If there’s one thing that’s made me cynical about civic politics it’s how useless the Official Community Plan (OCP) is.
It doesn’t matter how much thought, energy, and public consultation goes into the over-riding visionary statement of our community, it appears it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on if it gets in the way of development.
Maybe city staff is equally cynical, explaining how little effort is going into the consultation process around the big OCP review that was supposed to happen this year.
At last week’s city council meeting, it was announced the OCP public engagement would amount to an online survey and one public engagement open house on Tuesday, October 17 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Two Rivers Gallery.
On Friday, the city reached out to offer a roundtable session with Ginter's Green.
That’s it?
If there’s a town that wants a vision, it’s Prince George. With a homeless crisis downtown, loss of greenspace, and out of control taxes, among other things, I’m pretty sure people have a lot to say in how we envision this city.
In the last civic election, the big OCP review elicited a lot of big-picture political windbagging from our candidates, myself included.
But it seems none of that is being implemented into a meaningful vision for our city.
Take Ginter’s Green.
A little over a year ago, we packed the city council chambers to send a message that one of the most loved greenspaces in the city and the unstable escarpment above it should be protected in anticipation of climate change impacts.
We were told to wait for the review process, but it doesn’t sound like the group’s opinion will be solicited. Meanwhile, at Monday night’s council meeting, the OCP was amended to allow a large apartment complex development right along the main Ginter’s Green Trail. More trees will come down to further develop what should be protected space.
More often than not, if a developer wants the OCP amended, it happens.
What’s the point of getting involved in protecting public greenspaces when developers have been elevated to the saviours of the Prince George economy and the great providers of that much needed housing?
I suppose with our forest industry in decline, the only thing we have left is to sell off our city to developers?
Not much of a vision if you ask me.
The power of development industry over the public good is massive, but I suppose we can rest assured it doesn’t always prevail. Recently, Doug Ford backed out of a crooked plan to develop the Greenbelt in Southern Ontario. But that probably has to do with the fact intensive media scrutiny uncovered serious corruption allegations and that a criminal investigation is still in the cards.
I guess our big hope in Prince George is that October 17th open house.
James Steidle is a Prince George writer
