Whereas it is the will of Council to grow our city and attract much-needed personnel for industry, education and health care professionals, and to provide opportunities to grow our tourism industry, as stated in the 2023 to 2026 Strategic Plan, we believe that the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act may not be suitable for our city.

Short-term rental housing is a vital part of the options needed to provide housing for those providing their expertise to the various projects and programs in and around our city. We must do our part to ensure the required varied housing options remain available to reduce barriers to working in our city.

Also, as we seek to grow our tourism industry, it is imperative to allow varied accommodation options to meet the needs of those visiting our beautiful city and region.

Whereas in its 2022 audit of antisemitic incidents, B’nai Brith, Canada’s oldest Jewish advocacy organization, nationally active since 1875, noted there were 2769 such incidents across Canada during the year of which 242 were in British Columbia;

Whereas Statistics Canada in its 2022 document released July 27, 2023 on police-reported crime in Canada indicated in Table 6 that there were 750 police reported hate crimes targeting religious minorities during 2022, of which 502 or 66.9% were aimed at Jews,

Whereas Ontario recently became the first province to introduce mandatory Holocaust education into the elementary school curriculum,

Whereas in tasking the Ontario College of Teachers to create an age appropriate curriculum to teach the Holocaust starting in Grade 6, Education Minister Stephen Lecce indicated that according to the first study of antisemitism and Holocaust knowledge conducted by Western University and Liberation75 in 2021, 42 per cent of students surveyed said they have unequivocally witnessed an antisemitic event;

Whereas this same study also found that one in three students in Ontario thought the Holocaust was fabricated, exaggerated or are unsure if it actually happened;

Whereas research compiled in the United States suggests that jurisdictions which make Holocaust education compulsory not only witness a dramatic decline in antisemitic incidents but also see a sizeable reduction in hate aimed at Blacks and Asians;

Whereas a study issued in September 2023 indicates that where Holocaust studies begin earlier in school and are mandatory that the data suggests that Americans with greater Holocaust knowledge display heightened warmth toward religious and racial minorities compared to others;

Whereas as survivors age and pass away, it is more important than ever that our schools play a key role in preserving Holocaust remembrance thereby protecting children from widespread Holocaust denial and distortion often disseminated online;

Whereas Jewish organizations are urging all provinces and territories to emulate Ontario’s example and introduce mandatory Holocaust education in elementary school;

Therefore, Prince George Council recognizes the dangers of Holocaust denial and distortion, which so often targets our young people, and urges NCLGA to help advocate to the British Columbia Ministry of Education and Child Care to introduce mandatory Holocaust education to BC’s elementary schools as of the 2024-2025 academic year.

The City of Prince George currently financially supports the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43 as well as all not-for-profit organizations through the discount rental rate for civic facilities through the City’s Fees and Charges Bylaw. Since 2003, the City of Prince George has also provided the Legion with an annual rental subsidy in the amount of approximately $2500 to be applied to the discount rental rate for the Conference and Civic Centre. Although varied throughout the years, additional in-kind support and services have been provided, such as day-before and day-of set-up time, labour (Statutory Holiday rates), security costs, equipment, and plaza and park rental. While not normally permitted under our Food and Beverage agreement with our contractor, Administration has negotiated the allowance of the Legion bringing in outside food and beverage for this event.

The City currently provides the Legion with a subsidy and in-kind support for the Remembrance Day Ceremony. In future years additional funding could be applied by the Legion by submitting a grant application through one of the City’s current grant streams or Council Contingency. On behalf of Council and our entire City, Administration is proud to provide a great deal of support and assistance to the Legion for Remembrance Day Ceremonies, and looks forward to continuing to ensure the success of this important annual event.

We have a facility on Gunn Road called "The Prince George Youth Custody Center" or PGYCC for short.  Exactly as it sounds, this facility was designed to house juvenile offenders.  But here's the catch - though fully staffed on the backs of BC tax payers, there are no inmates!  This 60 bed facility is near empty, it's been near empty for years, and it will continue to be near empty for the foreseeable future.  Why is this?  Changes to the Young Offenders Act has made incarcerating juveniles a much harder and much more rare occurrence.  Whether you agree with this or not is besides the point, the point is we have a facility that with little investment could quickly and cost effectively be transformed into a world-class rehabilitation center!  Lets think about this - the facility already has individual secure housing, group housing, classrooms, a plethora of office space, an industrial kitchen, and it even has a gymnasium with basketball courts and outdoor recreation space.  It is a perfect facility we can quickly and cheaply transform into a WORLD-CLASS REHABILITAION CENTER. Lets be honest, the BC government has been a huge contributor to the homeless and drug problem we are currently facing.  They bussed all kinds of people into Prince George (many of them homeless) during the wildfires and their covid lockdowns (agree with them or not) only further increased drug use, mental health deterioration, and homelessness.  They owe us this facility!  I will petition the provincial government to hand this facility over to the people of Prince George and I will not rest until they do!

According to the ministry, the average number of youth in custody has declined 53 per cent in the past five years.

The Prince George Youth Custody Centre, which first opened in 1989, has capacity for 24 people, while the Burnaby location can house 84. As of October 2023, the average number of youth in custody across the province was 21.

Operating the Prince George facility costs about $5 million annually. Closing it, says the ministry, will result in savings that can be reallocated to other youth programs such as restorative justice services, mental health and substance use supports, and supporting cultural and family connections for at-risk youth.

"The more that we can invest … then the best outcomes for those youth will not be to come into custody," said Dean.

The building itself is being turned over to the Ministry of Citizen Services, which will engage with local First Nations and community stakeholders about how to repurpose it.