It is going to be very interesting to see if Council members will address any of the concerns be they vocal or written comments. Just think of the efforts of each individual spent on their submissions – whether they support or oppose the OCP change. My feeling is there is overwhelming opposition to the proposed OCP changes. Which Councillor will support the changes and why?

Good job Haldi Community in getting the word out….hopefully the other neighborhoods will realize that what is happening to Haldi could easily happen to them next if this OCP amendment is allowed to pass. Haldi Recovery Centre is only one issue, but there could be various other issues in other communities that the Council may feel obliged to push through, not necessarily in the best interest of the community but for their own selfish reasons. The city should not be allowed to operate as a dictatorship as they are trying to do by pushing through this OCP change to enable an investor to make good on his investment. Why do they not respect the decision of the court when the first rezoning was reversed. It appears the law comes secondary to their quest to satisfy an investor and anyone who can profit from this. What about the neighborhoods who are being walked all over in the process…they don’t count at all…they just have to pay the taxes for this administration to do as they darn well like. This is NOT democracy! We can stop it, first with information and then with action.

The measure of a society is how it treats its weakest members. What is the word we are trying to spread?

This is just sad…

Saw the sign on Ospika yesterday. Good for them! Does anyone know if there is a petition against this in circulation, and if so, where do we go to sign it? Or, are letters to City Hall the better way to go?

Here is the online petition to Decline OCP Amendment Bylaw 8383 2011

http://www.activism.com/en_CA/petition/city-of-prince-george-to-decline-ocp-bylaw-8383-2011-amendment/41613

If you live in Prince George please sign
Make sure you use full name and verified email address

In the effort to inform all citizen and residents of P.G.,Please forward the info to family, friends and coworkers.

Weakest members?

Interesting concept.
1. people who moved there, thought that was always going to be a school – not a drug treatment center.
2. Even if the current proponents are correct, and it will be well run, there is no certainty they won’t shut it down due to lack of funding, and something else take it’s place, like a residential care facility for at-risk youth.
3. Are senior citizens considered weak members. Seniors do live in the neighborhood, they will see their property value decline, they will feel threatened by a facility housing recovering drug addicts (and potentially something worse), and they have no ability to go re earn the equity lost in their homes from the neighborhood downgrade.
4. If this is such a great idea, then perhaps the city can purchase the houses of all the Haldi residents who don’t want this facility (at valuations prior to the facility coming), and since this facility is such a harmless project, the city should have no problem selling the same houses at the same prices paid, and people who think this is a great facility, can sell their houses and move there.
5. And let’s not forget the motto that means a lot in this country – “we were here first” The Haldi residents were there first, why should they be compelled to accept something that was never in the cards when they moved there. They should be properly compensated, as should the other people who were here first and then got run over by newcomers.

The weakest members here, are homeowners watching their house value be reduced, their neighborhood being changed, their personal and children’s safety possibly comprised (remember, this facility can be used for anything in the new OCP, including group homes for troubled youth). And these citizens, have to use their own resources, to fight a city with unlimited resources who has already been told by one judge to knock it off so they’re doing an end run.

There are group homes for troubled youth throughout the city. Don’t hear anyone complaining about them. They have have curfews and rules that are followed. Different from the free range teens we are raising that haven’t been caught yet.

Group homes throughout the city are just that homes NOT Institutions ( housing large #’s ) being placed in residential, rural areas. Big Difference! The character of any neighbourhood could forever change if these insitutions are placed into the heart of any area.

Email would be the quickest way: Email: cityclerk@city.pg.bc.ca

Letters written to Council for action or consideration should be addressed to:

Mayor and Council City of Prince George 1100 Patricia Boulevard Prince George, BC V2L 3V9

Handwritten letters must be legible; all correspondence must be signed. Unsigned correspondence or petitions will not be forwarded to Council. Email correspondence must include a telephone number so that writers can be contacted for confirmation in lieu of a signature.

The letter will appear in the information section of the next Council agenda package with a notation indicating its disposition; the response or report will be included in either the earliest possible Council agenda package or information section. Writers will be advised of the disposition of such letters after their receipt by the Legislative Services office.

Your personal information will be blocked out eg: signature and phone#.

oldcoot writes:
“There are group homes for troubled youth throughout the city. Don’t hear anyone complaining about them.”

There is a big difference between 6 people allowed and 30 that are proposed for this site. Don’t forget the places you talk about have the infrastrusture.

Did you know there are other cities starting places up at the jails? In fact they are provincially funded.

There is a big difference between the lot size of a school and a residential dwelling. How close is the nearest home to the proposed facility? I would assume it is more than the 8 feet between houses in the new residential sub divisions.

If “Institutional Facilities” are to be placed in any city, they should be carfully planned and not just blanketed as we are seeing with this amendment to the OCP. Public input and planning over a 6 month period was done and just overhauled in mid 2011.

The new OCP was passed in council June 2012. The city should have done due diligence with this situation back then. The Haldi fiasco started before this and the city was still working on the OCP. I would take it that they figured they did not have to, as they do want they want….

Oldcoot….A residential dwelling can be on acerage and we are not talking about the haldi School (which has been a residential dwelling for almost a decade). This “blanket” amendment to the OCP will allow Intitutional Care Facilities in ANY residential or rural neighbourhood in Prince George NOT just the Haldi location. In laymon terms for example if you keep talking about schools…. with this amendment to the OCP…with the schools that have closed and perhaps with more closures…People could see these facilities there. Gladstone, North Nechako,(which is still zoned Istitutional) to name a few. Honestly, do you know that citizens would be OK to see their childrens school (which could be why people purchased their homes ) in their neighbourhood to now change to a rehab? OR any residential home could now be easily change if this amendment is permitted by our mayor and council. B.C. assesment says 5788 Leslie road IS A RESIDENTIAL HOME!!

Regarding opposition to the OCP changes…Writing a letter to Mayor and Council is the most effective way as one can state reasons for opposing and possibly alternatives for consideration by council. Letters are given much more value. Signing a petition only indicates numbers opposed. There is nothing wrong with doing both. You may also want to consider putting up a sign on your yard.

Haldi road residents, or any resident that objects to this too risky change to the OCP does not have to continually defend their position.

The first round was already tested in the court of law and was struck down. That should be it for the Haldi road case in particular.

So the investors allow their representatives to find a loophole to come in round the side door, to apply a broad change to the OCP, in general.

You know, I could at least buy in a wee squeaky bit if I for one bloody minute felt that this venture (women’s recovery centre) was actually due to some philanthropic gesture, in the name of social advocacy and just plain altruism – as opposed to wealthy cats making a quick buck on what they were sold as a “done deal”…pathetic and you should all be ashamed.

To the true advocates of a women’s recovery centre in Prince George – your good will and positive motives are just being used and manipulated to further their game.

The court decision was not a decision about the merits of allowing the treatment centre. Rather, what the court said was that the city did not have the authority to do it in violation of the OCP. The current question is whether to amend the OCP.

HappyInMyWorld, Your splitting hairs here. I was referring to lot sizes. The property in question used to be a school. Normally schools are built on large lots. Would you agree?

Oldcoot – schools are built on large lots. Yes I agree. :) The point I was trying to make was that this is not a home housing a few youth, seniors or Moms (I would be OK with that and probably wouldn’t notice) but rather an Istitutional facility housing large #’s surrounded by residential homes and small home businesses. This amendment to the OCP, if permitted could see a large facility in yours and anyones neighbourhood.

NRCWS and the Haldi neighbourhood have been smeared by this proposal. It is clearly obviuos that there is alot of work to do that still needs to be fine tuned for this process. IMO the city planners and council should not accept this application. If its gonna be done, let’s get it right! Together.

If a facility similar to this was right next door to me in a typical residential neighborhood I might have a problem with it. If my home backed onto a facility on a lot the size of a school lot ,I would not. That’s how I feel. I doubt that they would still be outside hooting and hollering at 4:00 am. Probably wouldn’t have 4 barking dogs that they allow out in shifts for constant noise.

How many women in Prince George would actually use this facility. In other words, do we have sufficient women that need this facility??? Considering that it is a 30 bed facility, I would suggest that those in the City of Prince George who would actually go into the facilities would be minimal.

Soooooo. In order to keep the 30 beds full, and get the best bang for their dollar, this facilitie will be open to anyone in the Province (especially in the BC Northwest portion) . At some point this would also include referrals from Corrections Canada. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves.

The facilities are somewhat of an extension of the Corrections System, and people go to the rehab as part of their conditions of release.

I suggest that the best place for the facility would be Hudta Lake, and Im sure that most people (with the exception of the proponents of Haldi Road Centre) would agree.

So lets locate it a Hudta Lake, and stop this bloody Haldi Road fiasco.

We need to send a message to City Hall, the best way to do this is to ensure that the changes to the OCP do not take place. If the City ignores the citizens of PG and puts through the changes, then we should all support the Haldi Road Group (monetarily) to take this issue back to the courts.

Residents of PG can send a message to the proponents. Stop patronizing their businesses and hit them in the pocket book. That is probably the only thing that will get their attention.

Which business’s would be on the boycott list?