Bobs your uncle
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Closing Moccasin Flats will lead to other downtown problems: Advocate
PrinceGeorgeCitizen
73Permanent encampments are no solution for a number of reasons.-in very short order it becomes the wild west with shooting, stabbing, assaults, arson, etc.-becomes a hive of criminal activity with drug dealing and a clearing house for stolen merchandise -a drain on emergency services Moccasin Flats must be closed and bylaw must nip any other encampments that pop up in the wake the closure off in the budIt is disingenuous for Huggett, to say the problem is how society treats the poor. There are countless programs to help but some whinge "I don't want to follow the rules" To this group involuntary treatments programs may be the only answerLastly as articles have stated recently 70% of camp residents are indigenous and area bands must become more involved and should develop on reserve programs where those in crisis can receive culturally appropriate treatment under the guidance of tribal elders. Lastly#2 The revolving courthouse door must be nailed shut
- Bobs your uncle
Moccasin Flats fire destroys trailer
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 53$50,000?Those shacks were put together with bubble gum & baling wire $50 would be a more accurate estimate unless the fire department costs were included or maybe they tallied up the value of the stolen merchandise inside the shack Will be interesting to see how long after the big move to the Atco trailers before there is a major blaze
1- Bobs your uncle
Crime, vagancy prompts Fortis BC to leave downtown core
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 48Another nail in the coffin of the corpse known as downtown Prince George100 people that will no longer work downtown and likely shopping in surrounding business and eating at restaurants for lunch and after workBut by all means City of Prince George add a Bear Smart guy to the city's bloated payroll instead of an RCMP member that could be used exclusively in the CBD . I'm sure there will be a huge parade when the City of Prince George becomes Bear Smart certified. Has Carrier Sekani Family Services applied to the city to be granted a tax exemption yet or will they apply to have the property declared reserve land meaning no property tax and the city will have no say in future uses for the building and land?
3- Bobs your uncle
Structure fire at Prince George's Moccasin Flats
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 49Yet another fire. The person responsible is going to get a serious finger wag and a loud TSK TSK from the new downtown enforcement team. The city must condemn all these shacks until a more fireproof material such as gyprock is used for interior walls & ceiling. Plywood or OSB do not cut itBC Housing better have a plan to install sprinklers before they move these folks into the Atco slum or there will be fatalities.They are also starting to move people into the North Star so the fire department will have another potential major disaster on their hands. Should build a new fire hall in the area to protect the North Star, Chateau Atco & Knight's Inn. Right beside city hall would be a perfect location!
1- Bobs your uncle
Carrier Lumber president backs First Nation plea to restore local forest policy decision making
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 46If the massive clear cut that the McLeod Lake band did when they were given a license to harvest timber is any indication of First Nation forest stewardship policy then it's a hard no to give them more input on harvesting decisions
1- Bobs your uncle
Prince George terminates manager of bylaw services
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 44"Yu said he’d like to hear whether the vacant positions can be filled through internal promotion rather than external hiring"Rather that just plunking another warm body in the chair how about ensuring the position is required or if the department can function efficiently with those who remain. It is always easier to trim the fat through attrition Does the city really need a 4 person communications dept(5 with the $100k/yr position at the library). The cute little slogans are fine but with annual tax increases of 8%+ not a necessityA manager of bylaw services is probably a desk job. Can those duties be reassigned to others? Something that Blake McIntosh, Director of Civic Operations should explore before filling the position
- Bobs your uncle
Knights Inn supportive housing facility faces imminent closure
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 40It is no surprise that both the Knights Inn and the North Star Inn are both being destroyed by tenants faster than repairs can be made.The condition of Moccasin Flats from day one was an indication on what would happen to these fairly old buildings.Makes one wonder how Chateau Atco is holding upBC Housing should look at building transitional housing that mirrors the super max prison in Colorado. Concrete walls, small unbreakable windows, stainless steel toilets & sinksAnd some of these people wonder why landlords won't rent to them🙄On a side note how long after the Knights Inn meets the wrecking ball will the Performing Arts Center raise its head once again. To this I say referendum NOT the Alternate Approval Process. The city retires very little debt over the next decade and can ill afford to put another $70 million on the credit card.....plus the inevitable cost over runs
2- Bobs your uncle
Prince George council endorses federal application for addition to L'heidli T'enneh reserve lands
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 38The loss off taxes IMO is the least of the worries. There is already quite a few first nation properties that the city grants tax exemptions to. For example the PG Native Friendship Center has a number of properties, that get a $140k tax holiday every yearOf more concern is that if this becomes reserve land the city would have no say on what is developed on this land in the future. Case in point- on the lower mainland a band decided to erect some large video billboards beside a major bridge. The city had concerns about how the distraction would cause accidents and snarl traffic but as they would be built on reserve land their hands were tiedThat being said what would stop the Lheidli T’enneh from deciding that the conference center did not generate enough revenue so demolished the old theatre and built a huge casino in its place with adjoining parkade?I don't know if there are other regulations that could stop this, but the city would have no say in the matter
2- Bobs your uncle
Prince George terminates manager of bylaw services
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 40"declined to comment further or provide an interview"The City of Prince George communication department communicating!
- Bobs your uncle
Skakun opposed to counter-petition for pool refurbishment
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 39So Coun Skakun wants to see more info on the cost of a new pool does he?His time would be better spent demanding answers from the department head responsible for maintaining city buildings on why a 25 year old pool was allowed to get in such a poor state that the cost to bring it back to an acceptable standard is $22 millionOur house is 35 years old and I'm sure that we would be questioning if it is a tear down if we followed the city's lead when it comes to building maintenanceInstead we replaced the shingles when it was time and didn't wait until the roof leaked for years rotting the plywood and trusses and filling the attic and living space with black moldSimilar story with windows, doors and painted surfaces. When work needed doing it got done!The money spent on the house over the years is a small fraction of what it would cost to rebuild and the home is every bit as livable as move in day. This is a model for the city to aspire to.
- Bobs your uncle
Prince George terminates manager of bylaw services
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 36Mayor Yu the only full time member of council hears about the termination of a department manager through the grapevine?Fingers on the pulse of the city or busy packing his bags for a junket on the other side of the world or just sitting in his 5th floor office gazing out the window day dreaming about an IMAX theatre? On a positive note the city payroll has been reduced by $300k+. Salary of $138k x2 plus benefits although the buy out for the termination will eat into the savings
2- Bobs your uncle
Apartments evacuated after grenades found in RCMP search
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 38Fully automatic weapons!Handguns with ammunition!Hand grenades!!!!Why are they not appearing before a judge immediately and put behind bars as the investigation continues? It is not like they are going to miss work. This IS their work and has been shown time and time again they will be back in business by days end with replacement drugs and weapons brought up from the lower mainland
- Bobs your uncle
Patrol to clamp down on fire starters downtown
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 37"setting or maintaining a fire in a deliberately destructive manner"HELLO! That is called arson and should be charged as such!Enough with the kid glove treatment. Downtown will keep getting worse and worse if stricter action is not taken. Bylaw fines and charges that result in a small fine or a day or two in jail are laughable and those laughing the hardest are the zombies that wonder the streets of the CBD after dark
- Bobs your uncle
City launching survey to gauge if voters willing to pay for Aquatic Centre repairs
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 37The Aquatic Center is just the latest city owned building that where the most basic building maintenance is ignored year after year until it becomes a crisis. They say it shuts for a month for maintenance but that is pool specific and does nothing to address defects in the building itselfThe city has $33 million cash on hand from the Fortis lease deal. Use $22M of that to bring the Aquatic Center up to snuff and use the remainder to start properly maintaining other city owned buildingsLastly the city must beef up the annual maintenance budget above the $500k set aside for "emergency repairs"The city spends 100s of thousands/year on consultants to do building assessments and then do ZERO followup on the recommendations WE paid forEvery homeowner knows that if they wait until their shingles are all curled up & the roof is now leaking it will be much more expensive to set things right than if they had done repairs in a timely manner.
- Bobs your uncle
Pending demolition of Northern Interior Health Unit prompts Northern Health to find new locations for community health services
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 35The writing has been on the wall for quite some time but it looks like the Bay's days are numberedAnother brick & mortar retailer bites the dust
2- Bobs your uncle
Prince George firefighters deal with another fire at Moccasin Flats
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 34Groundhog day without Bill Murray
1- Bobs your uncle
RCMP arrest suspect in string of downtown Prince George burglaries
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 35On CSO(court services online) this guy has FIVE PAGES of charges from all across northern BC, Prince Rupert, Terrace, PG, Williams Lake dating back as far as 2002 with charges almost every year since thenIn addition to these latest charges in town he has a whole stack of charges in Williams Lake for B&Es, mischief & breach etc from Feb 2025It is obvious that he has learned nothing and will continue to offend if he is on the street.Our justice system has failed usCase in point. In 2021 he was found guilty of B&E received 1 year probation. In that year was before a judge again for mischief. His sentence this time TWO YEARS probation during which he committed a load more crimes. Takes too long to look at all of them but don't think he has ever spent much time in jailHigh time he spends a good stretch behind bars where he can get clean if need be and realize that any further offences will see real sentences not just a slap on the wrist
- Bobs your uncle
Another delay in CrossRoads arson case
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 32End of the day Titchener will spend some time in the pokey. It is standard practice for time spent in custody prior to sentencing to be credited two for one.In essence all these delays are shortening the time he will spend i jail. So it is advantageous for the defendant and his council to drag things out as long as possible.Judges must stop delaying cases moving forward on the lamest excuses.This is at least the second time that Rivard has failed to show up. Why does the judge let him get away with that?If adjournments are caused by actions of the accused or his lawyer then the 2 for 1 credit should be thrown out the window or an equal amount of time tacked on to his sentence
3- Bobs your uncle
Moccasin Flats fire causes $2K damage
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 32The city needs to go into Moccasin Flats with some heavy equipment and remove every single structure that were built without proper permits and definitely not up to the BC building code. This would include any old motor homes or campers that have ended up down thereOr will they wait until there is a Gustafson funeral pyre?
2- Bobs your uncle
Another tiny home destroyed by fire at Moccasin Flats
PrinceGeorgeCitizen 32If these shacks keep going up in smoke at this rate Canfor will be able to reopen Polar sawmillSo not all bad news I guess
1- Bobs your uncle
