The Monday, April 11, 2022 meeting of Prince George City Council began with a delegation from the 2022 BC Summer Games Society. Society President Renee McCloskey and Vice President Selen Alpay provided an update to Council regarding planning for the Games, which take place July 21 to 24 in Prince George. They invited the community to attend the 100 days out Torch Lighting event at 6pm at Canada Games Plaza this Wednesday.
Strengthening Communities Grant application approved
Council approved a request from Administration that the City of Prince George submit an application under UBCM’s 2022 Strengthening Communities’ Services Program to support unsheltered homeless populations and address related community impacts and authorized the City Manager to enter into any associated funding agreements. The City of Prince George can apply for up to $625,000, the maximum amount available to communities with a population of 75,000 – 200,000.
Input from City leadership, together with that of partner agencies and interested parties, informed the development of initiatives comprising the City’s 2022 application.
Those initiatives include:
- Reducing community concerns about security in neighbourhoods where unsheltered homeless populations are seeking temporary shelter;
- Providing secure and monitored access to the new downtown pool;
- Increasing the capacity of the City of Prince George to work with urban Indigenous organizations providing services for unsheltered individuals;
- Installing modern needle drop boxes in targeted locations and;
- Implementing short-term initiatives aligned with preliminary findings emerging from the City’s evaluation project.
The application deadline is April 22, 2022. Applicants will be advised of the status of their applications within 90 days.
Seasonal on-street and sidewalk patios update
At the request of Council, City Administration provided Council with information related to the process for seasonal on-street and sidewalk patios. Recently, Administration created an easy-to-read information guide to provide a clear overview of the steps and information needed for business owners to obtain a seasonal on street or sidewalk patio permit at a flat rate of $250 for each patio permit.
Public hearing on proposed Queensway liquor store
A formal public hearing was held on a proposed rezoning for a property at 1933 Queensway, which would allow a liquor store at the location. The City received extensive public feedback about the proposal, including from residents of the nearby Millar Addition, VLA, and Connaught neighbourhoods, Council voted unanimously to support the application.
All of the reports and other materials from the April 12 meeting of Council are available on the Council agenda.