FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prince George, BC – Prince George City Council continues to support Provincial authorities as they work to identify housing solutions for unhoused individuals. The following provides an update for residents on the status of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and Province that was signed in June last year. This partnership reinforces the Provincial responsibility for housing, healthcare, and encampments and the City’s commitment to supporting the Province’s work.
The Province’s work, led through the HEART (Homeless Encampment Action Response Team) and HEARTH (Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing) initiative, is being implemented through BC Housing. City staff are in regular communication with BC Housing and Ministry of Housing staff and continue to work to understand the Province’s “on-the-ground” vision for Prince George. The City understands that it will take time to implement elements of the initiative and see measurable changes and improvements that are urgently needed.
City Council believes that a personal tour of relevant areas of the City will be an important element in fully appreciating the conditions on the ground and challenges faced by the community, including the downtown business area, along Lower Patricia Boulevard and the adjacent Millar Addition. As such Prince George City Council has extended a meeting request to the Premier and the Minister of Housing to visit Prince George to discuss the Provincial-City partnership under the MOU and realign on some key Provincial objectives in a manner which is matched with priorities for the Prince George community.
Responding to homelessness is amongst the most complex issues being faced by the City, the Province and across all of Canada. The role of the City remains limited and Prince George, like other municipalities, relies on the Province who have the responsibility for shelter and housing, health care (including mental health care and addictions) and poverty reduction. The role of municipalities is to support the Province as it works to address these issues, and that is something the City of Prince George is committed to. The City has and continues to advocate that the June 2023 MOU is the blueprint for a successful partnership and these issues are best addressed through a combination of Provincial resources and expertise plus City on the ground experience.
City of Prince George commitment
The City will continue to honour the commitments made under the MOU with the Province and advocate to achieve:
- suitable housing for the unhoused community;
- improvements to homelessness-related downtown public safety issues; and
- conditions that would allow the Lower Patricia encampment to transition from a full-time encampment to a temporary overnight sheltering model.
Stop Work and Do Not Occupy Notices – Lower Patricia Encampment
The encampment area along Lower Patricia Boulevard is currently protected by an October 2021 order made by the BC Supreme Court which operates to protect the area for encampment purposes. The City will not be in a position to apply to the court for an order to decamp the property until sufficient accessible shelter or housing has been made available for the occupants of that encampment. The creation of such shelter or housing is a key objective of City Council.
In the meantime, the City continues to take steps to promote health and safety within that site, including maintaining a route through the site to allow for emergency vehicle access and continuing to provide fire safety information to occupants. Through this work, the City has observed numerous permanent shelter structures under construction on the site.
The City understands the shelters are being constructed with the support of well-intended members of the community in an effort to improve conditions for those in the area. The City is mindful, however, that under its Building Bylaw it holds authority over construction approval within the City, including requiring that dwelling places are built to the standards of the BC Building Code. In the case of Lower Patricia, there is no authority under the court order or any City bylaw to allow permanent shelters to be constructed on the site. To ensure that occupants and members of the community understand that the structures are not being constructed with City approval or to the standards of the BC Building Code, the City has affixed “Stop Work” and “Do Not Occupy” notices to these structures.
The intention of this is to ensure that occupants and visitors are aware the structures may not be safe to occupy. The City has no present intention to take any further enforcement steps against these structures but confirms that the use of these unregulated dwellings is not part of the long-term vision for the property. It is expected that they will be removed once the Province makes accessible shelter and housing available to the occupants of the encampment.
The City intends to continue to monitor unapproved construction within the Lower Patricia and post similar notices on any new structures.
The safety issues remain an ongoing concern, and the City is working via the Bylaw teams, Fire and Rescue services, and the RCMP to inform occupants of the ongoing risks.
Proposed Transitional Shelter Facility site – 3rd Avenue
Since the spring of 2023, the City has been advocating for the Province to create a transitional shelter facility to address the city’s needs for the provision of safe shelter space for the unhoused. This transitional facility was proposed to be temporarily located within an approximately two acre collection of Provincial and City-owned parcels bordered by London Street, 3rd Avenue, Lower Patricia Boulevard and 4th Avenue.
The proposed purposes of the transitional shelter facility are to provide critical immediate indoor shelter for those presently sheltering outdoors; and to provide a hub for “daily needs” services for this community. The City’s proposal is for BC Housing to use the transitional shelter facility as a safe landing place for unsheltered individuals this winter and to give BC Housing the space to work out long-term housing solutions for these individuals. The design and construction concept the City agreed to, is to assemble modular trailer units in a manner similar to what BC Housing has done in other areas of the province.
The City continues to advocate for this project to be expedited and for the provision of meals, overdose prevention services and other health services on the site.
BC Housing purchased the North Star Inn (1550 Patricia Blvd)
The City is supportive of the investments of expertise and resources being made in Prince George to address the shortages in shelter space, housing and support for the unhoused. Outside of a consultative process with the City, and contrary to the City’s vision as expressed through the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, the Province purchased the North Star Inn property located at the intersection of Highway 16 and Patricia Bouvard and announced its intention to use the site for shelter and housing purposes.
The current zoning designation for the North Star Inn property does not permit the property to be used for shelter or housing, and the usual process for a property owner wishing to make a use of property which is not permitted by the Zoning Bylaw is to make a “rezoning” application to the City. The rezoning process allows a property owner to explain why a new use of property ought to be allowed and for City staff to provide analysis and comments. This information is then provided to Council, which goes through a formal process to consider and either approve or refuse the rezoning request. Importantly, this process includes an element of public participation.
The City has expressed to the Province that if the intention is to use the North Star Inn property for shelter and housing, it must go through a formal rezoning process. Under the law, however, the Province of British Columbia is not subject to local bylaws, and in this case it need not abide by the Zoning Bylaw. The City is continuing to advocate that the Province engage the City’s land use processes so that Council and members of the public can better understand the intended uses of the property and potential impacts on the surrounding community.
1st Avenue Housing project
In 2020 the City purchased a $4 million property on 1st Avenue, near Queensway, for the provision of supportive housing and affordable housing in partnership with Northern Health and BC Housing. A portion of this property has been leased to BC Housing and 50 units of modular housing for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness opened in June 2022. It is anticipated that Phase 2 will begin construction in spring 2024. This BC Housing project will include 51 additional supportive housing units as well as an integrated healthcare space operated by Northern Health.
The City continues to strongly encourage the Province to use this property for its intended purpose and to expedite construction to address the immediate needs of the community.
Bill 45 legislation
During the fall legislative session, the Province introduced Bill 45, which includes an amendment intended to ensure that shelter space for unhoused people meets basis standards of suitability. Amendments to the Vancouver Charter and Community Charter add a description of “reasonably available alternative shelter” to encampments in the context of local government court actions and discussions of shelter. The proposed legislation, however, was quickly recognized by municipalities and by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) of likely having the unintended consequences of limiting encampment responses by municipalities and creating more barriers to supporting community safety. Council and administration are in agreement with the statements made by UBCM President Trish Mandewo and support UBCM's request to have this Bill withdrawn by the Province.
Despite widespread opposition, Bill 45 was passed into law on the final day of the fall legislative session but has not yet been proclaimed by the Province to be in force. The Province has indicated that it is now gathering more information about the legislative amendment before taking further steps. Prince George, along with other municipalities, have been invited by UBCM to share the City’s views on how Bill 45 will impact the community’s approach to encampments and homelessness.
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Media contact
Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor
City of Prince George
Mobile: 778-349-1386
Email: media@princegeorge.ca