Hello! For many of you this will be the first time receiving this email in your inbox. I received a record number of new subscribers after yesterday’s newsletter and I welcome you all. If you’re new, I’ve spruced up the about page with information about to expect, as well as testimonials from longer-time readers (thanks to all of you who submitted them, I truly appreciate it). It’s a good place to start and to find some older posts you might like, as well.

One thing to note: Yesterday’s and today’s newsletter are anomalies in terms of how long they are. Generally, this is a much breezier affair, it just so happens that we have had two major news days in a row.

With that in mind: While there’s much more to say about the school board, let’s take a break from that today because there was a jam-packed council meeting last night which included crime stats, a new subdivision proposal and a vote on whether to make Moccasin Flats a designated centralized homeless encampment site. But first…

Quick news:

• Flair Airlines customers taking advantage of their one-way flight to Tucson from Prince George Friday were frustrated by the sudden, unexplained cancellation of the trip. The next day the airline announced four of its planes had been seized in what it called a “commercial dispute,” though it’s still not clear whether that’s why the Prince George -Tucson flight was cancelled, or if it was for some other reason. Either way, the airline now says everything is “back on track.”

• En Francais, a Radio-Canada report on Lambda’s quest to have a French or bilingual hearing for its violation of public safety orders, despite the owner of the club not speaking French. While people who speak French only or primarily are generally entitled to such an accomodation, it’s not normal for someone who doesn’t speak French to want a trial in that language.

• Rob Shaw reports on the dire state of surgical wait times at the University Hospital of Northern B.C.

• The family of Dale Culver, a Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en man whose death resulted in five mounties being charged (two for manslaughter and three for obstruction of justice) held a press conference yesterday ahead of what was supposed to be the accused officers’ first court appearance — but after years of waiting for justice were dismayed to find out that appearance has been delayed to May.

• Remember the Hub student housing proposal that has been the subject of recent controversy? The developer is now saying the site it purchased on Ospika Ave. “isn’t viable” for development.

• UNBC political science students have launched a survey to "understand the perceptions and beliefs held regarding the cities’ unhoused population, as well as government responsibility for the issue."

• Struggle with police earns man more jailtime.

• The Prince George snowpack is at 94 per cent of normal, hooray?

• An online petition seeks to stop the potential sale of a portion of Moore’s Meadow. As I’ve said before, for years we had greenbelt areas that seemed like they were parks simply because no one wanted to develop them — but the recent building booms are putting those spaces on the chopping block.

• Another possible gold mine, this one northwest of the city.

• Police found stolen firearms they believe were linked to a gas station/armoury robbery last month.

• No, missiles are not being shipped through the city.

• The Prince George Airport runway — the 4th-longest in Canada — is nearing the end of its life and will soon have to be replaced, at an estimated cost of $21 million.

• Expect detours as work resumes on the Simon Fraser bridge.

• 4,500 jobs were lost in the city between January and February.

• Burns Lake biathlete does good.

• All eyes on axolotls.

• It’s puddle season:

Ben Ginter news

If you don’t know the story of Ben Ginter, a beer baron who made his mark on Prince George and beyond, CTV’s Mike McCardle put together this little piece recently, while this post popped up in the Prince George Memories Facebook group:

You can also find this biography at Books and Co. and elsewhere.

Jared Young’s baseball star rises:

The giant council roundup

Alright, there was a lot going on in a marathon five-hour session that included a report on crime, housing needs, several rezoning applications, a new subdivision application and an emotional discussion on homeless camps.

Because there was so much, what you’re going to read now is basically my live notes as the night developed.

Coldsnap and the Kodiaks

Council started last night with two presentations: One from the Coldsnap Music Festival and the second from the Kodiaks Football Club. Both were basically good news, Coldsnap talked about how great its most recent festival was and thanked the city for its support, the Kodiaks talked about how great its inaugural season was and thanked the city for its support. One interesting takeaway from Coldsnap was that when asked what else the city could do to make it more successful, the presenters said building a performing arts centre would be great because they are having a hard time finding appropriate performing spaces since the Playhouse is in disrepair. The Kodiaks told council that public turnout to its games were highest in the league (not sure if that was literally true or just talking it up), and attracting the notice of teams across the country.

Rezoning for RV parks on Otway and a hydrogen plant near the BCR site

Next up were public hearings. The first one passed without incident — it was rezoning a piece of land on Sintich Road to accomodate a hydrogen production and storage facility on 2.7 hectares of land at 9048 Sintich Road.

The second one was more controversial. Western Star Ventures Ltd. on behalf of Canada Recycle Corp., Inc is planning to redevelop 1.7 hectares at 6172 Otway Road to be an RV Park which can accomodate up to 100 RVs, according to the proponent who spoke to council.

This one garned some opposition from people nearby who worried about the traffic increase and the possibilty of it being an eyesore along the Nechako River. Failed council candidate James Steilde spoke about the impact on the local ecosystem. Councillor Trudy Klassen said she didn’t think it was the best use of riverfront property, pointing to the Northern Lights Winery as the sort of development she’d like to see, while mayor Simon Yu couldn’t wrap his head around what it would look like and wanted better illustrations before making a decision. But other councillors said they trusted city staff who recommended approving the change and it went ahead.

The city needs to appoint someone to handle the growing number of freedom of information requests

Until now, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests — when members of the public or media file to get their hands on documents from the city that aren’t publicly available — have been handled by the city manager. Examples of information uncovered by FOIs include things like the city’s communications manager sending emails to UNBC in an attempt to silence critics of their policies and warnings from city staff that changes to building inspection policies will “put lives at risk.” Apparently, the number and frequency of FOIs has been increasing to the point that the city needs to appoint a privacy coordinator to try and get on top of them all.

Councillor Brian Skakun likes the idea, but worries about who it should be — he’s been filing his own FOIs and he thinks the requests should be going to someone a little more arms-length from inner city workings to avoid the potential appearance of conflict of interest.

A downward trend in crime, and less excuses for police to stop people who use drugs

A pretty basic annual report from RCMP Supt. Shaun Wright on the 2022 crime stats and expectations for the year ahead. File counts and many crime types have dropped to lower levels that the last couple of years:

One area that has increased is false alarms, which Mayor Yu suggests is because so many more people have home security systems now.

The prisoner count and charges forwarded to crown have dropped, which Wright says is likely the result of officers simply no longer bothering to try and file charges for things like bail violations because they know they won’t go anywhere - not worth the paperwork. That’s why prisoner counts have dropped, as well. Fewer people are being held in custody.

Wright says one of the big things that’s going to change policing is the decriminalization of small-scale possession of illicit drugs, because it will give them less reasons to stop people they think they might keep an eye on (some would argue this is exactly why decriminalization is needed). However, he says they still have the Safer Streets Bylaw, which again gives them a reason to stop and report on people they have decided they want to keep an eye on (some would argue this a problem with the Safer Streets Bylaw).

Wright says the RCMP are trying to work with service agencies more, including POUNDS Project which advocates for people who use drugs.

On downtown, Wright says most of the RCMP’s time is spent on things like people blocking entranceways or open drug use — “dealing with situations that aren’t criminal in nature, that are really kind of social disorder issues.”

He says they are trying to do less of this, since they want to be the police, not social service providers — refocusing efforts on “maintaining social order and criminal investigation.”

He's looking forward to hiring for four extra positions approved by council earlier this year and putting them on a “community problem oriented policing team,” which will be aimed at solving underlying issues rather than “putting a band-aid on” them, as recommended by that HUGE policing report received late last year.

Also in good news is the adoption of HealthIM, an app that will let police more effectively assess mental health calls and respond appropriately, reducing the amount of guess-work. Prince George is an early adopter, and Wright says it’s going to reduce a lot of wait times.

Read more about HealthIM here.

A centralized homeless camp, the “least worst” option

This was the main event of the night. After the previous council rejected the idea last year, director of public safety Adam Davey came back to this council with a proposal that the city designate land at Lower Patricia Blvd. — now known widely as Moccasin Flats — as the only place in the city where people are allowed to camp overnight. The reasoning behind this is the city has been told, through two subsequent court rulings, that it cannot ban all overnight camping, until such a time that the city is able to prove there is enough suitable housing and shelter for the city, something Davey told council last night is probably “a pipe dream.”

Davey said there are tradeoffs either way. The current approach has resulted in a homeless camp at Millennium Park on 1st Avenue and some other spots, causing public upset. If city staff could direct everyone to Moccasin Flats, it would solve that problem — but at the same time make that encampment bigger, and potentially more of a nuisance/dangerous to the surrounding area.

Every councillor took a turn speaking to this motion, as below:

Kyle Sampson

First person to speak was Kyle Sampson who said he opposed the centralized camp approach last year and he still has reservations. He’s been looking into Portland and he doesn’t like what he’s been reading about there (my research shows the city is about to create California’s first sanctioned homeless camp, starting this summer). He also doesn’t think it’s the best location, being so close to a residential neighbourhood and businesses while perhaps not being as close to services as ideal.

Sampson also asked about crime within the camp — with some people in the encampment being victims of others. Davey said most of them have cellphones and are able to call for help, and the appropriate groups respond. Council could also direct the city to put more resources toward supporting the camp, Davey said.

Sampson: "No matter the location of centralizing, which I think is our next option to consider, what are we [going to do about crime]?” he asked fellow councillors — pointing out that not everyone in the camp is responsible for the crime, but it’s clear that some people are, if you listen to people who live near the camps. What about adding CCTV cameras?, he asked and city manager Walter Babicz said “it’s possible” but difficult, given provincial laws (more about that here but basically while businesses and individuals can set up cameras on their properties, cities can’t really do it on public spaces).

Sampson concluded his remarks saying no matter where the camp winds up going, he would want to have council direct police to have more patrols in the area and partner with surrounding properties to increase video surveillance, as possible.

Undecided.

Cori Ramsay

Up next was councillor Cori Ramsay who has previously pushed for no-barrier housing in the city. “There’s no perfect solution,” she said, and called both centralized and decentralized encampments a “lose-lose” situation.

But, she said, “I cannot commit to the status quo,” as it is clearly not working. “I live in Millar Addition,” she says. “I had my mountain bike stolen… we are all impacted by this… the proximity to this encampment does take a toll.”

But, she said, since the city is apparently stuck with Moccasin Flats, protected as it is by the courts, we need to figure out how to live with that. Since centralization is what’s on the table she will be supporting it, as tough as it was for her to do so — and then try to find ways to make the situation as safe as possible — because we can’t just keep putting this off and prolonging the status quo. She then welcomed the hate mail she expects to get for the decion.

In favour.

Brian Skakun

We know the encampment is going to stay there, he said. “I made a mistake months ago,” he said, when he voted against a centralized approach, because “look at Millennium Park, they destroyed it.”

Skakun asked Davey — if we pass this motion, we can stop people from setting up in other parks, right?

Davey said we can try — it will make it easier — but it will be “whack-a-mole” — with Millenium Park being particularly difficult to shut down.

Skakun said, look, people are coming here. He met a guy whose been living here on the streets after leaving Smithers two years ago. He’s going to support the motion to centralize, with enhanced policing and protection for the neighbourhood to go along with it.

In favour.

Ron Polillo

"It is a difficult decision but that’s why we’re here, to make difficult decisions,” he said. In his opinoin, council should have taken a centralized approach last year. “I agree with councillor Ramsay… I cannot support the status quo. I guess time will tell if this is the right approach or not… but this is moving forward.”

And, he said, this is just one part of a multi-part strategy to dealing with homelessness — not the end-all and be-all. “I’m willing to give this a try.”

In favour.

Trudy Klassen

She asked Adam Davey what other organizations in the city think of the centralized approach. Davey says last year there were various groups he spoke to and none of them are in favour of camps at all — and he hasn’t asked them since. “There’s really no consensus on the matter,” he said.

“Because we’re bound by the court to keep Lower Patricia… it’s certainly not anybody’s dream plan [but] we do need to do something.”

“We’re never going to eliminate homelessness,” because she doesn’t believe as a society we’re ever going to be meet everyone’s needs “but I think it’s important [because] it does provide a little bit of certainty.” She’ll be voting in favour, and she hopes council will also provides supports and secutity for the surrounding neighbourhood.

In favour.

Susan Scott

As councillors, we have a responsibility to support everyone in the city. She doesn’t believe the city has any other option but to have a centralized camp approach. She is aware some people think a homeless camp should be set up on the outskirts of town but that is not an option, due to the court case. Let’s start by cleaning up the other camps and then figure out how to deal with Moccasin Flats.

In favour.

Tim Bennett

He appreciates everyone who has reached out with comments on this proposal. He heard a lot of anxiety and anst and concern around safety, primarily from those who are living in the Millar Addition. He reiterates that this is one step in a multi-part plan. Also wants to acknolwedge that the people living in the camps are city residents, too, and relocation needs to be done in a responsible way.

In favour.

Garth Frizzell

This is a terrible place for an encampment. It’s right on a flood plain beside a residential neighbourhood but our hands are tied by the court ruling.

But with this in mind, we need to give people security — both those who have homes and those who do not. Making people spread out throughout the city is not helpful. “It’s not the best solution but it’s the solution we have.”

In favour.

Kyle Sampson, again

He hoped someone else would come up with a better idea, but they didn’t and he doesn’t have one, either. Decentralization isn’t working. Moccasin Flats is not a great location, in his mind, but the court has protected it, so people are going to camp there one way or another.

So to Adam Davey, he asked — what can we do to make this as safe as possible? How can we make sure emergency vehicles can easily get in and out? Davey said that’s not the plan right now — it’s to be a passive camp, not one that is actively maintained by the city, but that can change if council directs them. He does, however, warn against trying to “manage an unmanageable situation.” Sampson says — not right now. He says the centralized camp is the “least worst option.”

“We gotta try it.”

In favour.

Simon Yu

People inside the camp are citizens of Prince George, as well. We don’t know how many people are homeless right now. There’s no washroom. There’s no water. This is a temporary, passive solution until a better solution, a better location has been found. “I want to assure the citizens of Prince George, we are not here to make a decision to permantly centralize [a homeless camp].”

“Having said that, that location is under a court order… an encampment is there already… This is a temporary solution.”

“The situation is dynamic. We need to monitor it. We need to work with all stakeholders. We need to try our best to know every single person in there.” We need more permanent housing from B.C. Housing. We need to work with NGOs and First Nations. We need to visit the camp often, “on a daily basis” to make sure we know the situation, personally. “A permanent solution will be found. This is a temporary measure.”

In favour.

It passes unanimously.

Bonus motion on safety:

After that, Kyle Sampson motioned that council direct staff to look into options for more police presence and public safety measures in order to support the Millar Addition and surrounding areas.

That also passed unanimously.

Housing Needs Report: We need 1,000 more housing units a year

I can’t get deep into this right now but this is also a big one. Basically, the city has updated the Housing Needs Report, its gigantic master document on the types of dwellings available in the city, the cost of rent and purchasing homes and demographic trends to figure out what kind of buildings we’ll need in the years ahead. Mark this one down as something that will be referenced for at least the next four years.

Key findings, from the report:

• Average homesales prices have increased 169% between 2006 and 2021

• As of 2021, 17% of renter households are in core housing need • In 2021, 2.5% of owner households are in core housing need

• As of a 2021 point-in-time count, 168 people were experiencing homelessness • There are projected to be 16,632 seniors (65+) by 2031, an additional 300 seniors supported housing units will be needed in the next 10 years

• In 2020 there were 3,702 primary registered rental units. In 2016 there were 2016 9,440 renter households.

• Average rental unit prices have increased 79% between 2005 and 2021.

On average, council will need to approve about 1,000 new housing units a year in order to meet the projected needs.

A new subdivision in the Hart could go forward

Quick recap, courtesy the Citizen:

But at least some people in the area aren’t happy with the idea, and a lot have contacted city council. Council voted to move forward to the next step of the process, though this doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.

A new senior’s highrise is also on the table

The Citizen, again:

Despite administration saying this doesn’t meet the character of the neighbourhood, enough councillors thought it would be worth at least hearing from the developer out that this could still move forward. Councillors Ramsay, Scott, Bennett said they aren’t fully convinced the tower is a good, they are willing to move it to public hearing, which means the proponent can make their case and members of the public can share their own opinions on whether this tower is a good idea or not. Motion to move to public hearing passes with — I think — just Polillo opposing, saying it’s not right for the neighbourhood.

WE DID IT! THAT’S THE END OF THE NEWSLETTER! IT WILL BE SHORTER TOMORROW!

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