From off-leash dogs to downtown parking to finding a new home for the city bus yard, Mayor Lyn Hall and City staff fielded questions and heard advice on a wide range of issues Tuesday afternoon during the first of four Talktober sessions.
Another session was scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Civic Centre, 5:15 p.m. start, followed by two on Wednesday, starting at 12:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., also at the Civic Centre.
Billed as a chance for residents to raise their concerns directly with city council and staff, those who attended took full advantage. A handful were related to concerns about air quality and the proposal to establish a petrochemical complex in the BCR industrial area.
Dr. Marie Hay, a strong opponent of the project, provided an extended list of worries about the impact it could pose on the local environment. She also accused the project's backers, West Coast Olefins Ltd., of misleading the public about its size and scope.
WCOL has submitted an application to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office to build an ethylene plant, while those for an ethylene derivatives plant and a natural gas recovery system are still to go before regulatory bodies.
Hay claimed it actually consists of seven projects, saying three are related to the natural gas line and added a hydrocarbon storage plant to the list of projects planned for the BCR Site. She said that once the first plant is built, "heavy industrial creep" will follow and downplayed the number of jobs the ethylene plant will generate, saying it will employ "only" 230 people once operating.
Hall eventually stopped Hay, but predicted there will be a "dialogue" between those for and against the project as it progresses. Along with remaining subject to approval by provincial regulatory bodies, Hall noted the portion of the BCR industrial site being eyed for the uses is also subject to rezoning which includes a public hearing before city council.
On other matters, Hall said the way the three-hour time limit for parking downtown is being enforced is being reviewed and that a search for a new home for a city bus yard continues after a proposal to place it at the corner of 14th and Foothills met with stiff public opposition.
"It's still on the map but looking to do that facility in a more commercial and industrial zoned area," Hall said.
Alarm bells were raised about an apparent growth of short-term vacation rentals in the city. "All of a sudden, our Blockwatch program is redundant because we no longer know in our neighbourhood who belongs there because there is constant comings and goings, different people, different cars because of the Airbnb," a resident said.
Allowing off-leash dogs during particular hours at Cottonwood Island Park was suggested by one resident while another said areas where off-leash is prohibited need to be better monitored in the name of people who feel uncomfortable walking near dogs.
Meanwhile, the City delivered a message of its own. Prior to the question and answer period, city manager Kathleen Soltis gave a presentation about the growing amount of aging infrastructure in the city and the amount of work that will be needed to bring it up to par.
In an interview following the session, Hall said growth in the city's tax base would help offset the cost of pursuing that work without raising property taxes. There are signs Prince George is headed in that direction, notably the strong building permit numbers, Hall said during the question and answer session.
"I've said 101 times that we are on the cusp, if not there now, of turning into a big city," he said. "We're turning into a city that, I think, can maintain the development that we're seeing."
The session drew a sparse crowd but more were expected for the evening events.
