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Brant County council is backing plans for a new home for Lansdowne Children’s Center.
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Councilors voted unanimously in favor of requesting from the provincial government stage one planning approval for Lansdowne’s plans
“I know this is something that Lansdowne needs and they want to move quickly,” Mayor David Bailey said at a recent council meeting. “I also know that they can’t move forward without government approval.”
Stage one planning approval is part of a lengthy process Lansdowne must follow to build a new home.
Lansdowne, which provides services for children and youth with special needs, has been working from its building on Mount Pleasant Street in Brantford since 1998. Since that time it has more than tripled its client base (now more than 3,000 children) and doubled its onsite staff.
That, said Rita-Marie Hadley, Lansdowne’s executive director, results in falling sort of accessibility requirements, inclusive parking and long delays waiting for service.
As of Sept. 30, there were about 2,000 children and youth waiting for services from Lansdowne, said Hadley.
“The wait times vary by services a child or youth requires and is subject to the triaging (assessment) of each individual referred,” she said. “There have been 1,368 individuals newly referred between April 1 and Sept. 20 of 2021.
“Regrettably, the longest wait times can be as long as four years, with some services regularly requiring a year-long wait.”
Lansdowne added sites in Haldimand and Norfolk to help families facing delays to get help, said Hadley, adding that need for a new home remains paramount.
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“The longer we must wait for a commitment of major capital approval, the longer children wait.”
Earlier this year, city councilors approved a memorandum of understanding with the Lansdowne Children’s Center and De dwa da dehs nye> s Aboriginal Health Center to work toward agreements of purchase and sale of land in the Mohawk Lake District, a revitalization of a section of Eagle Square.
Also approved was the start of survey work of 9.7 acres in the district that are designated for institutional development. Lansdowne would take about 6.2 acres and the health center three to five acres.
At the time, Hadley said the memorandum of understanding with the city is pivotal to applying for government funding for a new facility.
“It’s an exciting first step, given we have been addressing crowding and space restraints for a decade,” she said.
With the cleanup of the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield site complete, the city is making plans for the area that stretches from Shallow Creek park on East Avenue to the Alfred Watts Generating Station ruins near Locks Road.
After two years of community input, the Mohawk Lake District Plan was approved in November 2020 by city council. It includes potential residential, commercial and institutional development, museum space, and a large event space.