THEY WON!!!
Friday, August 17, 2012 @ 1:30 PM
Prince George, B.C. – Many of the residents in the Haldi Road region of Prince George are jumping for joy.
They have won the court case they launched to prevent the City of Prince George from re-zoning a piece of property for the use as a recovery centre for women.
The case was heard in B.C. Supreme Court last April by Justice John Truscott.
Lawyer Roy Stewart acted for one of the residents, Janice Louise Sevin, and argued the City had not acted within reason in approving the re-zoning by-law outside of what the Official Community Plan stipulates is a rural residential area.
“We are thrilled” says local area resident Laura Jagodnik, who had lead the charge since news of the plans for the former Haldi Road Elementary School had been unveiled. “We are just getting the news ourselves on this precedent setting case, so we still have to hear all the details, but I fell like a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders.”
Members of the Haldi Road community had protested the planned recovery centre saying it did not fit with the rural residential zoning of their neighbourhood.
During the court proceedings, Stewart said the assertion by the City that a therapeutic centre is a residential use is flawed. He said the assertion is made because the area is designed for residential use only under the OCP and that the City’s assertion that 30 women needing treatment in residence, being dealt with by up to 10 staff in a facility with high security is so blatantly wrong from a logical point of view. He told the court, “the Official Community Plan is there as a long-term plan and any by-law has to comply with it, it has to be consistent with it. And the Official Community Plan for this area describes it as rural-residential. And so, if you want to put an institution with therapeutic treatment in a rural-residential area you’re going to have to prove that it’s a rural-residential use. The City cannot draw upon the O.C.P. in such a way as to make it nothing more than a fictional effort to regulate development, they have to comply with it.”
Opinion 250 has left messages with City of Prince George officials for their reaction to this court ruling and is trying to contact the project proponents for their comments.
Comments
YES!
YES!!
YES!!!
One for the **Gipper**.
Yay!!!!!
Well done Haldi! Congrats!
That is great news. The project from the beginning didn’t sit right with the residents for many reasons. Council and city planners may want to be a bit more cautious next time before they try and push a rezoning through.
What is wrong with using the empty space at Baldy Hughes?
Strike two!
First the dike and now this, shame on you City Council.
Very good news!!!
There is a real nice facility at (spelling?) Hudta Lake.. They could set up shop there, I doubt the neighbors would complain.
this is what should happen when the elected officials DO NOT represent the voters
The Petitioner’s name is Janice not Louis. Typing error or not checking facts maybe?
Congratulations! Is the city going to appeal? I have an issue that I would like to pursue in court but my pockets aren’t deep enough to do so! It feels bad to know that one is 100% right but can not afford to take on the establishment for purely monetary reasons.
guesswhat,
thank you for pointing out the error, Louise is the petitioner’s middle name. I have since corrected the copy.
Elaine Macdonald
PrinceGeorge wrote: “It feels bad to know that one is 100% right but can not afford to take on the establishment for purely monetary reasons.”
I do not have a problem with someone not getting monetary reasons on a case like this. My problem is that the Haldi Road people only get about 1/3 of their monies back from the system…………Should be the full amount..
The normal person still pays and pays and pays………..
With this decision I have just changed my mind about buying shares in a water trucking company.
Great news not only for the Haldi residents but for every person in the City of Prince George and elsewhere who rely upon their elected officials to do what is right for the people, consistent with official community plans. Hopefully now the proponents of the Recovery Centre can move on and secure a facility for their purposes in an area where it is suitable and be successful.Perhaps the abandoned Hudta Lake property and facilities will now garner the attention it deserves.
The headline states that “The city must pay….” It’s not the city, 250 News. The headline should read, “Taxpayers must pay….” Ya think the ninnies at city hall will pay this with their own money? Duh! Another reason to add to our $111 million dollar debt and ever rising taxes. What a town! Blame the ninnies at city hall and those who were dumb enough to vote them in again. This will be forgotten by the time the next election rolls around again. Carry on.
The headline for this story is not exactly what one would expect from an unbiased news organization.
Not that I don’t agree, it just doesn’t look very good. I now have to wonder about other stories published here… As in hmmmm… Well that’s 250’s opinion, but what’s the real story.
Just sayin’
Well…it is called ‘opinion 250’…
Just sayin’
Northernjoe, you took the words right out of my mouth. It’s either a news site or a blog, they have to make up their mind.
Harbinger! I happen to be one of the ninnies who voted these asses into office. I realize my mistake now and apologize. You are right we were ninnies but you are wrong in the other direction. I am hearing many who regret putting green into office. She is a promise-breaker and photo opportunist! Nothing more! I doubt she will get back in. A leopard does not change its spots.
What would you expect them to say? Haldi Residents won their court case. Should the headline read Haldi Road residents have received word that the challenge they put forward on the zoning of the new proposed group home has been successful.
The won for Godâs sakes, had they lost the headline should have read, they lost. Get a grip.
Who are you the editor for ?
Exactly sonya6, you’d almost thing all the whinners had financial interests in the place from all the site attacks going on.
@sonya66
“what would you expect them to say?”
Your comments are a bit harsh, considering Northernjoe was bang on in his observation. One would expect an impartial news site’s headline to read exactly what you stated in your second line. (ie. “Haldi residents win court case”).
Solid CAPS followed by three exclamation posts is hardly an indication of objectivity. That font would have been better reserved for the “Views” section where Ben stores his editorials.
Perhaps some should put their comments to other media also such as the heading in the Citizen paper. It says “Resident wins legal battle over treatment centre”
How about it stick to the facts – Resident wins legal battle with the City of Prince George….
Everyone has an opinion and some on this site as well as other media will find fault. Can not keep everyone happy.
To me the large capitals is a surprise…to win a case like this does not happen often and to most people is a shocker/unbelievable.
western2…How about no incumbents for the next election? What do we have to lose? There should be a book in print for just a scenario. Called “Municipal Politics for Dummies”.
Any monetary compensation forthcoming for bad mouthing and casting aspersions and the character assassinations of the Haldi Rd. residents during this episode? Maybe a tax break in lieu of cash.
western2…How about no incumbents for the next election? What do we have to lose? There should be a book in print for just a scenario. Called “Municipal Politics for Dummies”.
“Municipal Politics for Dummies”
So might this include a section on subjects such as….
Political promises,probable to keep
Political promises,improbable to keep
Political promises,impossible to keep
Political promises,just a pile of BS
Sorry..just a pile of BS should have gone at the top of the list.
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