91原创 Township wants the land where Willoughby Elementary stands, and is looking at whether to stop its policy of putting parks by schools. 

At the Feb. 24 council meeting, the Township went through several motions that could significantly change its relationship with the 91原创 School District 鈥� which it often partners with for the purchase of land beside schools so there are parks adjacent to schools. 

The motions include swapping five acres of land near the 91原创 Tennis Centre on 80 Avenue and two completed field at the Yorkson Community Park, for the Willoughby Elementary site at 80 Avenue and 208 Street. 

Council members had almost two hours of discussions, with all motions ultimately passing. 

The motions call for urban schools in the area of 200 Street and Willowbrook, forming playground partnerships with school parent advisory councils with possible matching grants, taking over re-development and improvement, bookings, and ongoing maintenance of school playing fields and existing or additional athletic amenities, adjusting shared property lot lines at several locations 鈥� including Aldergrove Secondary, the 91原创 Events Centre, and McLeod Athletic Park. 

The Township also voted on motions related to suspending joint school park land acquisition. 

Mayor Eric Woodward said the intent of his motions was to get the Township to review an approach that has been in place for many years, but is unsustainable. The Township started partnering with the school district over parks around 1991. 

鈥淲hat I鈥檓 trying to do is advance a review view of a program,鈥� he said. 

It鈥檚 not sustainable with the liabilities that have been outlined by staff of over $500,000 to build schools for the province. 

鈥淎nd this is why we don鈥檛 have nature spaces in our urban areas,鈥� Woodward said. 鈥淎nd, as we continue to densify, where is the money going to come from to provide outdoor park spaces in dense urban areas when all the money is going to athletic facilities for schools?鈥� 

Others on council questioned why this was not discussed with the school district first, and said that some of the motions 鈥� because they involve existing contracts, land deals, and other fiscal matters 鈥� should have been dealt with first in a closed council meeting. 

Coun. Tim Baillie said all of it should be in the public meeting and hoped it could help progress the Township鈥檚 position with other levels of government. 

鈥淪ometimes, possibly when you鈥檙e not getting movement or you鈥檙e not getting the movement that you want, you speak to other governments in public. That happens all the time at all levels of government,鈥� he said. 

Coun. Kim Richter said the wording comes across as 鈥減lay ball with us, do what we want, or else this is how we鈥檙e going to punish you.鈥� 

鈥淚 just want to state for the record this is one of the most punitive, un-collaborative, mean motions that I have seen this council put on table in its time its been in office,鈥� Richter added. 

As for the land swap motion about Willoughby Elementary, she and Coun. Margaret Kunst wondered why this wasn鈥檛 first proposed to the school district. 

鈥淚鈥檓 sure the school district鈥檚 going to have some pretty big concerns,鈥� Richter said, who also questioned what happens to the historic building on the school site. 

The original Willoughby Elementary building is beside the school and is used as an early years learning for preschoolers. 

Coun. Barb Martens asked for a deferral of a motion on the amendment related to the suspension of school park land acquisition, because it was only added the afternoon of the meeting 鈥� which did not give time for research. 

鈥淚 feel like all of this conversation frankly, it seems very 鈥榰s versus them鈥� when it comes to the school district,鈥� Martens said. 

鈥淭hose are our kids. Those are our kids attending those schools鈥� And I鈥檓 just not understanding. This, it seems very heavy-handed. I鈥檇 appreciate if we wanted to do a review of this policy and perhaps look at doing it differently moving forward. But to step right to suspending it, like I said, it seems punitive.鈥� 

Woodward characterized the opposition from council members as framing the issues for political reasons and opposition for the sake of opposition. 

Coun. Michael Pratt said he鈥檚 comfortable with this approach, since no decision can be made without consultation with the school district. As well, any changes or decisions must come before council, and the public will share their opinions with council on all these issues, he said. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for them to sit down with us and move forward,鈥� Coun. Steve Ferguson said about the school land swap, adding he thinks parents would welcome a new school for their kids. 

One of the motions called for the school district to go with urban schools in dense areas. These typically don鈥檛 have playing fields and playgrounds, and are built within dense developments. Richter and Kunst said that motion is outside of the Township鈥檚 jurisdiction. 

鈥淚f the school district chooses to build urban schools, that is the school district鈥檚 choice,鈥� said Kunst. 

The school district reacted Feb. 25, saying the Township is proposing changes to the existing programs, processes, and agreements that it shares with the board of education and 91原创 School District. These potential changes include the building and placement of schools, and the use, operations, and maintenance of outdoor spaces, fields, and playgrounds owned by the Township and the school district. 

The district chair Candy Ashdown and superintendent Mal Gill took a conciliatory approach. 

鈥淭he board of education continues to work with its partners, the Township of 91原创 and the Ministry of Infrastructure/Ministry of Education and Child Care, on affairs related to land acquisition and property management. When it comes to land acquisitions, land dispositions, and building of schools, the board of education and ministry partners make decisions based on a co-governance model, with final approval by the province,鈥� said their joint statement.