Back Packer...Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge Zoning ?

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 03:45 AM

Let’s step aside from the argument of whether there should be a transitional shelter for the homeless built in the City of Prince George and deal with the real issue for a moment.

The province has now asked for proposals for the facility to be opperated built on the site of the old Back Packer Motel, on Queensway, which just happens to be within a ten block, easy walking distance of all of the things that are wrong with our city.

It is, simply put , the center of the Hooker Haven, there are plenty of drug houses within reach , a needle exchange not too far away, yet more similar type housing within a few blocks, and to add to that, a few of the, shall we call them, lower class, watering holes

It is akin to putting the meeting place for the AA’s in the back of a bar.

But in this city we seem bent on destroying the neighborhood, while we concentrate all of this type of housing, in a small section of the community. It has all the smackings of "out of sight out of mind".

When we are finished building the Back Packer, you simply make sure that you drive around the area so you don’t have to get a first hand look at Prince George's down and out.

What does it do?

Well for the neighbours of what was once one of the prime living areas of the city , they are instantly turned into a ghetto , not thorough their choice but rather to a flick of the pen.

The province says we are looking for proposals for the Back Packer, should they not have first sought a zoning change? The province and the city fathers know that the site is not zoned for its proposed use. Or is it simply a case of wink, wink, nudge, nudge zoning?

The province could have looked at another site, to break up the concentration, it chooses not to.

The city could still stand up and say that they don’t want all of these kinds of facilities located in a single area. We will quickly see what they are made of.

But the very fact that the province is calling for proposals suggests that they don’t seem to be concerned about any zoning application. It raises the question, what do they know that we as citizens don’t ?

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

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Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 03:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: REALIST on March 20 2007 8:32 AM

It is interesting to note that the usual people who support and run shelters in our city have refused to bid on this project. The reasoning is simple: this government has agreed to tend the contract only to a service who will act on orders from the government. Because service providers are aware of the real agendas of this government, they want no part of this fiasco. The same thinking behind Mayencourts plan to fence in addicts is behind this project and those in the know want nothing to do with anything the B.C.Liberals are creating. We need shelter beds in Prince George, but as long as the so called liberals are involved I'd be worried if I lived in that area too.

Posted by: REALIST on March 20 2007 5:18 PM

interesting now that I think about it, it is just "One man's Opinion"