Redeveloping Downtown Hitch? One Man's Opinion

By Ben Meisner

We now have had a look at two of the election platforms of Mayor Colin Kinsley while he was seeking re election. One of the main planks of the campaign, (you may remember the sign at the Highway 97 and  5th  intersection) was the bridge.

Number two, right up there, was a down town redevelopment.

Yves Ghiai came to town and made some promises and said a deal was just around the corner. A 13,200 sq ft. site with 5 retail outlets, ground level parking and 16 high end Condos and that was just a start. There was a plan for yet more development in the down town.

Was it an election announcement? Ghiai said no, just needed to get the financing in place.   

Well now we are told that the project hinges on the sale of those high end condos before the project gets underway. In other words, if the deal has been sold we will build.

You could get 50 good local takers for that one, who wouldn’t be shopping around for financing if you offered them the same deal, of course that comes with a break in taxes for a number of years also.

So sell those high end condos first, show the bank that we have a deal that is too good for anyone to turn down and we buy into it. Whoa did that deal shrink in a hurry along with the Hoopla that came with the announcement.

Now a lot of people have been suggesting that because Mayor Colin Kinsley sits as a Director on the Board of Ghiai’s brother's company, Maisonette International Enterprises Ltd.,  he should pass on any vote at city hall dealing with the land issue. Yes it is true, Kinsley is listed on Maisonette's website as being on the Board as of Jan 12-2005 and is posted as, "Hon. Colin Kinsley Mayor of Prince George, and Director of the Board of Municipal Finance Authority of BC."

Just as you can’t take a plan to the bank seeking financing and hope the money lenders will come to the party without some firm guarantees, neither could you ever suggest that there in any way could be a connection between the two companies or there could be anything untoward in the Mayor's involvement.

The matter of the down town development should stand alone, it is showing early indications that it is having difficulty doing just that.

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

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