“Discussion from the floor. Seeing none, call to question. All in favour... Carried unanimously. The group home moves forward.”

Those were the words of Mayor Marcel Roy during Monday night’s meeting of Weyburn City Council.

Council had another chance to vote on the care home permit proposed by the Saskatchewan Housing Authority Corporation, this time voting in favour of the Discretionary Use Application for a care home in the Creeks subdivision.

“I think in the end, we're just all very happy we've come to a successful conclusion. I think everyone's learned a lot in the last two weeks and I think together, we're just looking forward to having this home built,” said Doug Rogers, President of Terra Developments, developer of the Creeks subdivision.

Council chambers was a packed house for the regular meeting, likely due to the fact that Council had previously voted against the care home permit during the March 11th meeting after receiving discouraging letters from some area residents.

“On behalf of the Weyburn Group Home Society, we're very pleased how the motion went tonight,” said Chair of the Board for the Weyburn Group Home Society, Rod Stafford. “We're very happy that whoever brought the pressure to bear on Council to cause this to reconsider, and it certainly wasn't us. That they reconsidered it was positive for the Group Home Society.”

Stafford noted the experience was educational for the public, with outcries coming from all over Weyburn and the province.

“I think the past two weeks have been very instructive to everybody involved, in terms of the support the facility had for it community-wide, nation-wide, and just how things can perhaps run off the rails if the process isn't fully understood and followed,” he said.

"Really, I think that was what was recognized, is that they are part of our community and they deserve the right to have a home wherever they choose, and we just appreciate that council was able to reconsider this motion. It was positive again for the Group Home Society tonight, and we look very much forward to getting the shovels in the ground and getting the build started," said Stafford.

Councillors present for the vote were Winston Bailey, Jeff Richards, Jeff Chessall and Dick Michel. Councillor Mel Van Betuw recused himself from voting due to pecuniary interests. Councillor Brad Wheeler was not present for the meeting.

The Weyburn Group Home Society has been operating care homes in Weyburn for more than 40 years.

"We've operated group homes of some sort since the last 40 years, a lot of them concentrated in a two or three -block radius," he explained. "I think they've been a wonderful fit for the community, they fit in, and I've spoken to residents who have lived beside them and amongst them all of those 40 years and there have never been any concerns."

Currently, the organization runs seven care homes in Weyburn.