City of Prince George workers installed lockable gates at either end of Lower Patricia Boulevard as it enters Moccasin Flats on Thursday, May 8.
As of 3:45 p.m., the gate at the intersection of Lower Patricia and Fifth Avenue had been blocked while the other near the intersection of Lower Patricia and Fourth Avenue remained unlocked.
At an April 23 meeting, Prince George city council approved installation of the gates to block off vehicle traffic but not foot traffic to the homeless encampment.
In the morning and early afternoon, city crews and external contractors were seen hoisting the burnt-out remains of a semi-trailer that had once served as a shelter onto a flatbed truck and removed from the site.
That heralded the beginning of work to install lockable concrete no-post gates, a spokesperson from the City of Prince George said by email.
Signs were also erected on the road through the flats telling passersby that the road and fire hydrants must be kept clear at all times under city bylaws.
By email that afternoon, director of administrative services Eric Depenau confirmed that work to install the gates was beginning and would continue over the coming days.
“This work is being carried out under the authority of the Community Charter, Section 38(1),” Depenau said.
“Notices about the work were handed out to people at the encampment and posted up around the area. The notice explains that sheltering in the area will not be impacted by the installation of the gates.
“Emergency services will still have access to the area via the roadway, which must be kept clear at all times. Once gates are installed, vehicle access to this area will be restricted to authorized traffic only.”
Section 38(1) of the Community Charter states that the council of a local government may “temporarily restrict or prohibit all or some types of traffic on a highway.”
The City of Prince George’s application to the Supreme Court of British Columbia to clear out what remains of Moccasin Flats is still pending.
