Premier Talks About Inland Port

By 250 News

The last day of the UBCM convention in Victoria, Premier Gordon Campbell's address to the delgates focused on the  theme of the convention "Vibrant Integrated Communities."

As part of that address, the Premier talked about it being B.C.'s time to  shape Canada's future.  That future has a focus on the Gateway to the Pacific.

"We are going to work with the  City of Prince George to  build a magnificent Inland Port that will move air, sea and land cargo  in record time!"  He advised the delegates that all future developments will be public/private partnerships.  He fell short of making any financial committment for the inland port development.

The Premier says the Ports of Prince Rupert and Vancouver will  do for B.C. and the west, what  the St. Lawrence did for the east.

He announced some projects which will provide funding for communities:

• B.C. Spirit Square project.  The Province will set aside a total of $20 million dollars.  The Province will donate as much as $500 thousand for development of public gathering space to celebrate the Province's 150th anniversary  of becoming a province.
• Green City Program which will provide cash awards for communities which develop "green" projects
• Local Motion fund,  Province will provide up to a million dollars in matched funding for pojects which  improve bike paths, greenways and accessibility for the disabled
• Funding for communities to switch to hybrid vehicles and retro-fit dirty deisel vehicles in their fleet
• $21 million allotted to  help small communities ( population under 5,000) for infrastructure.  The province will  carry 80% of project costs

"What more can we all do to  create healthy cities and towns and sustain services for the next generation.  "We all have to start from the ground up."  No one sets out to create urban sprawl, said the Premier, who urged development in-fill, mixed use, higher densities that will use less land, create a sense of place and provide an opportunity for more affordable housing, and creation of pedestrian friendly communities that meet the variety of needs of the diverse populaton.  He says if there is to be a return to affordable housing, higher density and sustainable  communities are the way to go.

The plight of the homeless was also detailed in the Premier's address.  He  noted reminded delegates it was November of 2004 when the Federal and Provincial Governments set aside $84 million dollars for housing for the homeless.  He says the process has been too slow.  His examples included Prince George, where property has been purchased but has not been rezoned so the project cannot move ahead.  That is a reference to the Backpacker Motel project on Queensway.

It is not popular to increase  densities, it is not popular to create housing for the homeless or the mentally ill, but the Premier says "We have to show a singular purpose to solve these challenges." 

"We can simply no longer afford NOT to make better use of the land base, and shrink the size of homes.  There is unity of purpose here and we are working together."

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