Council approves tribal council preschool in Montgomery Place

A Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) preschool has got city council’s approval to operate in the Montgomery neighbourhood.

Councillors voted unanimously Monday to approve the STC’s application to convert a bungalow on 11th Street to serve as a preschool.

The facility will accomodate up to 16 children at a time, with one group arriving for half days starting in the morning and another group coming in the afternoons.

The process leading up to Monday’s council vote was beset by controversy after several Montgomery Place residents raised objections to the project.

Many of those objections cited worries about commercial encroachment into the residential neighbourhood. However, some suggested opposition to the project was fuelled by racism against Indigenous people.

Chief Mark Arcand told council he regretted missteps on the part of the STC when it came to communicating with neighbours about the project.

However, Arcand said there was work to be done on all sides going forward.

“It’s 2019 and I think the fact of the matter is, we’ve really got to work on reconciliation and working together and creating partnerships and relationships to have a quality of life for everybody,” he said.

With council having granted its approval, the STC’s purchase of the bungalow should be finalized in the next few weeks, with the preschool potentially open by Sept. 1.