Proposal for City to Lease Wellington Junior High School
Recommendation:That a four-year head lease with the Edmonton Public School Board for Wellington Junior High School commencing February 1, 2007, and subsequent entry into sub-lease arrangements with the Council of African Canadians and Winnifred Stewart Association as outlined in Attachment 3 of the January 31, 2007, Community Services Department report 2007CSR008, be approved.
Report Summary
The report recommends that the City lease Wellington Junior High School from the Edmonton Public School Board and then sub-lease space in the school to the Council of African Canadians (CAC) and the Winnifred Stewart Association.
Report
Wellington Junior High School
· The Edmonton Public School Board closed Wellington Junior High School in June 2005 due to declining enrolment. The school is located at 13160 – 127Street and has been vacant since that time.
The Council of African Canadians
· For the past two years, staff in the Mayor’s office, with support from the Community Services Department, has been working with the CAC to establish a site for the CAC to deliver a range of community programs to support individuals and their families who are originally from Africa and now live in Edmonton.
· The CAC is incorporated as a registered society under the name Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta.
· The CAC has identified a growing need in Edmonton for integration assistance among all African communities. The intent of the group is to provide culturally-appropriate programs and services and work towards the development of proactive community leadership activities, self-sufficiency and ultimately successful integration in Edmonton.
· Founding members of the CAC are made up of representatives of Edmonton’s growing 25,000+ (est.) African community and originate from African nations including Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda. Attachment 1 contains short biographies of some of the individuals involved in this initiative. Currently 80% of the Edmonton African community is represented by the membership of the CAC board.
· All African communities are eligible for membership/participation in the CAC, which continues to reach out to new members and additional groups from Edmonton’s African community. The centre will be structured in such a way that it can continue to accommodate new members.
· The challenges facing Edmontonians associated with the CAC are numerous. Many of their home countries have been at war, some may have experienced torture, some are challenged by a move from a village culture to an urban/city culture, and some have lived in very oppressed regimes for much of their lives.
· The challenges in making the transition from such backgrounds to a new Canadian lifestyle are many. The children and their parents struggle with integration issues and the community feels an urgent need to develop mentoring and community support in order to provide positive foundations for this growing community.
· Attachment 2 describes some of the community programs that are required to support these families.
Winnifred Stewart Association
· In mid 2006, the Winnifred Stewart Association contacted Administration to discuss the possibility of also using Wellington Junior High School for its programs.
· Winnifred Stewart Association provides a range of programs to support adults with developmental disabilities.
Proposed Plan for Wellington
· Through a number of meetings, Wellington Junior High School has been identified as a preferred site for the Winnifred Stewart Association and the CAC to deliver their programs.
· The proposed plan is for the City of Edmonton to lease Wellington Junior High School for four years and then to sub-lease part of the school to the CAC and the remaining space to the Winnifred Stewart Association.
· Both groups are satisfied that a shared arrangement of the building will suit their individual purposes well.
· The terms and conditions of the head lease and sub leases are described in Attachment 3.
· The financial strategy developed in conjunction with the two organizations requires Winnifred Stewart Association to pay market rent plus its prorated share of operating costs. Winnifred Stewart Association has agreed to this arrangement as the school space is much more conducive to its program and replaces existing space which is privately leased. As a result of limited funding, the CAC will contribute $35,000 in the first year. This will increase by $50,000 for each year thereafter to a maximum of CAC’s share of operating costs which are estimated at $170,000 annually. It should be noted that CAC’s initial rent does not comply with City Council’s Non-Profit Leasing Guidelines rental of $1 plus all operating costs for City-owned buildings. However, the pressing issues facing individuals and families connected to the CAC call for immediate action.
· The objective for the City is to more-or-less break even on the proposal. However, an operating deficit in the range of $55,000 may be incurred over the first two years of the agreement. A source for these funds will have to be determined should additional funds be required.
· This project and the leasing arrangement deals only with the school building, parking area and approximately 50 feet around the building. The sports fields adjacent to the school are not impacted and will continue to be booked as used by the community as they have in the past.
· Edmonton Police Service and Capital Health have expressed interest in potentially delivering some complimentary services from the facility, and a portion of the school has been set aside for such purposes. The CAC is also reaching out to other established community groups for assistance and programming support.
· In May 2006, Asset Management and Public Works Department completed a detailed building condition assessment of the facility. The report is available upon request.
· The scheduling of programs proposed by these two groups complement each other and allows maximum use of this facility.
· The site is currently zoned US (Urban Services), and the proposed programs will comply with the permitted uses allowed for in this land use.
· The CAC, with support from Administration, is currently negotiating with the Province on providing a salaried person to act as program manager/director.
Communications with the Community
· Contact has been made and information shared with the neighbourhoods in the immediate vicinity of the school. This includes contact with community league executive in Wellington, Athlone, Kensington and Calder.
· All parties involved in this project recognize that it would be advantageous to conduct immediate and ongoing consultations with the community in order to promote open relationships and address any sensitivities associated with the redesignation of the former junior high school.
· A representative group of Winnifred Stewart Association and the CAC will meet during the four years of this project with community representatives, represented by the Community League. Quarterly meetings to discuss centre activities, community questions and any issues that may, from time to time arise will be established. These groups can be called together more often, if required, to address any emergent issues.
· The tenants of the school will invite community members to an Open House event once up and running and will regularly reach out to engage community members in centre activities.
· They will also look to provide regular updates about centre activities through community newsletters to community members at large.
Justification of Recommendation
1. The City of Edmonton has identified successful immigrant integration as a key issue the city faces in being able to rely on immigration to help meet future labour requirements. This special project applies to very relevant, high-need communities with a grass-roots approach that will empower the community to build its own institutions and solve issues at the ground level.
2. This project effectively uses a closed school in Edmonton for much needed community services. Use of the school will allow the building to continue to benefit the community and city as a whole. The City is fundamentally playing a “broker” role that recognizes both the need to appropriately use closed schools and respond to the needs and challenges of the CAC.
- The CAC and the individuals and families it works with require basic support to establish needed services and programs. Programs offered should reduce issues associated with crime, poverty, family violence and continual gang activities that have challenged other Canadian cites. The reduction of these important social issues will also result in a reduction or aversion of costs the community would incur through increased delivery of its health and social programs if these groups continue to be unable to find building space for programs of support and development.
Background Information Attached
- Council of African Canadians – Board Member Biographies
- Council of African Canadians - Program
- Terms and Conditions of Leases
Background Information Available on Request
- Wellington Junior High School – Building Condition Assessment Report
Others Approving this Report
· B. Burn, General Manager, Asset Management and Public Works
· J. Tustian, General Manager, Corporate Services Department
(Page 4 of 4)
Attachment 1
Council of African Canadians – Board Member Biographies
The founding members and Board of Directors of the African Council form the Management Team and are as follows:
Ms. Hafsa Goma
Founding Member and current Chairperson of the Council of African Canadians. Employee of government of Canada. Ms. Goma’s educational credentials comprise a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology, and a Diploma in Management. Ms. Goma has over 20 years of experience with international and human services organizations. Experienced in project development, strategic planning and research. She is an Alberta Centennial Medal recipient.
Since arrival in Canada, Ms. Goma has served in voluntary capacities with the following Boards and Committees: Secretary, Edmonton Multicultural Association; Board Member, Africa We Care; President, Canadian African Awareness Group; Education Coordinator, Worldwide Nubian Organization; President, Uganda Cultural Association of Alberta; Board Secretary and Treasurer, Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage; Founder and First President, Communities for Cultural Equality; Regional Project Coordinator, Education Wife Assault; Advisory Committee Member, Red Lake Board of Education; Regional Director, Ontario Immigrant and Visible Minority Women’s Organization; President, Caribbean African Multicultural Association of Canada, (CAMAC); Regional Advisory Committee Member, Ontario March of Dimes; Board Secretary, Global Awareness Project; Secretary, Committee for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse; Board member of Federal Riding Association.
Mr. Hassan M. Ali
Mr. Ali is a founding member of the Council of African Canadians, current president of the Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton. Resident of Edmonton for the past 15 years obtained M. Ed at University of Alberta, currently Instructor at Norquest College, Community activist, Member of the Mayor’s Multicultural Advisory Council. Alberta Centennial Medal recipient.
Mr. Kuot Alith
Mr. Alith is a founding member of the Council of African Canadians, current President of the Sudanese-Canadian Dinka Society and Director of Sudan Heritage Festival 2006.
A graduate from the Grant MacEwan community college, Mr. Alith speaks English, Arabic, some French and his native tongue. Mr. Alith is an experienced and recognized leader. While attending Grant MacEwan Community College, Mr. Alith founded the African Student Club. Mr. Alith was previously employed with Stan Daniel Healing Centre and now works with Yellowhead Youth Centre in Edmonton, as well as being the acknowledged leader of the Dinka Peoples in Alberta.
Mr. Tesfaye Ayalew
Mr. Ayalew is a founding member of the Council of African Canadians. He has Masters Degree in Nutritional and Food Sciences and is a PhD Candidate. He has a Diploma in Computer Networking and a certified Project Leadership Certificate from NAIT.
Mr. Ayalew has been extensively involved in a variety of non-profit organizations in Edmonton and as leader of the Ethiopian Community on several occasions. Currently president of the Board of the Ethiopian Society and has been involved in different African community initiatives. Past President of African Association of Alberta. Currently working with CONVERGYS Management Canada in Management position. Member of the Multicultural Advisory Council of the Mayor. Mr. Ayalew possesses extensive experience in scientific research and grant application and has been involved with Edmonton’s Heritage Festivals for the past several years.
Pastor Dawit Isaac
Mr. Isaac is a founding member of the Council of African Canadians, leader of a multiethnic community Church and board chairman of the Church at present. Awarded Bachelors of Arts in Economics, minor in Management, with some further post-graduate study in Economics and Human Resources Management. Awarded Masters of Divinity. Special training in organizational leadership. Experience as a budget expert, congregational leader, youth worker, project facilitator, leadership trainer, and college instructor. Volunteered as curriculum chairman of Leadership Edmonton and member of the board; board member of Federal riding association, member of Mayor’s Multicultural advisory Board, community league board member, advisor to Eritrean Community Association, youth trainer and coach. He is an Alberta Centennial Medal recipient.
Abdul Kareem Kamara
Mr. Kamara is founding member of the Council of African Canadians. Currently president of the Sierra Leone Community Association
Mr. Muru Khamisi
Mr. Muru Abditam is a founding member of the Council of African Canadians. He has volunteered extensively with numerous new immigrant groups from Africa. In particular Mr. Abditam has assisted in organizing groups for young Africans. In addition, he has been involved with government agencies, community groups and business associations. Mr. Abditam actively advocated for support services and inclusion of newcomers to Edmonton from Africa. He has made significant contributions Edmonton Police services with the children’s’ carnivals for several years, and Catholic Social Services, the Francophone community, University of Alberta Music Department, and several other community organizations. Mr. Abditam volunteers with Multicultural Health Brokers, Coalition of Health, and the McDougal Immigrant Neighbourhood Coalition. He is a Board Member, Presbyterian Aid for Global Aid. He is an Instructor for AIDS/HIV Prevention and a Board Member, Landlord and Tenant Advisory Board, City of Edmonton.
Since leaving Uganda in 1979 Mr. Abditam has been involved in Edmonton as a volunteer with Afro Caribbean community associations; UNICEF in support of girls’ schools in Mozambique; Global Hand Drummers; Board Member of the Council of Black Organizations, and president of Uganda Cultural Association of Alberta. Mr. Abditam is an avid community advocate and a community leader who gives his time and talent to bring harmony and peace to the immigrant community. He is a recipient of the Rice Award, 2006.