Council heard concerns from a pair of residents of the Frederick Street area, bringing back a zoning issue that proved controversial ten years ago
A zoning arrangement of ten years ago between the City of Prince Rupert and a property owner on Frederick Street came back to haunt City Council members on August 20th, as Paul Lagace from the Prince Rupert Unemployment Action Centre provided council members with an overview of an eviction issue facing two mobile home residents, who currently reside in mobile homes in what is now mostly an industrial site on the city's southeast side.
The area which was once known as the Mountain View Mobile Home Park, is now for the most part an industrial site for a local fishing company, the last two homes more or less grandfathered into the site ten years ago in a zoning plan that seemingly tried to find common ground between the twin uses, though it was an arrangement which did cause Council members some vigorous discussion back in 2008.
The concern of the original agreement, was of the prospect of the residents to be forced out of the location and as the the ten years moved forward, the attrition of residents does seem to have taken place as predicted.
At the heart of the dispute now, is an attempt by the owner to evict the final two residents from the property, with Mr. Lagace offering up his interpretation of events that by their actions, the owners were not only trying to break a contract with the home owners; but are going back on arrangements made with the city of Prince Rupert to have the land rezoned.
He asked if there was any action that the city of Prince Rupert could do to assist the residents to help them keep their manufactured homes as a result of the owners attempts.
As part of his overview for council, Lagace noted that the two homes in question are the two last manufactured homes in the community and there is nowhere for them to move their homes.
The two residents also offered up their personal testimony of the situation and the seemingly deteriorating relationship with the property landlord.
Council members noted that the issue is a tough one to address and does seem to indicate that City Council may require better guidance in the future in other instances of changing zoning designations.
"After reading all these papers, you know my attitude is once a deal, always a deal. The owner of this property got it rezoned and the city did it in good faith, taking his word that he would stand behind his words and in this town your word is your word. I find it very disturbing that ten years later he thinks he can just go back on a deal not only with the tenants, but with the city too" --Councillor Barry Cunningham
"I think it's quite a serious situation, I was on Council at the time that this agreement was written and I was very concerned at the time that if we rezoned it, it would mean a closure of the mobile home park and we had quite a discussion about it at Council ... What concerns me, is that we were assured at the time is that this was going to be enough to ensure that if we rezoned, the people would be able to remain in their homes, and now if we can't do anything about it, then you have to start to wonder as a Councillor whether we should rezone anything, believe anybody. And it also means that we need to have better advice" --Councillor Joy Thorkelson
As for the current situation, Mayor Brain noted that the City would have to explore the issue further, before it could offer an opinion or response to the issue.
"Well this is a very unfortunate event, the only thing I can comment on right now, is that we're going to have to look into this and I know that it's a timely matter so we'll have to get on top of looking into that. I'm not sure what the legislation is or what the agreement is to be honest with you, so we'll have to get our planning department engaged and we'll have to get our administration engaged and we'll get back to you guys as soon as possible with some kind of response ... We're going to look further into this and there will be a prompt response and reply from the city"
Among some of the themes that Council will have to explore prior to providing for any comment, will be to contact the property owner to hear his side of the dispute and to determine from that, if the issue could potentially be as Councillor Cunningham noted, one of a simple landlord tenant dispute and outside the reach of Council's purview.
You can review the full presentation, along with the questions and observations from Council members from the City's Video archive, starting at the very beginning of Monday's Council session.
As we return to the blog, we first play a bit of catch up on city council themes, offering up our look at the August 20th City Council session.
An evening which provided a presentation on housing that brought back a controversial move from ten years ago for council to revisit, as a pair of residents on the city's east side find themselves on the cusp of eviction from what was once the Mountain View Trailer Park.
As well, Council members finally received their once delayed update from Ridley Terminalson the plans to add a second shipment berth at the Ridley Island facility.
Variance permits, correspondences to Council and bylaw issues took up the bulk of the remainder of the night, along with a report from the City's Financial Officer on the June Budget variance results.
Council members brought the evening to an end by providing for a few comments, observations and suggestions on a range of topics for further action by the City.
Monday was also a Committee of the Whole Session, which was the forum for the housing issue on the east side to be explained.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Agenda elements for the August 20th Council session can be reviewed here.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance Monday, August 20, 2018
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson --Present (participated by phone)
Councillor Nelson Kinney passed away on March 24th
Video Archive for August 20, 2018
(0:00 -- 16:00) Committee of the Whole Session for August 20, 2018 --
The only business for the Committee of the whole process, was to take public comments from those in attendance..
Starting off that process was Paul Lagace, from the Prince Rupert Unemployment Action Centre, advocating for two residents of a trailer park in what was once known as the Mountain View East park off of Frederick Street, recounting for council the history of their residence in an area and ongoing dispute related to their home ownership in an area that is now mostly zoned as an industrial area.
At the heart of the dispute now, is an attempt by the owner to evict them from the property, with Mr. Lagace offering up his interpretation of events that by their actions, the owners were not only trying to break a contract with the home owners but they are going back on arrangements made with the city of Prince Rupert to have the land rezoned.
He asked if there was any action that the city of Prince Rupert could do to assist the residents to help them keep their manufactured homes as a result of the owners attempts.
He noted that the two homes in question are the two last manufactured homes in the community and there is nowhere for them to move their homes.
The two residents offered up their personal testimony of the situation and the seemingly deteriorating relationship with the property landlord.
The Mayor spoke first to the issue, calling it an unfortunate event, but noting that the city would have to explore the issue further before they could offer an opinion and response on the situation.
Councillor Cunningham offered up the observation that in in his mind a deal is a deal, calling attention to the nature of the city's arrangement of ten years ago with the property owner. Noting how he doesn't know where the city stands on the issue, that it does call attention to some of the zoning issues that the city has to review.
Councillor Thorkelson, who was on council during the original agreement between the city and the landowner and works in Fisherman's Hall with Mr. Legace, recounted some of the history related to the issue of ten years ago, she also provided some background material from the original documentation. Ms. Thorkelson observed that this incident gives council pause to consider whether they should rezone anything or believe anybody. adding that it also means that Council needs better advice when it considers zoning issues.
Councillor Niesh asked one question on the issue about the nature of the length of time of the notice that was provided.
To bring the presentation to an end, Mayor Brain thanked the delegation for attending and promised a prompt response and reply from the city.
No other residents approached council with comments or concerns for the Committee of the Whole, with the Mayor then bringing the process to an end
(16:00 -- 17:00 ) Regular City Council Session for August 20, 2018 -- Mayor Brain reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members, including one late addition, with Council then approving the Agenda.
( 17:00 -- 41:00 ) Petitions and Delegations -- Presentation to City Council from representatives of Ridley Terminals -- Ridley President and CEO Marc Dulude and Michelle Bryant-Gravelle provided an update for council on a planned expansion project at the industrial site on Ridley Island, work which will include the addition of a second shipping berth southeast of the existing dock at the coal shipping facility.
In addition to a presentation on what the new facility will look like and the space it will take up on the Ridley waterfront, Ms. Bryant-Gravelle provided a look at the range of steps required before authorization for the project will be provided.
As for the timeline, consultation through a technical committee with First Nations is underway related to their expansion plans, after that step a decision is expected from the Federal Government by the end of this year.
Public input will be sought out once those steps are complete as part of the evaluation process. Two public Open Houses are planned for October of this year, one for Prince Rupert and one for Port Edward.
With Ridley Terminals in the news recently related to a potential sale of the property by the Federal Government, Council members weighed in with comments for the Ridley representatives on that theme.
Councillor Niesh inquired if it would go ahead should the Terminal be sold, a process that is currently in motion, Mr. Dulude observed that while those discussions continue, for Ridley it's business as usual and that the need for a second dock is something that Ridley needs to address in order to meet capacity requirements. He also noted how a second dock would assist RTI in its approach towards diversification into the future.
Councillor Cunningham, asked as to what other bulk commodities that Ridley may be looking to ship out of the Terminal facility, the RTI President however, did not offer up any indication as to what forms of other commodities may be in the future for the terminal.
Mr. Cunningham also inquired as to how many additional jobs may be created by the expansion. He was advised that from their current level of employment of 125 employees, an additional twenty five jobs will be created, with a dedication towards gender and origin equity employment to provide for a better representation of the local population.
Mr. Cunningham also complimented RTI for their community involvement, pointing out how Ms. Bryant-Gravelle has a strong presence in the community.
Councillor Randhawa asked for the timeline of the project and when the first ship will dock at the new terminal, he was advised that the hope is to have all ready to go by the first quarter of 2021.
In a follow up, Mr. Randhawa asked about taking advantage of training local residents for positions at the facility, he was advised by Ms. Gravelle-Bryant that RTI has a partnership with both SD52 and Coast Mountain College for training, while Mr. Dulude noted that Ridley was also providing resources towards robotics training in local schools.
Councillor Thorkelson had comments related to the disposal plans both on land and in the water that will be required for the expansion project, she also offered up her concern at the prospect of the Federal Government selling the property.
Offering up her view that Council should take a stand on the potential sale, as they have in the past, noting that they don't really know who will be looking to purchase the terminal and what their plans may be, whether it be to operate the facility or to close it, offering up her concern on the issue, adding that the people of Canada subsidized RTI when it was doing poorly and now that it is on the cusp of moving forward the people of Canada won't get to gain the profits of the facility.
She would like to see the city put some pressure on the federal government to keep the facility owned by Canadian ownership.
Mr. Dulude once again noted, that for RTI the approach is business as usual and observed as to the consultation process and noted that any comments should be directed towards the Federal Minister.
With no further questions and to bring their review to a close, Mayor Brain thanked the RTI representatives for their time and presentation.
( 41:00 -- 42:00 ) Opportunity to comment related to an Application for Development Variance Permits -- Mayor Brain outlined how the process works related to the two properties in question one on Overlook, the other on First Avenue West.
With no members of the public coming forward, council then moved on to other business.
( 42:00 -- 44:30 ) Report from City Planner Zeno Krekic, related to an Application for Development Variance Permit for a property at 1641 Overlook Street -- Mr. Krekic provided some background related to the variance request, which is to add a new deck to the residence in question.
Council members voted to approve the variance application, with the process now to go to Final Consideration.
( 44:30 -- 46:30 ) Report from City Planner Zeno Krekic, related to an Application for Development Variance Permit for a property at 1045 First Avenue West -- Mr. Krekic provided some background related to the variance request, which is to make a variation to the front property setback.
Council members voted to move the variance application to final consideration.
( 46:30 -- 49:30 ) Report from the Approving Officer -- Mr. Richard Pucci the City's Director of Operations, speaking on behalf of the Approving Officer provided details related to proposal to stratify a duplex on Seal Cove circle into two strata properties.
He reviewed the background to the proposal in front of council and relayed how all conditions had been met and there are no identifiable costs associated with the request
Councillor Randhawa inquired as to the status of the property tax for the property in question, Ms. Bomben noted that there were a number of factors involved in determining what the assessed value would be.
Councillor Cunningham noted that the property recently had suffered a fire and inquired about some of the firewall requirements in place.
Council then voted to approve the strata conversion.
( 49:30 -- 50:30 )Report from the Chief Financial Officer -- June 2018 Financial Variance Report -- Council received a report for consideration from the City's CFO Corinne Bomben, who noted that all operating revenues and expenses were on track as of June and on budget, with capital projects ongoing, however as it is midway through the construction season, costs will be reported month by month. She also observed that the next phase of the Woodworth Dam project, one of the largest of the year, is now out for tender, with the bulk of that cost to be found as part of the water budget for next year.
Council accepted the report with no comments or questions.
( 50:30 -- 51:30 ) Correspondences to Council -- The Mayor outlined the nature of a letter from the Prince Rupert and District Metis Society, asking for a proclamation of November 12 to 16, 2018 as Metis awareness week in the City of Prince Rupert.
The Mayor observed that it was something that Council naturally would like to do, with Councillor Mirau inquiring if any events were planned, the Mayor did not know if any plans were in motion for the week. Council members approved the request.
Bylaws ( 51:30 -- 52:00 ) Vehicle for Hire Regulation Amendment Bylaw -- With Councillor Randhawa excusing himself from the conversation due to conflict of interest, Council members reviewed the proposed change to the bylaw which adjusts the period of licensing. With no comments or concerns expressed in relation to the bylaw proposal, Council voted to give final reading to approve the amendment.
( 19:45 -- 27:00 ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Councillor Randhawa thanked the city workers for their work during the tourism season.
Councillor Mirau asked a question of CFO Bomben related to the MSP phase out by the provincial government, asking if the Council could get a report on the financial impact on the projected cost to the City of Prince Rupert on payroll taxes related to the new approach from the province.
Councillor Cunningham observed on his participation in the Overlook Community Garden build day, noting how the community had come together to get involved in that initiatives, hailing the work of Sarah Dancer and the Transition Society of Prince Rupert. Adding how he hopes to see other areas of town adopt the program.
He then asked questions of the city's purchasing policy and whether it is lowest price, or if it involves other factors. In response, the City's CFO outlined that cost and other qualitative factors were considered, including capabilities and letters of reference among the factors used.
In a follow up Mr. Cunningham asked if local businesses were given preference if they are within a certain percentage of the lowest bid, he was advised that it was not currently the city's policy.
Mr. Cunningham then turned his attention to a concern from a resident who had suffered a broken water line and expressed concern over the cost, which he considered to be rather steep, Ms. Bomben advised that she could look into it.
The final topic from the Councillor involved a look at a resolution from February 26th calling for an invitation schedule at Committee of the Whole meetings, for progress reports from local organizations and services.
Noting that it was now six months later and not one of the groups he listed had yet to appear, Mr. Cunningham further observed that council introduced that plan to enhance on its goal of transparency for the public, he noted that since there were now no more COW sessions planned prior to the October election, that he hopes that the next Council would embrace that goal of more transparency.
The Mayor noted how he didn't know how that maybe fell off the radar, but that he would look into the issue.
Councillor Niesh made note that this years election will take place in October, announcing the he would be putting his name forward for this years election period.
Councillor Thorkelson asked if anyone had taken note of the consultation date from the Ridley Terminals process, with the Mayor observing that he didn't believe that they had stated a set date, offering up the prospect of contacting MP Nathan Cullen to determine that information.
Ms. Thorkelson returned to her previous theme of the Ridley presentation to again stress how the City needs to be involved in having their voice heard when it comes to any potential sale of the industrial terminal.
Noting how previous City councils took a stand against the sale of the terminal and urging Council to again to take a similar stand against the sale. She offered up the prospect of the City of Prince Rupert writing a letter to be included as part of the process, to ask that the Terminal be kept in federal hands.
Councillor Cunningham agreed with Ms. Thorkelson's suggestion, noting how they have been a strong presence in the community and it would be convenient for the terminal to be purchased and shut down by competitors.
The Mayor outlined how the process should be addressed at the next Council session, Ms. Thorkelson noted her only concern is that the process may be underway prior to the next Council session on September 4th.
Mr. Brain noted that the city could find out and call a special council session if required.
With no other comments offered up for the final portion of the evening, Council then voted to adjourn the meeting.
You can access the City Council Review for August 20 here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, can also be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review. Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from August 20, 2018 (not available yet)
In addition to the city's official minutes, the City's Video archive provides a helpful record of the events from each public council session.
As part of their reduced schedule of work for the summer, Council members next meet on Tuesday, September 4, 2018
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Summer is almost done and we're going for a run, ready to grab a chance to recharge the batteries for a bit.
We're taking a break from blogging starting today, with plans to return to our efforts just in time for the Labour Day countdown to the final days of the summer of 2018.
With our sabbatical, our regular review of Council issues and many of our other features that require attention on an ongoing basis will be in hibernation for that period.
We'll attempt to play a bit of catch up upon our return. Filling in the gaps as best we can.
Feel free to wander through the various topics and dig a little deeper into some of the features listed on the right hand column, you may find some items of interest that you may have missed when they first came out.
Prince Rupert City Council hosts their only public session for the month of August on Monday, with much of the work looking to be that of variance reviews and other zoning requests.
Council will hear one presentation on the night, with representatives from Ridley Terminals scheduled to be in attendance to provide an update on their plans for a Berth Expansion at the coal handling facility on Ridley Island. Monday night's presentation is a rescheduling of a previous appearance that was originally set for July.
Variance Permit reports and requests make for much of the rest of the night, along with a review of a proposal to stratify a property on Seal Cove Circle.
The City's Financial Officer will also review the latest Financial variance report from June for Council members.
A request for a proclamation request for the Prince Rupert and District Metis Society will be reviewed by Council, as well, council will explore the final stage in adoption for the Vehicle for Hire Regulation amendment bylaw.
Monday is also a Committee of the Whole night, which offers the opportunity for residents of the city to ask questions or raise concerns with members of City Council.
An advisory from the City, notes that the August 20th Committee of the Whole will be the last one prior to the October election.
Additional Notice is hereby given that due to the Municipal Election occurring on October 20, 2018, the next COTW Meeting will be scheduled to occur on November 26, 2018.
A move which also means that there will be no further public comment opportunities at Council meetings until the November 26th session and the installation of a new council membership.
Council will also meet in a Closed session at 5PM prior to Monday's Regular Session, the need to go behind the closed doors was explained through the Community Charter as follows:
(a) personal information about an identifiable individual who holds or is being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent of the municipality or another position appointed by the municipality; and
(k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.
You can review the Full Agenda Packages for both the Regular Council Session and that of the Committee of the Whole from the City's website here.
Adoption of Agenda and Past minutes -- Mayor Brain will review the agenda for the evening and Council will adopt the minutes of past meetings.
Petitions and Delegations
Presentation from Ridley Terminals related to their Berth Expansion project -- Marc Dulude, President, Dennis Blake, Senior Manager and Michelle Bryant-Gravelle, Corporate Affairs Manager will provide Council with an overview of the RTI plans for expansion on site.
Application for Development Permit at 1045 1st Avenue: Opportunity for Public Comment
Application for Development Permit at 1641 Overlook Street: Opportunity for Public Comment
Any Notes on Unfinished Business will follow that presentation. Reports and Recommendations Report from the City Planner; Re: Development Variance Permit for 1641 Overlook Street -- . City Planner Zeno Krekic will outline the background to the request for the variance (see page 8 of the Agenda)
Report from the City Planner; Re: Application for Development Variance Permit for property at 1045 1st Avenue West -- The City Planner will outline the nature of the work related to the variance request. (see page 20 of the Agenda)
Report from the Approving Officer: Re: Proposal to Stratify 2021/2025 Seal Cove Circle (see page 28 of the Agenda)
Report from the Chief Financial Officer -- June 2018 Financial Variance Report -- Council will receive a report from the City's CFO Corinne Bomben (see page 42 of the Agenda)
Correspondences for Action follows
Letter from the Prince Rupert and District Metis Society: Seeking a proclamation request to declare November 12 to 16 as Metis Awareness Week in the City of Prince Rupert. (See page 47 of the Agenda)
Resolutions from Closed Meetings makes for the next element should Council have anything to disclose.
Bylaws Vehicle for Hire Regulation Amendment Bylaw -- Council will give Third reading to the amendment bylaw (see page 49 of the Agenda Package) The evening will come to an end with any Additional Items as well as Reports, Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council.
Council members can also take advantage of the period to offer up any items or concerns that they have for consideration on the night.
It has been a busy summer of research for those working with the North Coast Innovation Lab, part of the Ecotrust Office in Prince Rupert and next week, Nathan Randall and the staff will be bringing the community up to date with an Open House/Presentation planned for Wednesday August 22nd from 7 to 9 PM at Coast Mountain College (formerly NWCC) on Fifth Street.
The night will feature a number of presentations from Kara Herbert and Rabia Ahmed, Master Students and Project Co-ordinators who have been exploring a number of themes for future economic development in the region.
Rabia Ahmed and Nathan Randall have been working on themes related to expanding the city's access to seafood
Ms. Ahmed will bring residents up to date on her work towards fish markets and selling fish locally, a theme that has been a frequent topic for discussion by Prince Rupert City Councillor Barry Cunningham.
Specifically, towards her presentation, she will explain different models for connecting local fish harvesters with Rupertites; the challenges associated with fish markets and selling fish locally; and the needs and opportunities around seafood literacy and cooking workshops to improve access, nutrition, and awareness of seafood products.
Kara Herbert will share some ideas on how to help build on Prince Rupert's entrepreneurial spirit at a Community Presentation at Coast Mountain College on Wednesday night
Ms. Herbert, will be directing her attention towards her work over the summer on the needs of micro-businesses, artisans and other small scale entrepreneurs in the region.
Part of her review of the work so far will be to explore such areas as workshops and Pop Up markets, as well as the feasiblity of establishing a shared work space in Prince Rupert.
The review comes at a timely moment, with the Prince Rupert Pop Up event set to take place two days after Wednesday's Community Presentation.
Refreshments will be on hand for those in attendance and there will be lots of time for discussion and questions from those that take in the presentation.
Should you need more information on Wednesday's event contact Nathan Randall at 250-624-4191
Some notes on the work of the North Coast Innovation Lab through the first eight months of this year can be reviewed below:
The calendar may say that the last official day of summer is on the 21st of September, but ask any student, teacher, parent or School District administrator or employee and the real date for the end of summer is on the 4th.
With Tuesday, September 4th is the day that North Coast students head back to their studies for the 2018-19 school year.
And for the September start to school, the schedule is as follows:
The School year for all elementary schools in the District starts at 10 AM and is but a two hour session ending at Noon for Grades 1 to 5.
The families of Kindergarten students will be notified of their Back to School day by the school in their neighbourhood.
Prince Rupert Middle School students report in two waves on September 4th. Grade 7 and 8 -- 10:30 AM to 12 Noon Grade 6 -- 1 PM to 3 PM
Charles Hays Students report to the Prince Rupert Boulevard Campus on the 4th as follows: Grade 9 -- 9:45 AM Grades 10, 11, 12 -- 1 PM
Students are reminded that they must attend the first day to ensure their spot in their selected courses.
All Pacific Coast School Studentsreport to the Ocean Centre campus at 10 AM on September 4th.
Those that are new to the School District or have moved with the District over the summer can register for school later this month, following the timeline below:
Port Edward Elementary School will be open for registration from 9 AM to 11: 30 on Tuesday August 28th and Thursday August 30th Only. Parents/Guardians wishing more information on Port Edward School can contact Kerri Levelton at Conrad School at 250-624-4935 .
All Other Elementary Schools in SD52 will have their offices open August 27th through to August 31st from 9AM to Noon.
Those attending Charles Hays Secondary, Prince Rupert Middle School or Pacific Coast School can contact the respective offices at those schools from August 27th through to August 31st from 9 to 3PM
The new school year has also seen some readjustment of personnel and administrators within the District, starting with the arrival of a new Superintendent of Schools, as Ms. Irene LaPierre was set to take up duties in August.
The list of Principals and contact information for the Schools of School District 52 can be found below:
