Prince George city council voted to direct staff to investigate the potential development of a riverfront strategy in partnership with the University of Northern BC at its Wednesday, Sept. 3 meeting.
Coun. Trudy Klassen and Coun. Tim Bennett gave their colleagues notice at the previous council meeting on Monday, Aug. 18 that they would propose some motions relating to riverfront vitality at the Monday, Sept. 3 council meeting.
Their motion as originally written asked council to direct city staff to request co-operation with the University of Northern British Columbia to create a waterfront plan for the Nechako and Fraser rivers with the help of other stakeholders like the public, potential investors, community organizations, Indigenous governments, and provincial and federal government agencies.
They specified that the plan would need to align with would both the city’s strategic plan and the 2009 Smart Growth on the Ground Report to identify development opportunities for business, environmental and historical protection, tourism and recreation.
They requested that if approved, the strategy be delivered to council no later than Dec. 31, 2026 with quarterly and bi-annual updates being provided along the way, allocating up to $25,000 in council contingency funds to pay for the work and requiring that the final plan as presented to council include consideration of regulatory mechanisms and funding opportunities.
Speaking at the meeting, Klassen said she wanted the city to start to take the steps to redevelop its riverfront areas.
She said the city’s strategic plan seeks to retain people like students rather than have them move away after their studies and she felt that further developing the riverfront could help in that regard.
Bennett said that since the notice of motion was given, he and Klassen had worked with city staff to adjust the plan to be more in line with what they have the capacity to do.
The new version of the motion removed the specific end date for when the final report to council should be revised, required quarterly and bi-annual reports to council
While Coun. Brian Skakun said he approves of further developing the riverfront, the level of engagement the motion required would be immense and wasn’t sure how both city staff and councillors would be able to carry it out.
“I think the intent is right, but how do we do this?” Skakun asked.
Mayor Simon Yu said he’s participated in a study with communities along the Nechako River basin and said it was a years-long effort to complete. He said he thought Klassen and Bennett’s motion was narrow enough to be focused on just the city.
Coun. Cori Ramsay said she agrees with Skakun that the work is important and she’d love to see riverfront revitalization, but she wants to see what work the university is already doing in and around the river.
She said she would prefer to refer the motion to staff to look into and engage UNBC with rather than pass it outright.
Coun. Kyle Sampson said his parents live in Kamloops and he thought that city had done things right with a mix of commercial and recreational opportunities along the riverfront there.
He said he would vote against both the motion and a referral, preferring that a broader request be made to staff who could return to council with recommendations on how to proceed.
Sampson added that there are several unfunded capital projects along the riverfront like trail building and maintenance that can still be done along with other work that has already been done.
Coun. Ron Polillo said he felt similarly to Ramsay and Skakun and wondered whether UNBC even wants to take on the work. He said he would support referring the matter to staff.
Coun. Susan Scott said no one had spoken yet about the flood plains along the river and how much work factoring them into a riverfront strategy would take. She said she would vote against the motion.
Speaking again, Klassen said she urged her colleagues to approve referral to staff, feeling that it was broad enough to proceed with.
A referral motion passed five to three, with Ramsay, Sampson and Scott voting against.
