Saskatchewan Association for the Mentally Retarded (SAMR) tours Valley View and writes a scathing report to the government

1987.The Saskatchewan government scheduled Prince Albert’s North Park Centre – a counterpart to Valley View Centre (VVC) (once the Saskatchewan Training School, which was created for the mentally handicapped) – to close its doors in February of 1988. As part of the closure, the government planned to move North Park’s 180 residents to private homes, group and special-care homes, or VVC. In September of 1987, before the move to the other centre, the Price Albert branch of the Saskatchewan Association for the Mentally Retarded (SAMR) took a tour of Valley View to inspect its conditions. What they saw was abysmal.

After their tour, SAMR sent a brief to the government outlining the conditions of VVC. The brief describes a general filthiness in some areas: dirty floors, disheveled curtains, feces spread on the toilets, and pools of liquid on a washroom floor. The residents did not fare any better. They were bored, withdrawn, depressed, and staying, in what one news article described as “undesirable living conditions” (Macdonald, 1987a, pA10). There was no privacy for the residents, the rooms did not have any personal items visible, there was a distinct absence of personal care, lastly the many locked doors created an atmosphere that was closer to that of a prison than a care centre. “We feel that the general appearance of Valley View promotes an appearance of neglect which goes hand in hand with the expressionless faces we encountered,” the SAMR group wrote (Macdonald, 1987a, p.A10). Another group toured the facility and endorsed the SAMR brief instead of drafting its own.

In response, the government asked the staff at VVC to review the conditions of their 650 residents and the overall environment. With this, the government would have a better idea of how to proceed at improving the situation. In their own report, the administration claimed the allegations levied against them “were not substantiated” (Macdonald, 1987c, p.A3). The staff gave the residents the care they needed. There were many activities for the residents and the staff cleaned the resident quarters according to a regular schedule. Additionally, the privacy of the resident was highly respected. Even so, the VVC report admitted there was room for improvement – but not from the staff. The report argued that the buildings were in desperate need of repair and it recommended a “multi-year renovation/upgrading plan, which … includes creating smaller living units in the centre” (Macdonald, 1987c, p.A3). The population numbers were shrinking and the buildings should reflect that fact. Moreover, the report maintained one member on staff should work at constantly changing and improving the ever-changing care for people deemed mentally deficient.

-Blaine Wickham

  • Macdonald, H. (1987a, Sept. 15). Valley View Centre Living Conditions Undesirable: SAMR. The StarPhoenix, p, A10.

  • Macdonald, H. (1987b, Sept. 26). Valley View Told to Review Allegations of Neglect. The StarPhoenix, p. E11.

  • Macdonald, H. (1987c, Nov. 21) Valley View Conditions Good, Schmidt Told After Review. The StarPhoenix, p. A3.

  • Wickham, B. (2012, September). Valley View Centre Moose Jaw: Report prepared for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport. Retrieved from http://www.tpcs.gov.sk.ca/VVC

Saskatchewan Association for the Mentally Retarded (SAMR) tours Valley View and writes a scathing report to the government

1987.The Saskatchewan government scheduled Prince Albert’s North Park Centre – a counterpart to Valley View Centre (VVC) (once the Saskatchewan Training School, which was created for the mentally handicapped) – to close its doors in February of 1988. As part of the closure, the government planned to move North Park’s 180 residents to private homes, group and special-care homes, or VVC. In September of 1987, before the move to the other centre, the Price Albert branch of the Saskatchewan Association for the Mentally Retarded (SAMR) took a tour of Valley View to inspect its conditions. What they saw was abysmal.

After their tour, SAMR sent a brief to the government outlining the conditions of VVC. The brief describes a general filthiness in some areas: dirty floors, disheveled curtains, feces spread on the toilets, and pools of liquid on a washroom floor. The residents did not fare any better. They were bored, withdrawn, depressed, and staying, in what one news article described as “undesirable living conditions” (Macdonald, 1987a, pA10). There was no privacy for the residents, the rooms did not have any personal items visible, there was a distinct absence of personal care, lastly the many locked doors created an atmosphere that was closer to that of a prison than a care centre. “We feel that the general appearance of Valley View promotes an appearance of neglect which goes hand in hand with the expressionless faces we encountered,” the SAMR group wrote (Macdonald, 1987a, p.A10). Another group toured the facility and endorsed the SAMR brief instead of drafting its own.

In response, the government asked the staff at VVC to review the conditions of their 650 residents and the overall environment. With this, the government would have a better idea of how to proceed at improving the situation. In their own report, the administration claimed the allegations levied against them “were not substantiated” (Macdonald, 1987c, p.A3). The staff gave the residents the care they needed. There were many activities for the residents and the staff cleaned the resident quarters according to a regular schedule. Additionally, the privacy of the resident was highly respected. Even so, the VVC report admitted there was room for improvement – but not from the staff. The report argued that the buildings were in desperate need of repair and it recommended a “multi-year renovation/upgrading plan, which … includes creating smaller living units in the centre” (Macdonald, 1987c, p.A3). The population numbers were shrinking and the buildings should reflect that fact. Moreover, the report maintained one member on staff should work at constantly changing and improving the ever-changing care for people deemed mentally deficient.

-Blaine Wickham

  • Macdonald, H. (1987a, Sept. 15). Valley View Centre Living Conditions Undesirable: SAMR. The StarPhoenix, p, A10.

  • Macdonald, H. (1987b, Sept. 26). Valley View Told to Review Allegations of Neglect. The StarPhoenix, p. E11.

  • Macdonald, H. (1987c, Nov. 21) Valley View Conditions Good, Schmidt Told After Review. The StarPhoenix, p. A3.

  • Wickham, B. (2012, September). Valley View Centre Moose Jaw: Report prepared for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport. Retrieved from http://www.tpcs.gov.sk.ca/VVC