Prince George, B.C. – The City of Prince George has filed it’s response to the court action that challenges the validity of amendments to the Official Community Plan and the zoning bylaw which cleared the way for the development of a recovery centre for women in the Haldi Road region.

 

The area residents have launched legal action, calling on the court to quash the re-zoning and amendments to the Official Community Plan. They  say the land use is inconsistent with a rural lifestyle and therefore inconsistent with the Official Community plan. 

 

The City’s response points to another OCP challenge case where it was ruled “the question of inconsistency is a matter of interpretation and that it is not possible to promote each of the objectives stated in an OCP equally in a single instance.”

 

The Haldi residents’ case also disputes the actual use of the property, saying the recovery centre is institutional, and not “housing”. The City’s response says “Regardless of the institutional aspects of special needs housing in this instance, Council was fully aware of them and consciously and deliberately intended to permit that use in that rural area on that former school site.”

 

The City’s lawyers estimate it will take two days to present their case in court. There has been no date set for the Supreme Court to hear this matter.

 

Last week, the Haldi residents dropped the portion of their action which asked the court to rule on whether or not Mayor Green was in conflict when voting  on the matter. That argument was based on BID Group President Brian Fehr telling a reporter he and the Mayor are “old friends”.   The Mayor and Fehr have since denied that such a relationship exists. Fehr is co-owner of the property where the recovery centre is being built.