The transitional workers accommodation proposed for the soon-to-be-vacant space in the Jasper Legion cleared an important hurdle May 12, when Parks Canada’s Planning and Development Advisory Committee gave the project conditional support.
École Desrochers currently leases the space, but when the school moves to its new building in August, Mark Howe and Marc Chalifoux plan to transform it, installing a kitchen, sink, showers, a common area with a flatscreen TV and somewhere in the neighborhood of 35–40 beds.
Howe said he and his partner hope to provide a place for the town’s newcomers to stay for a few days while they search for work, and for slightly longer once they’ve found a job and are seeking out permanent accommodation.
The goal, Howe said, is to have the place fully running by Nov. 1, in time to cater to new arrivals looking for winter work at the ski hill.
The two took their proposal to PDAC April 24, and May 12 the committee gave its recommendation to Supt. Greg Fenton, with three important conditions. The first was that Howe and Chalifoux shorten the initial residency period—how long someone can stay while looking for work—from 10 days to five.
The second was that they have an employee on duty at all times, to help ensure the facility is used only for its intended purpose.
John Ogilvy, who sits on the PDAC committee, said a constant presence at the accommodation is important because with no one on duty, someone looking for a place to crash on their way through town would likely be able to sneak through quite easily.
“It must be folks who are looking for work, and not just a hostel, staying there,” Ogilvy said.
The committee’s third condition sticks to that theme. It asked that Howe and Chalifoux “demonstrate clear policies and procedures for abuse prevention and to emphasize that this is transitional worker accommodation only.”
Howe said he and his partner haven’t figured out exactly how they will do that yet, and were hoping PDAC would help them come up with some solutions.
One idea they are toying with includes enforcing a mandatory minimum stay of two or three nights, so “you can’t check in at 6 o’clock one night and check out at 8 the next morning and say ‘I’m looking for work.’”
With Parks signing off on the idea, Howe said the next step is to meet with officials from Alberta Health Services to make sure he and Chalifoux understand the regulations surrounding how many beds will be allowed in the space.
If they are allowed to put in the 40 beds they desire, Howe said they will likely charge around $30–$40 a night. He acknowledged that the price is relatively affordable for a short stay, but expensive enough that few would want to stay long-term.
“The idea is to move somebody in there, have them find a job and move on,” he said.
He added that even though things are moving forward, the project is “not a done deal yet.” If something comes up and he and Chalifoux discover the accommodation won’t be profitable, they will have to scrap it, he said. Barring that, however, the two are eager to get things moving.
“Both Marc and I are excited, and I think it will be a neat little business that will fill a niche that we think really needs filling.”
Trevor Nichols
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