Council to vote on $3M for Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park playground

Prince George city council will vote on whether to spend $3 million from an endowment fund to build a new playground at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park at its Monday, Feb. 24 meeting

The previous playground at the park, installed in 2000, was removed in October 2024.

Since April of last year, city staff have been working with consultants Canadian Recreation Solutions to “design a playground that is 100 per cent representative of the unique geography and diverse culture of Prince George,” according to a document attached to the Feb. 24 meeting agenda.

Now council is being asked to approve spending on the new playground so that it can be installed this summer.

City administration’s report on the playground says that “innovation construction techniques” will be used to minimize disturbances to the ground since the park is a protected archaeological site.

The park was once the site of the Lheidli T’enneh village before its people were removed and the buildings burnt down and demolished to make way for development by settlers.

After the old playground was removed last fall, Stantec Consulting conducted a geophysical survey of the area using electromagnetic imaging and ground penetrating radar. Stantec's report is not provided, but the results are summarized.

“The results of that assessment did not identify areas with characteristics consistent with cemetery burials in terms of orientation and sizing, but did identify eight areas of interest with archaeological evidence of past human occupation and activity,” staff’s report says.

“Stantec Consulting explained the results of this assessment to both city staff and band members from the Lheidli T’enneh Nation during a meeting Feb. 11. Attached to this report is a support letter from Chief (Dolleen) Logan fully endorsing this new playground project at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.”

Logan's letter, dated Feb. 11, is also attached to the meeting agenda. It offers the nation’s “formal endorsement and approval in support of the proposed new playground at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.”

“We do not foresee any concerns arising from the development of this projects,” Logan wrote. “We understand that the construction of the new playground will involve minimal disturbance of excavation of the site, which is reassuring given the cultural important of the location. We are pleased that the proposed playground will cause limited impact on this area of historical significance.”

City staff offer council three options to pay for the playground installation, currently estimated to cost $3 million.

The first is to fund the project as internal debt through the city’s endowment fund, which would be repaid through the general operating fund over 20 years. This would result in an estimated 0.13 per cent tax increase in 2026. This option is administration’s preferred way to fund the project.

The second suggestion is to pay for the playground through the lease-in-lease-out legacy reserve fund, which gets funds from Fortis BC’s leasing of the local natural gas distribution system. This would not affect future years’ tax levies, though council has a resolution in place dictating that public consultation must take place before spending these funds.

The third and final option is to fund the project through debt taken from the municipal financing authority, which would require the city to get assent from electors. This would also be paid back over 20 years, with an estimated 0.16 per cent impact to 2026’s tax levy.

The meeting starts Monday at 6 p.m. on the second floor of Prince George City Hall at 1100 Patricia Blvd. The meetings are open for the public to attend and are livestreamed on princegeorge.ca.