Just What Is A Freedom Of Information Request Really Worth

By Ben Meisner

On October 19^th-2010 Opinion250 requested from Northern Development Trust, their  correspondence with  Provincial Ministers, Deputy Ministers and the President of UNBC about the  proposed  P.G. Hotel  sale.

In earlier released documents  the NDI Trust had written to Mayor Dan Rogers and City Council October 22^nd-2009 .  In that letter, NDI Trust's Janine North implies there is, at the very least, Provincial government awareness of the  goings on. 

She writes that if  the City of Prince George doesn't  deliver a positive decision to  make a "back up offer" for the purchase of the P.G. Hotel "this offer will collapse and I will advise the Provincial Ministers, Deputy Ministers and the President of the University forthwith."   

That letter indicated there  had been some sort of discussion with  the University and Provincial officials.

On November 8^th we received a letter from the NDI Trust informing Opinion250 that the two page letter that the NDI Trust had suggested they would provide in their initial Freedom Of information request would now not be forthcoming. The NDI Trust added further that “the additional information that you are now requesting is not within the scope of your original request”. We are asked to submit a new request.

The NDI Trust says the letter must be withheld subject to Section12 , “Cabinet confidence” and  “section 17 disclosure harmful to the financial  or economic harm of a public body” and  “ section 21, disclosure would be harmful to a third party business.”

Now Opinion250 was not looking for any financial details surrounding the plan to develop George Street by Commonwealth Campuses Inc. but rather who they met with and what was offered to them by the Province, if anything, and under what circumstances. We also wanted to know who attended the meeting in Victoria with the Minister of Community Services, on behalf of the City Of Prince George and were they authorized to be there on behalf of the city, who was in attendance as a Deputy Minister, were there any other Ministers in attendance at that meeting including Ministers Pat Bell, and Shirley Bond, who attended that meeting on behalf of Commonwealth Campuses Inc?.

Was the matter of the purchase of the Prince George Hotel discussed to construct a Wood Innovation center, and was the City of Prince George consulted in any plans being put forward?

Recently, we asked the Minister of Forests, (his ministry would have SOME input on the  Wood Innovation Centre) who attended the meeting and for what purpose?   We did not ask for the details of the meeting, beyond who was in attendance. That information should be available in the minutes from the meeting.

We have not received that information.

It would seem that in the public’s interest the people of this city, along with the people in the province, should be given information when it deals with a matter of the purchase of land in this city and construction of a facility on that land both with public money.

Questions such as; who came up with the idea to build a wood innovation center across from the Ramada?

Who was prepared to enter into the purchase of that property, from whom and at what cost?

Did anyone from the City Of Prince George attend a meeting in which they did not officially represent the city, and why?

The City Of Prince George has now invested $2,500,000 dollars in the P.G.  Hotel property and adjoining parking lot.  They also are committed to a further expenditure of upwards of $600,000 dollars to demolish that building.

Why did the City purchase this property knowing that the adjoining property was held in private hands and they could not dictate any development on it?

The whole issue still has not been addressed at the very least to the satisfaction of those people that have read the material, and public money is at stake.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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