Issuu

Friday, April 26, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Holy fundraiser, Batman! Wham! Pow! Ruff! The Prince George Humane Society will come out the big winner when the 1989 Batman movie is screened at Northern FanCon. Proceeds raised during the event will go to the agency. What’s more, the movie’s executive producer Michael Uslan, will be on hand to introduce the movie, which starred Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger, and field questions afterwards. Decked out in a Batman cape, Humane Society mascot Poppy was on hand to break the news during a media event on Thursday. The movie will be shown on May 3 at CN Centre, 9 p.m. start. Admission will be by donation.

Property tax rates on council agenda Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca City council is to set the rates households and businesses will pay for property taxes this year at this Monday’s regular meeting. Staff is recommending a rate of $7.34 per $1,000 for residential property. That’s down from $7.59 last year, but once the rise in assessed values is taken into account, the bill for the average home will rise by $43.30 to $1,050.30. The increase reflects a 4.3-percent increase in the city’s total property tax levy after taking into consideration $1.7 million in new construction assessable taxes. The total levy stands at $109.9 million. If approved, residential property will account for 53.8 per cent of the revenue collected, down slightly from 54.1 last year. Businesses would pay $17.17, major industry $53.32 and light industry would pay $27.62 with them accounting for 28.67, 2.82 and 13.2 per cent of the levy respectively. Residential properties account for 67.3 per cent of the city’s total assessed value. Business makes up 26.6, major industry 2.46 and light industry 0.97 per cent. Also on the agenda: • Council will consider charging $115 per hour for each RCMP officer attending special events to

Today’s Weather Hi +5° Low -2°

recover the cost of overtime and administration. • Public hearings will be held for two proposed developments: to build two 40-unit apartment buildings and six row house buildings at 4278-22nd Ave. and to build four 44-unit apartment buildings and seven townhouses at 6605 Southridge Ave. • Coun. Kyle Sampson will provide a notice of motion to direct staff to draft lists of cityowned property that could be sold either to the current tenant or to someone interested in developing the sites. He is calling for a list of 10 properties with buildings on them and a list of 10 undeveloped sites. In the notice, Sampson said it has been noted that the city owns a number of high value properties, as well as a number that require a large amount of financial assistance which is not offset by the revenues of usage or tenancy. “The sale of these properties can create a net positive impact to our overall budget, as well as increase available property for commercial and residential development and usage,” he said. Notices of motion are typically dealt with at a subsequent council meeting. • City council will take in presentations from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable and Coastal GasLink.

LOCAL HOROSCOPE OPINION SPORTS MONEY

1-5 2 6 9-11 12

NEWS A&E COMICS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS

Snow expected tonight Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff A dousing of late-season snow is in the forecast for the city. It’s expected to start falling over Friday night and amount to about two cm by Saturday morning, Bobby Sekhon, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada said. Other parts of B.C., including the Pine Pass and the Rockies, will also be affected as a low pressure system makes its way through the province. Snow won’t be the only thing it

will deliver. “It’s going to be quite an unsettled atmosphere,” Sekhon said. “So on Friday afternoon and into the evening there is a risk of thunderstorms as well. You might see a lightning strike here and there, so certainly a bit of excitement in the weather.” All that should be preceded by showers late Friday morning. It is not the first time snow has fallen on Prince George at this time of year. The record for April 26 is 5.8 cm, set in 1985. “There’s been snow in the

Prince George area even into May,” Sekhon said. “If you get a cold enough system coming through, it’s not impossible. With highs expected to reach 8 C on Saturday, Sekhon said it’s doubtful the snow will last very long. But driving the Pine Pass could be an adventure, particularly for those who decided to remove their snow tires before the provincially-mandated April 30 deadline. The latest road conditions can be found at drivebc.ca.

Northern BC Home & Garden Show opens today Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca The doors open today on a spring tradition with great structure. The 42nd Canadian Home Builders’ Northern BC Home & Garden Show happens at the Kin Centres and all around the grounds. “Hundreds of vendors and visitors from all over northern B.C. flock to Exhibition Park in Prince George for the home show,” said Terri McConnachie, executive officer for the Prince George branch of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association. — see ‘THE HOME, page 3

13 14-15 15 15 17-20

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Wade Hart from AWG Windows and Doors sets up their display inside of Kin1 for the 42nd Canadian Home Builders’ Northern BC Home & Garden Show on Thursday. The event runs Friday Saturday and Sunday at Exhibition Park.

Assisted dying stats revealed NEWS 13

See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

www.pgcitizen.ca

Newsstand $2.00 incl. tax Home Delivered 95¢/day

58307

00200