Pride Walk built in Prince George

The Prince George Pride walk was built today near the Days Inn. The walk was unanimously voted in favour at city council. Prince George Pride Society pushed to get the walk built in the community. This is added to the pride flag which is being flown at city hall. The pride parade, which is taking place on July 9th, will certainly be highlighting the new cross walk. Feelings of how the city has changed over the years could be heard while the paint was being mixed. Composed of rock and reflective materials the paint is expected to last longer than traditional cross walk paint even in the winters of Prince George.

The walk was built days after a massive shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida which claimed the lives of 49 people and injured over 50. Outpouring of support has been happening all across North America, a vigil was held on Monday May 13 to show support for the victims and their families of the shooting.

By: Grant Bachand (Twitter) @grantbachand

How we vote: Government committee on electoral reform

During the federal government election the question of whether first past the post is a fair system loomed over the liberal party's platform. Now Justin Trudeau and the Liberals have rolled out a committee on electoral reform. This committee is made up of all the parties in the house and after the recent pressure by the NDP now reflects the popular vote not the seat count in the House. The committee is made up of 12 seats, 5 Liberal (one is the chair), 3 Conservatives, 2 NDP, 1 Bloc Quebeco, 1 Green. This is based off of the NDP proposal that was championed by Skeena-Bukley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.

The Conservative Party has been calling for a referendum on this issue. They assert that this question no matter what the committee makes up looks like will be illegitimate if it does not have the consent of the people of Canada. This could be problematic for the committee since in order to get a resolution passed the liberals will need the support of 1 or 2 opposition parties.  The Liberals have also stated that they will reach out to Canadian but how that will look is still yet to be disclosed.

The Green Party and the NDP have been calling for proportional representation, while the Liberals tend to favor a system of preferential ballot. It is likely that the committee will move towards a proportional system but to which degree will depends on the committee.

The current system gives a preference to the Conservatives and the Liberals in elections. With the current system a party can win the most seats but loose the popular vote amongst Canadians. After the Liberals devastating lose in 2011 they have been in favor of a change to the system. It is likely that the electoral reform issue will not come back around until parliament is back in the fall.

Parking in bike lanes no longer allowed

City council passed a bylaw which makes it an offence to park in bike lanes in Prince George. This motion was put forward by Jillian Merrick to help improve cyclists safety.  The motion passed with only one dissenting voice. Brian Skakun felt that the bike lanes were under used by the public and the added costs that would be needed to improve parking options were unnecessary. This new bylaw will affect 69km of  the 72 km of bike lanes in Prince George. The 3km of bike lanes which are not affected need more work before ready for the new bylaw. The process for this motion it was long, it was brought in front of council on February 1st 2016. At that time the motion was referred to staff to conduct a study on how would imposing these restrictions would affect the community. L&M Engineering as hired to perform the study at a cost of $70,000. The study included a feasibility analysis and a way to implement the new bylaw.

There was many problematic areas around the community; Rainbow Park, CN Centre, outside the Phoenix Medical Centre, and the PG soccer fields were among the most discussed. Complaints relating to lack of parking option at Rainbow park and the distance of the parking options for the Soccer fields were some of the complaints heard by the city. It was due to these complications that particular areas like those ones were except for a time being until proper accommodations were put in place by the city.

The city will allow for an educational period where signs are put up and information is given to the community about these new regulations. This will include warnings by bylaw officers and information in local media. Though eventually towing and tickets will be brought in, this was some of the statements made by Brian Skakun.

According to Bikesafety.caa.ca 7,500 people a year are injured while riding bikes. Cyclists are more likely to be injured or killed at an intersection or at a location with a traffic signal or other traffic control signal.

Public transit in PG getting high customer satisfaction

In Monday night's meeting in front of city council BC Transit representatives Chris Fudge and Shilpa Panicker along with the new transit planner, Josephine Macharia told council about the future of transit in Prince George. The team went over short and long term changes to the transit system in Prince George as well as the current state of affairs. Chris Fudge stated that customer service in Prince George is high and this is a result of the good work done by the staff. Prince George transit has been characterized by some students as under par with a lack of transit options on weekends and statutory holidays. This has left students feeling stranded on campus in many situations creating a divide between UNBC and the community of Prince George. Transit has been a focus for many of the city councillors at UNBC with Lyn Hall making election promises to improve transit. Action of public transit has been slow with a 5 year plan being put in place and no action on that plan happening for two years.

In the long term transit in Prince George will have some changes, with the introduction of rapid transit lines (buses that make few stops) and frequent transit lines (buses that come every 15mins). These changes are however over the long term which could be over the ten years. In the next 5 years expect transit to expand into the statutory holidays and a increase in the hours of operation of the buses. All of these changes though planned will be based on the fiscal situation of BC Transit which has been experiencing funding challenges. Lyn Hall stated that he would like to see an earlier implementation of these short term changes sooner rather than later.

Ridership has been down over the last couple years going from 2,032,972 in 2013-2014 to 1,877,966 in 2015-2016. This decrease in ridership has made it difficult for the city and BC transit to improve the services here in Prince George. Funding from the provincial government has been frozen for the last two years and created a financial pinch for BC Transit. Prince George makes up 53.31% of the funding for public transit and the province makes up 46.69%. In order to improve the service Lyn Hall believes that the city needs to be lobbying the provincial government to get the improvements that are needed done.

It is unclear when the longer hours and the service on statutory holidays are gonna happen BC transit has been reluctant to place any time horizons on the expansion. So for the time being prepare for the same as usual with the transit in Prince George.

City Council revokes business licence

City council was in quasi judicial hearing where the city would decide weather to up hold City Planner Ian Wells decision to suspend the business licence of Connaught Motor Inn. Suspension of the business licence is for 3 months and the suspension will stay in force until all the city requirement are met. Starting July 1st 2016 and going till the end of September. Residents of motel will have till July 1st to find new places to stay. The city was presented with four choices cancel the 3 month suspension of business licence, maintain the suspension, reduce or increase suspension with possible extra previsions, or cancel the licence. The prosecution for the city called six witness and the owners representing themselves called none.

Superintendent Warren Brown the detachment commander of the Prince George RCMP was the first witness.  "Connaught Inn is one of the most troubling hot spots for in our community for crime" he stated. The RCMP strategy to reduce crime is to target prolific offenders, social system users and hot spots and Connaught Motor Inn is one of those hot spots. The RCMP receive 700 plus calls about the motel last year. Crime is so common their that when the RCMP wants to deter crime they visit the Inn and it has proved effective. The business owner, Joe Carhoun cross examined the witness Superintendent Brown. The Carhoun insinuated that the people who live on the street are causing  the problems and his business is just a near by location. Superintendent Brown responded by stating "your location is the hub of these problem." Carhoun also stated that the he had no idea about the problems. If you took every other hotel and motel in the city and added up all the calls the RCMP receive  about them, the connaught Motor Inn would still outweigh them all.

Barry Nakahara, Manager of Prevention Services, WorkSafe BC was the second witness. The Connaught Motor Inn has had many violations levied against them by Worksafe BC. According to Nakahara many of those violations were never brought into compliance. There have been fines levied against Connaught Motor in in excess of $65,000 by Worksafe BC and the penalties have not been paid. The primary concern of Worksafe BC is the risk of violence that the employees are under by working at the motel. Working conditions are so bad that mushroom are stated to be growing in some parts of the building. Any risk that the employees have are also going to risks to anyone who is staying at the motel too. "I am not aware of us having involvement to this degree with any other establishments" Nakahara stated. The owners stated that they are being treated unfairly by Worksafe and have a "professional" dealing with the "unfair" charges brought against them by Worksafe BC, and therefor did not want to cross examine Mr.Nakahara.

Captain Steve Feeney, Fire Prevention Branch, Prince George Fire Rescue Services was the third witness. The business has in the past had fire code problems which were concerning. He also stated that the owners have made forward progress in dealing with those fire concerns.

John Bennett, Supervisor Building Inspections, City of Prince George was the fourth witness.  He has multiple concerns about building safety and damage of the building. The Connaught Motor in is a liability to the city now that they know about its condition of the building. The owner refuted his claim stating that their is no problem and was willing to show the city. The city wanted to see improvements made when the owner said he was making them Bennett stated no building applications have been filed with the city.

Marilyn Sabatino, Bylaw Enforcement Officer, City of Prince George was the fifth witness. According to Sabatini there had been multiple complaints made against the Connaught Motor Inn. The city received a complaint about garbage problems around the property and the physical decay of the building itself. The problems persisted and then the city sent an order letter to the Connaught Motor Inn. This building is comparable to the Willow Inn, a property that had a one year suspension on its business licence for similar problems, according to Sabatino .

Superintendent Warren Brown filled in for Inspector Brad Anderson who could not make it for the hearing which was suppose to be witness six. The RCMP attendance to the building make up approximately 10% of their total activities. Accordant to Brown  what makes the Connaught Motor Inn unique is that they would have criminal issues one after another unlike other motels and hotels. The superintendent himself have been to the 30-40 times jus t in this last year. The RCMP has been to the property in excess of 2000 times which are not only just calls. Problems at the Connaught have gone on longer than the Willow Inn. Policing the motel is time consuming, resource heavy and frustrating according to Superintendent Brown.  When Carhoun cross examined Brown he was met with a strong statement from the superintendent, "from a policing prospective you have been willfully blind". The Carhoun agreed with the allegations but not the willfully part. "Any step besides the status quo who be an improvement" Superintendent Brown to owner.

Troy DeSouza who was the outside council prosecutor for the city stated in his closing remarks, Carhoun's argument that he did not know about these problems is not a real argument since the low occupancy rate should of been the first indicator there was a problem. Carhoun in a letter stated to the city, before this hearing, that he will need help and a "tax break"; in the eyes of DeSouza this was simply unprofessional. The city has bent over backwards to help the business with a very short suspension and lots of leeway before finally coming to the point where a business licence suspension was in order. If the city was to give a chance to the business owner, as Carhoun was suggesting though out the hearing, their needs to be evidence he is serious in fixing the problem, according to Desouza. DeSouza felt there was no evidence presented through this hearing that would make him believe the owners were serious.

When it came time for the councillors to give their remarks they did not hold back. Brian Shakun was extremely mad that he had to sit through this "garbage" which was the hearing. Shakun wanted the owners to pay back some of the costs the city had to spend on RCMP enforcement for the property. "you give absentee landlords a bad name" Skakun said to the owners of the motel.

Terri McConnachie said the owner provided crappy service to the guests who stay at the motel by how bad the conditions are. Tons of hotels that are in the downtown are at full capacity, that was in response to the owners stating that is a hard economy for motels in the downtown.

In the end Council was not moved by the statements Joe Carhoun made in his defence and in many occasions they felt his remarks hurt him more than helped. The city suspended the licence and their hopes are things improve but if they don't the suspension may not be removed come in September.

Fort McMurray Fire

***Updated information as of 05.30.2016***

Victims of the Fort McMurray Fire can are expected to return to Fort McMurray as of June 1st and the last of the people should be back by June 15th; this according Alberta Government.Electricity has been restored to 90% of the community, including outlying areas and gas service has been restored to 78% of Fort McMurray. Boil water advisory is in place and will likely be removed by the end of June.

***The Fort McMurray wildfire is still out of control and estimated to be 579,946 hectares in size. It is now crossing over into Northern Saskatchewan. The fire has destroyed over 1,600 structures and displaced almost 90,000 people from their homes. Insurance losses for the fire are expected to exceed $9 billion dollars.

Warm temperatures, and an early spring were major contributing factors to the fire.  Mike Flanagan a professor of Wildfires for the University of Alberta said that it is likely caused by man made factors. This is due to the proximity to Fort McMurray in which the fire started and the fact that their was no lighting. Also the combination of extremely warm spring with a very low humidity added to fuel of the fire. The boreal forest around Fort McMurray had dry forest floor that has made it easy for fires to start and spread quickly.

***Currently there are 2,292 firefighters, 90 helicopters (five heavy helicopters), 273 pieces of heavy equipment and 20 air tankers. Additional firefighters and various pieces of heavy equipment are expected to arrive over the next few days. There are fire fighters from around the world 298 from South Africa 199 from United States, 84 from Ontario, 7 from New Brunswick, 48 from Northwest Territories, 113 from British Columbia, 34 from Saskatchewan, 19 from Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI, 29 fromParks Canada, and 1 from Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).

*** To donate to help the victim of Fort McMurray Fire  ***

Donations have been pouring in to the Red Cross with both the Federal Government of Canada and the Provincial Government of Alberta matching donations. As of May 6 2016 the Red Cross has received in excess of $30 million dollars in donations.

***Information will be updated as it comes***

By Grant Bachand (Twitter) @grantbachand

B.C Schizophrenia Society receives $3 million

The BC Government is providing $3 million worth of funding to the BC Schizophrenia Society to help them expand their provincial wide caregiver services. This funding will help the BCSS work with people who suffer from schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, depression and other severe mental illnesses. Prince George has a branch of the BCSS that has worked in the community for a number of years. Health Minister Terry Lake said "Caregivers provide immeasurable support to loved ones who are dealing with serious mental illness, and by helping take care of their own mental wellness, we are also helping them provide love and support to those struggling with these illnesses."

The caregiver network gives tools and knowledge to family members of people who are affected by these mental conditions.  Groups like the BCSS have shown to be extremely cost-effective and beneficial to family members. BCSS also builds community capacity to respond to the needs of caregivers, and various other stakeholders in the community.

According to the Government of BC, the Ministry of Health invests approximately $1.42 billion every year in mental health and substance use services. This is an increase of 67% since from 2000-01.

According to the BCSS website, Schizophrenia is mental illness that affects 300,000 Canadians. It most often appears in men in their late teens or early twenties, while it appears in women in their late twenties or early thirties. Finding the causes for schizophrenia proves to be difficult as the cause and course of the illness is unique for each person.

By Grant Bachand (Twitter) @grantbachand

Premier begins trade mission to Asia

Premier Christy Clark along with 78 representatives from the private sector will begin a trade mission in Asia which will last from May 23-31st. They team will be visiting South Korea, Philippines, and Japan. It is the governments hope to open new trade doors in the Philippines.  Growing LNG exports will be a major push in both South Korea and Japan. “This trade mission is about developing new trade and investment opportunities with Japan and Korea, while looking at what the future holds in Southeast Asia as we develop a stronger trade presence in the Philippines,” said Premier Clark.

The businesses that are joining the premier have a wide range of specialties from international education, to LNG and digital media. These trade missions fall in line with the BC jobs plan especially LNG advocacy. The Northern BC economy has seen LNG play a bigger part year over year.

Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will most likely also be a big part of the talks. The TPP is currently in ratification process with the government of Canada currently looking at whether to ratify. The former Harper Government negotiated the TPP on behalf of Canada. The TPP is expected to grow BC exports by $350 million according to the government of BC.

Justin Trudeau is also currently in Japan as well making pitches to Japanese automakers to invest in Canada. Japan was at one time Canada's second largest trading partner. Now our biggest Asian trading partner is China, which has seen in the last couple years an economic slowdown, and a series of market troubles.

According to the Observatory for Economic Complexity (OEC) by MIT exports in 2014 had Japan make up 2.6% ($11.7 billion), South Korea 1.5% ($6.4 billion), and the Philippines .25% ($1.11 billion) of Canada's total exports. Canada's biggest trading partners are the USA at 55% ($242 billion), and China 11% ($50.6 billion).

By Grant Bachand (Twitter) @grantbachand

UNBC Approves Budget for 2016/2017

The UNBC Bored of Governors approved the budget for 2016/2017. The votes was 8 in favour, 3 against and 2 abstentions. The opposition to the budget came from a lack of clarity around the auxiliary part of the budget also some board members felt cuts should of been considered by UNBC administration.  UNBC adjusted or dipped into some of their various funds in order to do a one time allocation which did balanced the budget. The budget prior to doing these allocations was in deficit due to falling enrolment numbers. One of the adjustments was the scholarship fund and canceling the  contribution to the fund for 2016/2017. Not contributing to the fund would not affect students who have already be promised scholarships from UNBC. President Daniel Weeks reassured the Board of Governors that the scholarship fund is healthy and can sustain this lack on contribution.

In order to create the budget the UNBC administration conducted many town hall meetings and open consultation sessions with Senate, faculty, students and staff. According one of members of the Board of Governors this budget is one of the most detailed budgets that they have seen in a long time. The pledge for transparency that President Weeks made has led to a more detailed budget that included not just the operational part of the budget but also the reserve funds that are not important to the approval of the budget. The detail of the budget at times lead to confusion on the part of some of the members.

The one time cuts that were done this year will lead to a balanced budget but are not something that can be done again. The scholarship contribution will have to be made next year according to UNBC President Daniel Weeks. He is also optimistic and feels that with the aggressive recruiting strategies that the university is currently implementing that they will be able in increase enrolment numbers for the future.

UNBC is also in the process of creating an academic plan that will feed into the creation of future fiscal budgets.  In order to create that plan UNBC is currently forming committees. These committees will look at ways that UNBC can move forward in the future these committees will be made up of students, faculty, staff and administrators.

By Grant Bachand (twitter) @grantbachand