During a City Council meeting last night at City Hall, the director of development services Tanya Turner delivered a report recommending that Council continue to defer readings of Bylaw 1829 and Bylaw 1830, which both pertain to the proposed Elliott Street supportive housing project.
Following the report, Council agreed to defer further readings until:
- they receive a document outlining the operation model for the facility from BC Housing;
- a housing agreement bylaw is prepared and receives first, second and third readings;
- they receive a completed Good Neighbour Agreement (GNA) from BC Housing and the operator, Quesnel Shelter & Support Society (QS&SS).
Council put a timeframe on these requests, stating the three items must be completed before Oct. 31.
If completed, Council agreed that a second open house be hosted by BC Housing to inform the public about the ongoing project; and that a second public hearing take place for Council to hear all concerns relating to the proposed bylaws.
Council also passed a motion to request a formal press release from BC Housing regarding whether BC Housing shares the views expressed by QS&SS in their recent press release. The release from Oct. 2 stated that Quesnel Shelter & Support Society “condemns, in the strongest possible terms, Mayor Bob Simpson’s obstruction of a proposed supportive housing development for Elliott Street.” The society said they “had come to an agreement with city staff [regarding the GNA] prior to the public meeting at City Hall.”
During the Council meeting Oct. 3, Turner, the director of development services, said there had, to date, been no finalized agreement seen by City staff.
QS&SS president Heather Peters refuted this, saying the society had sent a GNA to City staff in the week leading up to the public hearing, stating that they were ready to sign this agreement immediately. She said QS&SS didn’t hear back from the City on that GNA.
“BC Housing already sent their classic housing agreement to the City, the one that is used across the province with municipalities. Both these agreements were ready to sign yesterday,” she said.
But Turner commented that she had been going back and forth on email with QS&SS executive director Melanie MacDonald regarding the GNA as late as last Friday.
But Turner said the bigger issue is the operating agreement.
“I’m less concerned with the GNA than with having a good understanding of what the operating model is for the facility.
“We are trying to obtain a clear undestanding of their operating model. We are not debating it, but we want a clear, plain language operating model so the public can undestand what the facility look like.”
Council’s decision to further defer readings of the bylaws and to request another open house and public hearing come after confusion regarding how the proposed Elliott Street facility will operate, and whether it will offer drop-in and harm reduction services.
Heather Peters commented: “Personally, I want BC Housing to jump into this and take this battle on. They have the experts, and they do this across the province.”
At post time the representative from BC Housing was unavailable for comment.
