View Royal Council has given a big thumbs up to rezoning the old Youth Detention Centre to allow a Therapeutic Recovery Community.
There was some tension last month when the Province announced it was spending $4.7 million to create the Recovery Community, prior to View Royal's consultation and re-zoning process wrapping up.
But Mayor David Screech says council gave unanimous third-reading approval to the facility Tuesday night. Although it still needs to pass fourth reading, he says that's normally just a formality, adding support for the facility was overwhelming:
" I was pleasantly surprised by the level of community support. We had no negative speakers. All the letters, we had 14 pieces of correspondence, and they were all in favour. And what's more, I mean they weren't just in ... I mean they were in favour, but they were encouraging us to support it because they feel that type of facility is so needed in our region and that we need to get on with it so Our Place can get it open."
The facility will take in up to 50 men who will stay 12 to 24 months, helping them break the cycle of addiction, homelessness and jail.