of extreme situation. It was people with developmental disabilities wishing to share a house together in order to lower their expenses. It was not any type of special facility. This incident prompted a motion from council to direct administration to revise the land-use bylaw to make some classes of group homes permitted, instead of discretionary use where neighbours could oppose them. It’s a good move from council, but it’s too bad residents still hold these types of prejudices and NIMBY attitudes in this day and age.
The city’s Social Master Plan includes diversity and inclusion among the important values identified by community members. But you can’t simply believe in inclusion, without walking the walk. We all have a duty to make our city as inviting to people of all backgrounds and ensure that everyone feels welcome. That’s what community is all about.
