Can it, fix roads and lower our taxes.

Nope, one or the other

1.88 million cheaper. I bet cost over runs will take care of that gap.

So how much have we spent on doing studies on this building. Stop pilfering away the construction budget on these studies.

Somebody please make them stop. 44.7 million dollars for a police station is asinine.

STOP!
The RCMP are a federal service. Why is this municipality building them new digs?
Why isn't the RCMP or the federal government providing their own building?

They have the old lockup downtown and the new one on fifth plus the special drug squad has their fortress on 22nd avenue.

I would say that the most cost effective solution is to NOT build their new building at all. Let the RCMP or the federal government foot the bill.

Not only that, they have selected the wrong location. It should go down on Queensway or gorse between 15th and 20th avenue. Right where they pushed all the hookers and drug dealers.

I really wish the DBIA would give it a rest already! Absolutely no clue on how to support downtown businesses. Idiots!
This group is so hell bent on its own agenda that it fails to realize the harm it will do. If downtown business owners felt that this would benefit them they would be chomping at the bit to get on board.
Council: SAY NO!!

Loki. The City hires the RCMP on a contractual basis and pays 85% or more of their salary. In addition we supply them with and pay for 50 staff members to run their organization. We of course (as part of the contract) supply an appropriate police station.

The Police Station on 5th and Ospika, is a Regional Police station and is paid for by the Regional District, and the Province of British Columbia.

The 22nd Avenue operation is I beleive a Federal, Provincial operation, and paid for by those Governments. No cost to the City as far as I know.

This will be the third NEW Police Station to be built in Prince George in the last 50 Years, so it is pretty obvious that we are unable to do any long term planning.

The 8th and Brunswick Station could be renovated and upgraded for a hell of a lot less than what it will cost for a new building, however the City Mayor, Councillors, and Planners, obviously want a new building. Seems what we want means nothing.

Much like the HST where 82% of the people in the Province are against this tax, but Mr. Bell goes on to say it is a good tax for business, and he supports it.

So even when you have 82% of the people against a project, or tax, it still gets shoved down your throat.

Is this **Democracy** at work. Or is it a continuation of the philosopy of gouging the taxpayers. because you can.

Thanks for the info. So what you are saying is that we have met our contractual obligations to the RCMP. They have a building, if they want more or better, they can stack a few more floors on the existing one downtown. To do otherwise would be fiscally irresponsible.

The only new RCMP building I would support would be the corner of Queensway and 17th or one of the one I previously mentioned. I would even support one on strathcona. That should clean up that area by putting enforcement where it is needed.

Let them wallow in the filth they are charged with cleaning up.

Downtown PG.

Priority One, Get rid of the pawn shops
Priority Two, Get the rifraffs out of there
Priority Three, Move the social housing out of there.
Priority four, No more putting out fires downtown. let her burn to the ground.

Loki wrote: "Not only that, they have selected the wrong location"

Very much agree with that. That site is in one of the potential high commercial value areas of downtown.

The building is supposed to be good for 50 years probably. The current building is about that old.

While the City has not grown in population in the last 20 and possibly even 30 years, it is likely to grow over the next 50. As it does, that property will become more valuable and the City will have a lost opportunity of a development on that site that fits with the office precinct it is in which typically has improvements of 5 times to 10 times the property value. That is as lot of taxes.

Whether the wannabe planners at City Hall like it or not, Victoria is the PG's office street. Using that site for a cop shop is poor planning.

A bit off topic I know, but can anyone tell me in the history of Canadian Politics that the populace was given the opportunity to vote on a new tax?

And if every new tax was put to a referendum, how do you think people would vote?

I still think the City lost a huge opportunity by not buying the Bingo Palace and retrofitting it for the cop shop.

"Social housing" ... as opposed to "anti-social housing"?

We are able to come up with such wonderful euphemisms, aren't we. We really are scared of facing reality. I think if we faced reality we would be able to understand each other much more easily when we spoke about such matters as "social housing".

Low income housing.

No income housing.

Single parents with a low income housing.

Substance abuser recovery housing.

Transition from incarceration housing.

Abused women housing.

etc. etc.

Junco, in a round about way, the city did buy the old bingo palace to build the new cop shop.

Democracy?...what democracy?
Does it even exist anymore?
Pat Bell was elected by the constituents in his home riding to represent them.
As Palopu rightly says,82 percent of the populace do not support the HST.
But here is Pat Bell the rocket scientist saying he supports it and guess what you are going to get?
Which can only mean that Bell does not give a tinkers damn about what the people who elected him think!
The only conclusion I can reach from Bells attitude is that he should be voted out!
Does he work for the people who voted for him...or do they work for him?
Obviously Pat Bell,like so many others,works for Gordon Campbell and does what Campbell tells him to do.
What the people think is irrellevant!
Something very wrong with that picture!

Does anyone remember Frank Oberly?He claimed GST was good for us.His constituants did`n!!He should have listened. He was`nt realected

Ahhh Frank Oberly!
Now there was a trough feeder if there ever was one!
I actually voted for him once...notice I say "once"!

While many people have their concerns about where the new police station should be located, the sad truth is the city is not listening to the wise voices who point out that the 4th and Victoria site does not meet the criteria for location of an emergency response center(included in the new police station). It is too close to places of possible disaster and how do you organize a response if you have to evacuate the ERC. Possible dangers from CN, Hwy 16(Victoria) such as chemical leaks/spills, fires, explosion, or natural disasters such as flooding and earthquake, extreme weather etc.
You want this center built on high, solid ground a fair distance from dangerous goods routes and rivers or steep slopes.
There has been a hard push to get this new station built on the old bingo lot, to the benefit of a few influential businessmen, and the tired old view of 'build it downtown to help revitalization'.

If the Police station has to be moved, why not use the old Chev dealership building at the corner of the gateway (20th-Victoria)? Being a high profile car lot on the edge of the "Hood" I imagine all the security is all in place. I apposed this move way back when they kicked out Big brothers and Big Sisters now they want more municipal dollars?? WTFiretuck?

Old Norgate Autobody, the parkade across from it,along with the two old service stations across from city hall. Close the short portion of sixth ave by Norgate,install a walkway over to the parkade and BINGO, you have a state of the art facility for a fraction of the cost. Sell the Victoria St. site for commercial developement, help pay for the new Cop Shop. Good plan or not???

Dont forget the City owns the property on 2nd and Brunswick. (Used to be a call Centre). This building was fully wired at a huge cost to IPG and the City. This could be one location. Another would be the old Williams Moving and Storage building East of Queensway. (City owns this property) Also we have the option mentioned of the Norgagte Auto land, and of course we wouldnt want to forget the land the City owns where we have the old Outrigger, and Radio Station. Then of course we could renovate the present building. These are only some of the areas that the City owns. I am sure there are more.

Bottom line is the City is hell bent to locate on 4th and Victoria, and it will take a lot of convincing to get them to change. Remember we almost had a Revolution to get them to back away from building the Co-Generation plant below the schools and churches on Patricia.

The City is the worst polluter and poorest planners in Prince George. They have no consideration for anyone when it comes to where they want to build. The homeless building on 17th and Queensway is another example.

Lets see what they discuss at the meeting to-night. My guess is, that it will be full speed ahead and to hell with the concerns of the lowly citizens.

Someone wants a high profile copshop, and they want it on a high profile, valuable corner; 4th and Vic. What sensible people want, or what they advise, is not in the program. Since when has city hall ever listened to the electorate? Unless you define electorate as 'out of town experts'
Gus that building isn't 50 years old, I think Safeway built it in the seventies,
yes/no?
metalman.