A Quebec Street hotel that’s been described as a hot spot for nuisance and criminal activity has been shut down for six months.
In a special meeting yesterday (June 26), Prince George City Council voted unanimously to suspend the business license Lotus B&B’s Hotel on 197 Quebec St. for six months beginning Aug. 1, 2019.
David Parmar, who took over the business in May 2018 under the company name SPD Enterprises Ltd., will have to meet various safety measures to bring the building into compliance in order to get his business license reinstated.
Prince George Fire Rescue Lt. Ian Provan said since Parmar took ownership of the business, he’s seen an increase in calls for service.
From Jan. 1 to Apr. 7, the fire department was called to the property eight times, which Provan described as absolutely a high number.
He also noted in recent fire inspection, the fire inspector found an emergency exit door that was chained and bolted shut.
Parmar said the door was chained because too much traffic came into the building, but it would only take 30 seconds to open.
“That door was designed for one purpose and that is to exit the building,” said Provan. “For it to be locked, in my opinion, is ridiculous.”
In total, the property was the subject of 19 calls for service from Jan. 15 to Apr. 7 and includes fire alarm commercial, fire alarm false, and medical aid.
“This particular property draws our attention on essentially a daily basis,” said Prince George RCMP Insp. Shaun Wright. “It’s downtown right on the corner of a lot of criminal and nuisance activity that gets reported to us. Essentially it’s a ground zero in that particular area.”
Fred Crittenden, the city’s manager of bylaw services, also called the property a hot spot for the downtown enforcement team.
Parmar was at the special council meeting to ask the council to limit the business suspension for two months rather than six, as he says he is in the process of getting the building into compliance.
He added that he wants to have the building available for international students in September.
“With our history with Mr. Parmar we don’t feel that he will follow through in that period of time,” said Crittenden. “The letter of suspension was issued on April 29 which is just about two months ago and to date he hasn’t taken any significant steps to meet that so we feel the ability for him to do that in the next few months is very unlikely.”
The city’s lawyer Troy De Souza said it would be irresponsible to have International students coming into the property in its current conditions.
“If council were to grant a two-month suspension and you start getting international students to his property in September, it would be an international black eye and that’s not good for the city.”
After contemplating an extended 12-month business license suspension, city council ultimately voted unanimously to suspend the business license for six months.
After saying about 30 people lived in the building, Parmar then adjusted that number to 17 or 18.
He was also supposed to notify those residents to be prepared to vacate the building by the end of June.
However, since council discovered Parmar apparently did not follow the process in the residential tenancy act correctly, they delayed the suspension until August so the residents could have proper notice.
“Every time the RCMP say to me this is a ground zero location we need to stand up and take notice,” said Mayor Lyn Hall in his closing remarks. “It’s not just the fact that people shouldn’t be living in it because it’s not safe. It’s about criminal activity that takes place. It’s about the nuisance activity that takes place. It is a direct cost that we continue to incur day in and day out.”
At a prior hearing on June 26, council also voted to uphold a business license for Premier Choice Investments at 2108 Tamarack St., dependent on three terms that include meeting regularly with bylaw services.
City staff reported the company took immediate steps to meet all of the conditions set out for the business license to be reissued and the recommendation to uphold the license is consistent with initiatives to provide safe housing.
