This will depend on the selection of a lender to provide the capital financing. Once the contract has been awarded, draft regulations will be submitted to the selected bidder.
Seymour said this was important to avoid financial hurdles at Meadow Lake.
“Just so the city doesn’t become cash strapped, we had to provide the ability to borrow money for these two projects,” he said.
If necessary, staff will amend the borrowing by-law to indicate the approved rate and payment amounts.
Seymour added that they have continued to talk to the Saskatchewan Health Authority about the long-term care facility, which he hopes will soon be ready for use.
“Assuming all work is completed within the next six weeks, we will move in and begin operations,” he said.
The city is also continuing communications with the Northwestern School Division regarding a partnership request on the potential joint-use facility. Staff asks for details on what developments the city should make, what the partnership would look like on design, construction and ongoing operations, and referrals for contacts in other communities where this has been done successfully. They are also looking for letters of support from the wider community to gauge the level of local support for such a partnership.
Seymour said no decision will be made until that kind of information is gathered.
“There is no capital or anything offered for this yet, since our budget is already in place,” he said. “But we need to have further discussions about what we think is best for the community as a whole.”
The city is also working on developing a governance framework for the annual projects. This requires community engagement to determine the best points of communication, particularly determining how residents wish to be communicated. This is scheduled for the end of the year.
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