Prince George Citizen May 28, 2019 by Prince George Citizen

Major tech players vow to prevent election interference MONEY 15

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Ready to lend a helping paw Lexi Seida, along with therapy dog in training Jorge, were helping bring awareness to Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, which runs until June 1. Seida and Jorge were at an event held at the South Fort George Family Resource Centre on Monday hosted by three local agencies offering victim services: the Elizabeth Fry Society, Prince George Native Friendship Centre and RCMP Victim Services. The theme of Victims and Survivors of Crime Week this year is The Power of Collaboration: Many Voices Speak Many Words.

City to work with social agencies Derelict house a neighbourhood scourge on downtown bathrooms Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca City council voted unanimously Monday night to direct staff to work with a trio of downtown social agencies on how best to make their washrooms available for public use. It was the least expensive of four options presented to council in answer to concerns about public urination and defecation in the area and the cost of providing security at the Prince George Public Library. In a report to council, city council social planning manager Chris Bone recommended each of Saint Vincent de Paul, Positive Living North and Association Advocating for Women and Children be given a grant to pay for monitoring and maintaining their facilities. While washrooms are available at their spots, using them can depend on whether staff is available to monitor. Cost is estimated at $36,000 – or $12,000 for each of the agencies – but social planning manager Chris Bone said that is an estimate. Bone was given the go ahead to consult with the agencies and report back to council on the details. The decision came after an extensive presentation from Bone who provided a survey of how other communities have tackled the issue. Results have been mixed

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at best, council was told, with the washrooms becoming de facto drug injection sites and suffering extensive damage. “This is a really tough topic,” Bone said. “If I was able to pull some themes is that providing public washrooms to everybody that needs to access them and ensuring that they are clean and safe is challenging.” Councillors generally agreed that while there is no perfect answer, it is still better than doing nothing. Coun. Brian Skakun moved for council to select the option, noting it would provide more than one washroom. In answer to a question from Coun. Garth Frizzell, city manager Kathleen Soltis said publicly-accessible washrooms will be looked at as part of the design process for the new Four Seasons Pool. Coun. Murry Krause, who was the executive director of the Central Interior Native Health Society, said the agency had to impose more and more restrictions on the use of its facilities in answer to the trouble and damage some users had created. Krause said the proposal needs to come with a budget adequate enough to pay for monitoring and maintenance and be conducted on a trial basis to see if it works for the community, the agencies and the vulnerable population. “I think it would have to work for everybody or it’s just not working for anybody.”

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A local homeowner is blaming city inaction for the trouble she and neighbours have been suffering as a result of a derelict house. Located at 2126 Tamarack St., it has twice been the scene of fires that have damaged adjacent homes. Lisa Mitchell estimates a blaze that broke out in October reaped $14,000 damage to the vinyl siding of her home. While her insurance covered the cost, she still had to pay a $2,500 deductible and expects to lose a further $1,500 in lost discounts on her premium. Even before the fire Mitchell had a bad feeling. Thanks to hoarding, the property had become a mess and while the front yard was cleaned up in response to a city order, she said the back yard remained untouched. Shortly after the fire, Mitchell learned the owner had died and the home was foreclosed by the bank. While the site was fenced off and the back yard was cleaned out, two outbuildings remained standing and Mitchell said they were ripe for squatters and more trouble. “I told them it was not a matter of if, it was a matter of when,” she said. In early May, and mere days after repairs to her home had been completed, the structures burst into flames and all five adjacent homes were damaged, according to Mitchell, who also said she lost her tenants as a result.

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“They moved out immediately,” she said. “Wouldn’t you if you had two house fires next to you in less than six months?” She found new tenants but they’re paying lower rent. Mitchell contends the city had the power through its unsightly premises bylaw to deal with the matter more quickly and thoroughly. She wants the home torn down and the property cleaned up. “There were so many things the city could’ve done and nothing was not one of the options but that’s what they chose,” she said. Bylaw services manager Fred Crittendon said that because the bank is not the owner of the property, it cannot be compelled to tear the structure down and has received legal advice to that effect. However, he said a sale is awaiting court approval and should be completed by the end of this month and that the potential buyer is aware that the city wants the property remediated. He said the City opened a file on the property last summer in response to the hoarding and were in the process of following through when the owner died. The fire broke out within just a couple days, Crittendon added. He said bylaw services has been monitoring the site since the original fire and has spent more than $11,000 on cleaning up and securing the property. “We know it’s urgent for the people who live down there,” Crittendon said.

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