At first look, the decision to extend the agreement between the city, province and Distribution.com by six months for the sale of the former Souris Valley care facility seems to be very straight-forward.

Unfortunately, nothing is as simple as it seems. There are a number of issues involved with this deal, and it's a matter of opinion to a degree whether this was a good decision or not.

The original agreement was to have a significant amount of work done to Souris Valley by the end of the calendar year 2007, in order to show they are really serious about taking on this huge facility.

Admittedly, there are some good points to extending the deal by six months; first, it does provide for further opportunity to this group of Chinese investors to make good on the deal, and bring this business here to Weyburn.

Secondly, it postpones an irreversible act, that of demolishing this historic building. Nobody wants to see this monolithic structure torn down, once the biggest building in all the Commonwealth at the time it was built (in 1920-21).

Thirdly, and this was really the clincher, the province agreed to it, since the property was held by the Crown SPMC (Sask. Property Management). Without this approval, city council would likely have made a different decision.

As it was, even with the province's backing, and the assurance there is no further risk, liability or cost to the taxpayer or to the City of Weyburn by extending the deal by six months, the vote was nearly an even split at 4-3. This bespeaks of some misgivings over the deal, and some of these points were voiced at council, among them the point nothing at all has been done to this point even there has been lots of time given already.

And to exacerbate this situation, the grounds and building were all but abandoned this past year, with the grass and weeds overgrown to the point the city had to threaten action - and then a local contractor was hired to cut the waist-high crop. In addition, as the mayor pointed out, the city has put in about $7,000 worth of work just to try and keep the building secure, which is far more than what the company has put in.

Residents who have lived in Weyburn longer than a few years will remember another such chase after a company initially promising big things, namely the infamous plan by Bellringer Resources to raise up an ethanol plant at the former distillery. That deal finally ended in shame in a courtroom of the Queen's Bench, as the city was again awarded foreclosure on the property.

Thankfully a venture has come along that is making the deal work with an ethanol plant; the hope is, a deal will work at Souris Valley too. Citizens don't want to see Bellringer II - that's a show that won't go over very well. - Greg Nikkel