The Department of Fisheries and Oceans provided for a number of notices for local waters of the Northwest on Tuesday, issuing daily limit reductions for Chinook and Coho salmon in region six, while advising that recreational fishing for Chum salmon will remain closed along the entire Skeena River watershed including its tributaries and lakes.
Among some of the areas of note for recreational Skeena Chinook fishers to review include:
Effective immediately, the maximum daily quota for Skeena Chinook will be
reduced to two (2) Chinook salmon, only one of which can be over 65 cm, in the
Skeena River mainstem and sections of the Bulkley, Kitsumkalum, and Morice
Rivers.
Effective immediately, the Skeena River Watershed, upstream of the Sustut River
confluence, will be closed to Chinook fishing.
Effective immediately, all tributaries and lakes of the Skeena River will be
closed to Chinook fishing, except for sections of the Bulkley, Kitsumkalum, and
Morice Rivers.
The entire Skeena River watershed will be closed to Chinook fishing on August
15, 2019 to protect spawning chinook stocks.
For North Coast Coho, the notifications include:
Effective immediately, the maximum daily quota for Skeena Coho will be reduced
to two (2) Coho salmon, only one of which can be over 50 cm, in the Skeena
River watershed.
Effective immediately, the maximum daily quota for Coho in all rivers and lakes
that flow into PFMAs 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be reduced to two (2) per day, only one
of which can be over 50 cm.
The Following Skeena River Tributaries and sections of the Skeena River
mainstem will be closed to fishing for salmon as follows:
Skeena River mainstem waters near the Kitsumkalum River mouth, from the
confluence with the Zymagotitz River (also known as Zymacord River), upstream
to the Classified Waters boundary at the top of Hell's Gate.
Effective July 1 to Aug 31, 2019:
Kitsumkalum River (including lakes and tributaries).
Effective July 1 to Aug 31, 2019.
Skeena River mainstem waters near the Kitwanga River mouth, from Mill Creek
upstream to the Highway 37 Bridge.
Effective immediately until further notice.
Skeena River mainstem waters within the three white triangular fishing boundary
signs located at the confluence of the Skeena River and Kispiox River.
Effective immediately until further notice.
A new look and some new features for the Rushbrook Parking debate
There's a new look in the Rushbrook Improvement Area wit the city of Prince Rupert recently installing some new signage and introducing additional parking kiosks to the area.
The new look feature two computerized kiosk locations one at Rushbrook itself and a new kiosk introduced along George Hills Way, they come with signage will instruct visitors and locals alike as to the cost to park in the area which becomes quite congested during the summer fishing season.
Two new parking kiosks are now in place around the Rushbrook Floats area one at the Rushbrook parking lot and a second along George Hills Way near the Canada Border Services Offices
The Rates for parking vary from a one hour option, four hour option, all day parking and by the week, with options for both individual vehicle and those with a vehicle and trailer.
The daily hourly rate per vehicle is 1 dollar, rising to 2.50 for the four hours and Five dollars for all day parking. For vehicle and boat the daily rate is 2 dollars for one hour, 5 dollar for four and 10.00 dollars for the full day.
Annual passes are also available at City Hall with discounted rates during regular business hours Monday through Friday.
The new kiosks will accept Debit or Credit Cards only and parking space allocation will be licence number based with no need for a printed ticket, all of it now integrated into a computer program that the city will use for enforcement. There are also provisions in place for mobile operations for those looking to park to use their phones to allow for time extensions if required.
Fees and Fines collected from the Rushbrook and George Hills location will be directed towards improvements of the Rushbrook Area.
The new look for the area will be one that pleases City Councillor Barry Cunningham, he has raised the topic of Rushbrook parking before, frequently asking for the City to improve the signage and ability to enforce the regulations in the region.
As the parking lot at Rushbrook becomes more congested in the summer months, users of the Rushbrook recreation trail are reminded that parking for the trail is also available at the Seal Cove end of the trail, located near the seaplane base.
The Prince Rupert Racquet Centre at the west end of the golf course parking lot
Tucked away as it is in a corner of the parking lot of the Prince Rupert Golf Course, the Prince Rupert Racquet Centre sometimes tends to fall off the radar for Prince Rupert residents, though if a plan outlined for City Council on Monday moves forward, the visibility of the facility may soon be something to take note of in the community.
Three members from the Racquet Centre attended the Monday Council session, led by Richard Haley who provided for the majority of the overview of the Racquet Centres past history and some exciting plans to make it one of the top attractions for locals and visitors in the future.
Officials from the Prince Rupert Racquet Association spoke to Council about the facility and its plans for the future
With Bill Nicholls and Tamar O'Rear beside him, Haley outlined the state of the facility which is owned by the City of Prince Rupert, taken over in the mid nineties when it ran into financial difficulties, the centre is now leased back to Prince Rupert Racquet's Association as part of a three year agreement.
"I really feel that the Racquet Centre is one of those forgotten jewels in the city's crown of facilities, it's existing, it's a great facility, it's been kept up well and it's probably just under-utilized." -- Richard Haley from the Prince Rupert Racquet Centre speaking to Council Monday on the plans ahead for the facility.
The Centre which has been in operation since the early 1980's has seen the ups and downs of racquet sports, with squash now the dominant sport, racquetball for the most part now banished to the history books for the community.
Bill Nicholls provided the financial snapshot for Council making note of the revenue streams, which include an annual grant of 8,500 dollars from the City of Prince Rupert.
To help to keep the facility operating, Council heard of the work done to attract some user groups to make use of what the Centre has to offer, with K2 cycling and yoga among some of the activities that now take place on site.
And as they look to the future, the PRRA has some ambitious plans ahead to not only improve the atmosphere for the city's enthusiastic squash community, but to attract other users to increase usage for the Centre over the course of the next seven years.
Among some of the concepts outlined Monday:
Renovations to install clear walls for the squash courts to allow for expanded viewing opportunities for visitors to watch the games as they take place, that initiative one which the Centre is looking to achieve through funding with Northern Development Initiative Trust, the Port of Prince Rupert and the City. Removal of defunct hot tub and sauna to create additional space for seating and locker room facilities. A longer term vision also would see the Rock Wall Climbing group currently making use of the Russell Gamble Gymnasium in the Civic Centre relocate to the Racquet Centre, where one of the old Racquetball Courts would be turned over for a dedicated Rock Wall space, designed to meet the requirements of those who participate in that activity. The project would be one which attracts younger users of the facility and may give them though to take up some of the other activities taking place there. Expanding on the numbers of those who use the facility from the upper age range is also on their list, with hopes of bringing pickle ball and bocce ball to the Centre, sports which have become a popular with those nearing their Senior years. It was also noted that as the Centre holds a liquor licence, an expanded plan to attract groups to make use of that space is something that the Association is working on.
The Review was well received by Council members, who praised the group for their thorough approach to improving on the facility and how they had been creative in keeping it operating during challenging times in the community.
"I appreciate the fact that you guys have worked hard to keeping this place going and I think that over time, a lot of the groups whether it be the Curling Club, or the Golf course, they have all struggled because of the decline in population and membership ... and all have had to come up with creative solutions to keep things operating and it sounds like you guys have come up with some really good plans to keep things going in the future" -- Councillor Wade Niesh
Among the other observations from Council were thoughts on recruitment of younger members offered up by Councillor Randhawa; while Councillor Adey observed that without such facilities as a Racquet Centre, potential residents may not choose to live in the community owing to a lack of activities that it might have to offer.
The Racquet Centre presentation was part of a new initiative of Council to have those groups which receive funding from City come to Council to provide an update on their operations.
You can review the full presentation to Council from the City's Video Archive, starting at the nine minute mark.
For more information on the Racquet Centre see their Facebook page.
A wider overview of Monday's City Council Session can be found from our Timeline feature.
The Moby Dick Goats and the future of small livestock dominated much of Monday's City Council Session
Prince Rupert City Council has charted a tentative path towards a possible review of the city's livestock regulations, as Council members moved forward on a plan to have staff compile a report on the issue for future consideration.
The topic of livestock in the city became a current theme in the weeks before Seafest when Teresa Lee the owner of the Moby Dick Inn brought in two small goats to tend to the weeds and overgrowth of the lot adjacent to the Second Avenue West hotel.
Ms. Lee spoke to council on Monday evening, recounting her recent use of goats on her property, explaining why she chose to use the goats from Hazelton and how she had not given any thought that it would become a bylaw issue. She observed as to how popular they had become in the city during the short period of time that they were here.
"I never thought anything about bylaws, if I knew that bylaws did not allow it I never would have brought them in. I never thought anyone would pay attention but me and my family, but as soon as they came to the lot everyone paid so much attention to the two goats" --Moby Dick Inn owner recounting the popularity of the two goats she had brought to her property prior to Seafest.
She also noted how the city had stated some interest in reviewing the bylaw, asking what kind of timeline the city may have towards reconsidering the current bylaw and if there is a possibility of a change that would allow for livestock in the community.
In a review of the popularity of the goats prior to Seafest, she also noted that many in the community continue to ask her when they will return and some have suggested that they could Crowd Fund to help her pay any fines that the City may have assessed had she kept them, though she stressed for Council how she follows rules and bylaws.
During the Committee of the Whole session, Mayor Brain took advantage of the questions to explain the process that the city could take towards the topic, noting that they were scheduled to discuss what path to take later in the evening as part of the Regular Council Session.
He explained how the first stage would be a staff report which would explore all the issues that led to the original bylaw in the first place and what areas of concern that the City should make note of should they wish to revise the livestock bylaws, with the Mayor noting that the over riding item of note is what is best for the animal.
Thanking her for coming forward to discuss the issue with council, the Mayor observed that it was hard to determine a timeline for her at the moment and that while her original use of the goats was well intentioned, the city can't make for special arrangements. He did offer to keep her advised as to the process ahead for the review.
Moby Dick Inn owner Terese Lee spoke to Council on Monday seeking some information on the city's plans for any review of the small livestock bylaws in the community
When it came time later in the evening for the discussion on the goats issue, all of those council members in attendance on the evening had comments and observations on the issue.
In the follow up discussion, Councillor Adey offered his support to the motion, making note of his past interest in the topic and the need to get expert advice on what is best for the animals, exploring such areas as climate, what factors were considered for the original bylaw and what kind of veterinarian support is available in the community.
"I feel very obligated to support this because this is what I was suggesting needed to happen before we can make thoughtful decisions on the issue. I view this as an opportunity to get the expert advice on the point I was making, on what's best for the animals. And as Mayor Brain has said, that hinges on things like climate, it hinges on whatever the reasoning was behind the original bylaw and I think most particularly it hinges on the kind of veterinary support that can be provided. And we don't have those answers and I think that this is the way to get it. -- Councillor Nick Adey speaking on the city's plans for an analysis and feasibility report on small livestock within the city of Prince Rupert
Councillor Randhawa asked for some elaboration as to what forms of livestock the mayor might be looking to incorporate into any changes.
In response, Mayor Brain recounted the work of the 2030 Sustainable City policies and the area of small scale livestock such as goats, pigs and those types of animals, noting how some livestock won't work in the city environs.
At Monday's Council session, Mr. Brain also explored the range of the spectrum of factors for the report and council to follow up on, with the main element that of what is best for the animals and what capabilities the city has to protect them.
Councillor Mirau observed of the public support for the goats in question and the frequent calls for backyard chickens in the community; he also offered up the unique urban design and limited lot size that makes for Prince Rupert properties and how it may impact on any ability to host small livestock.
Councillor Niesh noted that if the current themes of social media were to be taken account of all would be in favour of goats, he then reviewed many of the issues that Council needs to take a look at and get more information on before making any changes to the current bylaws.
Councillor Skelton-Morven echoed many of the comments that were made by the previous council members.
Council then voted to recommend to direct that staff develop the report on the options related to the concept of livestock in the City of Prince Rupert.
You can review the full twenty minutes of discussion on the theme from the City's Video Archive, the pertinent times are the 37 minute mark and the Council discussion period starting at the 53 minute mark.
A wider overview of sustainability issues for the City can be found here, while further items of interest on past Council discussions can be explored here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Prince Rupert's recently famous and now departed Moby Dick Goats made for the dominant theme for Monday's City Council Session.
With the topic first introduced through a presentation to Council from Teresa Lee the owner of the Second Avenue West hotel during the Committee of the Whole process, as Ms. Lee made her case for the goats that she had introduced to her property prior to Seafest.
In addition to her observations, Council later addressed the issue as part of the Regular Council session, where they discussed the merits of calling for report from staff on the topic of small livestock in the community.
The Committee of the Whole presentations also included a review of the latest developments with the city's Racquet Centre, as well as an overview of an initiative to allow permanent residents of Canada to have the right to vote in municipal, provincial and federal elections.
Council also offered the opportunity for the public to comment on the City's Annual Report for 2018 or to bring any other concerns that residents may have o the attention of the Council members
In the regular Council session, the membership adopted the Annual report, announced the names of those that will receive Civic Recognition Awards on Canada Day at Mariner's park and reviewed the details of a new Property Tax Exemptions Policy for the City.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Regular Meeting and Committee of the Whole Agenda elements for the June 24th Council session can be explored here.
Council also met in a closed session earlier in the evening, hosting a 5 PM meeting
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, June 24, 2019
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Absent
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Video Archive for Monday, June 24, 2019
*************************************************************************** Committee of the Whole ( 0:00 -- 3:30 ) Adoption of Agenda -- Mayor Brain called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order, outlining the elements of the Committee session. ( 3:30 -- 15:00 ) Presentation from Rodrigo Samayoa -- Speaking as a resident about the province wide Fresh Voices campaign to seek out a voice for permanent residents of Canada -- Mr. Samayoa first outlined for Council how he was not a member of the Fresh Voices organization and not representing them, but was looking to share information about their Lost Voices initiative, which is designed to create more awareness of the lack of opportunity that permanent residents of Canada have to participate in the political vote process in the country.
He observed for Council members how the current political arrangements work, a status where permanent residents do not have the right to vote in any level of political life in Canada and how the lengthy process towards citizenship means that some Residents of the community could go without the opportunity to participate in elections for years.
He further noted for the Council membership of a large list of countries that allow permanent residents the right to vote, adding that many cities in Canada are looking to move the forward initiative but that it is in the hands of the province.
Towards that, Mr. Samayoa asked for the help of the City of Prince Rupert to pass a resolution of support for the right to vote for permanent residents and advocate for the program with the province at UBCM this September.
Councillor Adey offered up some commentary to theme, noting of his career long work of encouraging young people to become involved in politics and to become voters, in reply to the night's presentation he applauded the initiative to remove the barriers to participate in democracy as a positive initiative.
Councillor Skelton-Morven had similar comments of support for the project, as did Councillor Mirau, with Mr. Mirau asking as to what the resolution would look like.
Mayor Brain outlined that the process will see the resolution brought back to Council as part of the July Council session.
( 9:00 -- 29:00 ) Update from the Prince Rupert Racquet Association --A group which included Richard Haley, Bill Nicholls and Tamar O'Rear provided a short history of the Prince Rupert Racquet Centre as well as a review of the accomplishments of the last year.
Included in the review was a look a some of the diverse group of users that make use of the facility beyond the squash events that take place. They outlined the seven phase plan that have in mind for the Centre, starting with recent renovations and what they envision for the future.
Among the concepts a change to clear walls to allow for public viewing with the Association seeking funding from the Port Authority, NDIT and the City to move forward by the Spring of 2020.
Longer term they look to open up some internal space at the facility to move the K2 cycle and yoga users to different areas of the facility, freeing up space in a repurposed racquetball court for a potential relocation of the Rock Wall Climbing move to the Racquet Centre, a move which would help create space in the Civic Centre Gymnasium.
The also have plans to introduce pickleball to the facility as a future plan, looking to attract users from upper age populations and providing for additional use for the Racquet Centre.
They also hope to make additional use of the liquor licence that is held by the Centre and have received inquiries on potential social uses as well.
Mayor Brain praised the group for their presentation and expressed enthusiasm for their vision, while Councillors Niesh and Skelton Morven paid tribute to their creativity in keeping the facility functioning in the challenging times the community has seen in recent years.
Councillor Randhawa inquired about any plans that they may have to recruit new membership, Councillor Adey picked up on part of the presentation and how if the facility did not exist then some people may seek other places to live and stay.
( 29:00 -- 29:30 ) Public Comment Period for the 2018 Annual Report -- The Mayor noted that the report was presented to Council at their last council session and then asked for comment from the public.
No members of the public offered up any comments or questions.
Public comment period of Committee of Whole
( 29:30 :00 -- 36:00) One member of the public, Shelly Starr, spoke to a number of themes related to the McKay Street park and the recent damage suffered to the fence at that location. She also asked about more lighting and a bus shelter for the immediate area of the park. As well, she offered up some observations related to the recent Seafest weekend and traffic related incidents in the downtown part of the city.
( 36:00 -- 45:30 ) Ms. Teresa Lee the owner of the Moby Dick Inn also spoke to council recounting her recent use of goats on her property, explaining why she chose to use the goats from Hazelton and how she had not given any thought that it would become a bylaw issue. She observed as to how popular they had become in the city during the short period of time that they were here.
She also noted how the city had stated some interest in reviewing the bylaw, asking what kind of timeline the city may have towards reconsidering the current bylaw and if there is a possibility of a change that would allow for livestock in the community.
In a review of the popularity of the goats prior to Seafest, she also noted that many in the community had suggested that they could Crowd Fund to help her pay any fines that the City may have assessed had she kept them, though she noted stressed she follows rules and bylaws.
Mayor Brain took advantage of the questions to explain the process that the city could take towards the topic, noting that they were scheduled to discuss what path to take later in the evening as part of the Regular Council Session.
He explained how the first stage would be a staff report which would explore all the issues that led to the original bylaw in the first place and what areas of concern that the City should make note of should they wish to revise the livestock bylaws, with the Mayor noting that the over riding item of note is what is best for the animal.
Thanking her for coming forward to discuss the issue with council, the Mayor observed that it was hard to determine a timeline for her at the moment and that while her original use of the goats was well intentioned, the city can't make for special arrangements. He did offer to keep her advised as to the process ahead for the review.
( 45:30 -- 47:00 ) Larry Golden came forward to speak about concerns about pit bull dogs in the community, recounting a recent incident about letter carriers and interactions with dogs on the Seventh Avenue West area. He recounted some of the bylaw provisions for dog and outlined some suggestions for council to consider when it comes to updating the bylaws.
( 47:00-47:30 ) Adjournment to reconvene as Regular Council Session
*************************************************************************** Regular Council Session
( 47:30 -- 48:00 ) Regular City Council Session for Monday, June 24, 2019 -- Adoption of Agenda, Acting Mayor Gurvinder Randhawa called the Regular Council Session to order, with Council adopting the agenda and past minutes of previous minutes. Petitions and Delegations
Reports and Recommendations
( 48:00 -- 49:00 ) Report from the City Manager -- Adoption of the 2018 Annual Report -- With Council not hearing of any more management notes on the report and having asked for public comments on the Annual report and receiving no feedback from that call for comments, the Mayor declared that all is well and moved that Council accept the report. Mr. Brain also praised staff for their work on the report noting the amount of effort that had been required in putting it together.
(49:00 -- 52:00 ) Report from the Chief Financial Officer on Permissive Property Tax Exemption Policy -- Corinne Bomben, the City's Financial Officer outlined the nature of the process involved for the new Property Tax Exemption Policies as well as some of the changes that have been incorporated into the new policy.
She noted that for this year only, the deadline for applications for property tax exemptions should be extended until August 15th, as Council is still considering the bylaw provisions.
Councillor Adey offered his commendation to staff in their work in generating the document under review by Council. Councillor Randhawa had a question related to the application process seeking clarification on the criteria that people need to be aware of.
Ms. Bomben noted that the new cycle is that of a four year duration (tied into the new council service provisions) and that current and previous recipients of the tax exemptions will be contacted by the city and asked to reapply as the current bylaw will be coming to an end.
Council then voted to accept the new Exemption Policy
( 52:00-- 52:30 ) Resolution from Closed meeting -- The Deputy Corporate Administration Antonio Vera announced the names of recipients for Civic honours to be awarded at the Canada Day Celebration in Mariner's Park.
Mr. Vera outlined how at the closed meeting of June 10th Council had announced that Phuong Nguyen and Ian Lihou would be honoured for their work in the community with awards at the Canada Day ceremony.
Mr. Nugyen will be recognized with the Civic Appreciation Award; while Mr. Lihou will be presented with the Civic Merit Award
Mayor Brain called attention to the media at the Council session of the Civic Ceremony that is part of the Canada celebrations.
( 52:30 -- ) Reports and Comments from Council members
Mayor Brain made note of two previous notice of motions, the first to provide a letter of advocacy for CBC Radio in Prince Rupert, with the mayor observing that the council should collaborate with the local group in the community that presented that request for a letter of support.
The second notice of motion from the Mayor was to address the city's bylaw provisions for livestock in the community, seeking a report from staff to explore the feasibility of changes to the current bylaws.
In the follow up discussion, Councillor Adey offered his support to the motion, making note of his past interest in the topic and the need to get expert advice on what is best for the animals, exploring such areas as climate, what factors were considered for the original bylaw and what kind of veterinarian support is available in the community.
Councillor Randhawa asked for some elaboration as to what forms of livestock the mayor might be looking to incorporate into any changes. Mayor Brain recounted the work of the 2030 Sustainable City policies and the area of small scale livestock such as goats, pigs and those types of animals, noting how some livestock won't work in the city environs.
Mr. Brain also explored the range of the spectrum of factors for council to follow up on, with the main element that of what is best for the animals and what capabilities the city has to protect them.
Councillor Mirau observed of the public support for the goats in question and the frequent calls for backyard chickens in the community, he also offered up the unique urban design that makes for Prince Rupert properties and how it may impact on any ability to host small livestock.
Councillor Niesh noted that if the current themes of social media were to be taken account of all would be in favour of goats, he then reviewed many of the issues that Council needs to take a look at and get more information on before making any changes to the current bylaws.
Councillor Skelton-Morven echoed many of the comments that were made by the previous council members.
Council then voted to recommend to direct that staff develop the report on the options related to the concept of livestock in the City of Prince Rupert.
Mr. Brain also made note of the presentation from earlier in the evening on the Lost Voices initiative and moved a notice of motion forward for further consideration at the next council session in July.
Councillor Morven took a moment at the end of the session to pay tribute to the work of the organizers of the National Indigenous People's Day at the Rotary Waterfront Park, making note of the crowd that was in attendance for the event and the success of the day.
With no other comments on the evening, the Mayor brought the evening to a close.
You can access the City Council Review for June 24th 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 June 24, 2019 (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.
Council members next meet on Monday, July 22, 2019.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
With Canada Post having recently suspended service to a neighbourhood in the Seventh Avenue West area owing to concerns on dogs running at large, the City of Prince Rupert has taken to its Social Media feed to offer a reminder for residents as to their responsibilities as pet owners in the community.
A recent post on the City's Facebook page reminds residents that outside of designated off leash areas, dogs must not be allowed to run at large, noting how the city's Bylaw Officer has spent a fair bit of time of late addressing the issue of dogs in the community.
As a gentle nudge towards keeping our dogs on a leash, the city also reminds residents of the possibility of fines for those who do not follow the city's rules.
Included as part of the City's presentation is a video from Canada Post which highlights the issue of dogs and Posties, a narrative as old as mail delivery itself.
The City's bylaws and policies on Dogs contain fourteen pages of information for review, including the range of fees and fines that the City has in place when it comes to responsible dog ownership.
An open air concept for the moment for the old Raffles Inn as workers continue on with renovations
A major renovation for one of the city's legendary hotels in underway, with work on the old Raffles hotel quite visible for passersby these days.
The long time fixture at the city's Five Corners was recently purchased by Five Eight investments who have plans to turn the fifty units into long term residences, though in what form their development will take place is still to be determined.
The name Raffles however, like the Drifter before it will now be part of the history of Prince Rupert, with a new name for the new look building to be announced in the future.
For now however, the work continues as the owners look to refresh the building and repurpose it from its previous life as hotel which had allocated a number of rooms as and emergency housing shelter for those in need.
It was a welcome addition to the city's housing stock, though there remains much work to do in providing for safe and affordable shelter for those who are in the most need in the city. Especially as the stock of housing that was once available moves towards different uses.
