Here are some highlights from the August 19, 2024, City Council meeting. For more information – including the full agenda listing – read the Regular Council Meeting Agenda and its attachments.
Enhanced patrols update
Council received a report highlighting the results of the downtown enhanced patrols from May and June. The patrols were conducted with City bylaw staff and Fire and Rescue personnel.
The report details the observations during the patrols. There was an average of 45 people located outside not including those sheltering at the Lower Patricia Boulevard Encampment (LPBE). These individuals were gathering on downtown streets and were generally in groups of three or four. The report also states 58 fires were located throughout the patrols, some of which were unattended. All were easy to extinguish but left marks/damage on the surfaces where they were burning.
Council approved a number of recommendations from the report including having staff explore options to reduce the availability of combustible materials.
Housing target order
Council received a report outlining the Housing Target Order for Prince George that was announced by the Minister for Housing at the beginning of the month.
The housing target for the City of Prince George is 1,803 net new completed units over five years (2024-2029).
Regular progress reports will track housing completions, demolitions, building permits, and projects in development, alongside municipal actions to support increased housing. The first progress report will be published in early spring 2025, following six months of the Housing Target Order's implementation.
More information on the Housing Target Order can be found here.
Joint MOU proposal
At the July 22 meeting, council resolved to organize meetings with local representatives from all orders of government to develop a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help address regional gaps and advocate for mental health and addiction treatment options in the region.
Last night, Council received a report from the Mayor providing an outline of an MOU for all orders of government to sign to move such advocacy work forward.
The draft MOU text explains that the priorities for the region are:
- Expanded addiction treatment options with interest in a regional treatment center;
- Enhanced regional healthcare services with a focus on staffing;
- Timely public safety responses that address immediate needs and root causes; and
- Economic development opportunities, including tools to address local infrastructure
Council authorized the Mayor to sign the MOU and invite representatives from other orders of government to sign the proposed MOU as well.
Pending confirmation from other orders of government a signing ceremony would be organized ahead of the 2024 September UBCM meeting. This document could be used to demonstrate regional commitment to the items that the City of Prince Goerge, Regional District Fraser Fort George and Lheidli T’enneh First Nation may raise in meetings with government officials at UBCM.
July building permit summary
Council received a building permit and development permit summary for July with 46 permits issued for the month. The report includes all residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional permits, and the estimated total construction value of each development.
The July total is made up of nine commercial/industrial permit and 37 residential permits, worth a combined total of $37.4 million. The month continued the strong year for permits.
The year-to-date total as at the end of July is 253 permits worth a combined $198 million. The year-to-date total for the previous year 2023 was 220 permits totalling $81 million.
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Media contact:
Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor
Mobile: 778-349-1386
Email: media@princegeorge.ca