The City of Prince George had released a six month update on its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and province regarding housing and encampments.
Signed in June of last year, the city says this partnership reinforces the province’s responsibility for housing, healthcare, and encampments and the city's commitment to supporting the province’s work.
Prince George city council has extended a meeting request to the premier and housing minister to visit the city to discuss the priorities under the MOU.
City council believes that a personal tour of relevant areas of the city will be an important element to fully appreciating the conditions on the ground and challenges faced by the community, including the downtown business area, along Lower Patricia Boulevard and the adjacent Millar Addition.
In the update, the city stresses that its role is limited and like other municipalities it relies on the province with its responsibility for housing, healthcare and poverty reduction.
“The City has and continues to advocate that the June 2023 MOU is the blueprint for a successful partnership and these issues are best addressed through a combination of Provincial resources and expertise plus City on the ground experience.”
The city also noted it is not in a position to apply to the court to empty Moccasin Flats.
The encampment area along Lower Patricia Boulevard, known as Moccasin Flats, is currently protected by an October 2021 order made by the BC Supreme Court.
In order to apply to empty Moccasin Flats, the city will have to prove there are sufficient accessible shelter or housing for the occupants of that encampment.
“The creation of such shelter or housing is a key objective of City Council.”
The city also said it is continuing to monitor the unapproved construction at Moccasin Flats.
“The City understands the shelters are being constructed with the support of well-intended members of the community in an effort to improve conditions for those in the area,” says the update.
“In the case of Lower Patricia, there is no authority under the court order or any City bylaw to allow permanent shelters to be constructed on the site.”
The city said that to ensure occupants and members of the community understand that the structures are not being constructed with City approval or to the standards of the BC Building Code, the City has affixed “Stop Work” and “Do Not Occupy” notices to these structures.
However, the city has no intention to take any further enforcement steps against these structures but confirms that the use of these unregulated dwellings is not part of the long-term vision for the property.
“It is expected that they will be removed once the Province makes accessible shelter and housing available to the occupants of the encampment.”
The city also said that since the spring of 2023 it has been advocating for the province to create a transitional shelter facility near Moccasin Flats to address the city’s needs for the provision of safe shelter space for the unhoused.
This transitional facility was proposed to be temporarily located within an approximately two acre collection of provincial and city-owned parcels bordered by London Street, Third Avenue, Lower Patricia Boulevard and Fourth Avenue.
The proposed purposes of the transitional shelter facility are to provide critical immediate indoor shelter for those presently sheltering outdoors; and to provide a hub for “daily needs” services for this community.
The city’s proposal is for BC Housing to use the transitional shelter facility as a safe landing place for unsheltered individuals this winter and to give BC Housing the space to work out long-term housing solutions for these individuals.
The design and construction concept the city agreed to is to assemble modular trailer units in a manner similar to what BC Housing has done in other areas of the province.
The city said it continues to advocate for this project to be expedited and for the provision of meals, overdose prevention services and other health services on the site.
You can read the rest of the MOU update here.
