BC Housing projects have been the talk of the town in Grand Forks, and now City Council has addressed some concerns with the Province. Council joined the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson, some of her senior staff, and CEO of BC Housing Shayne Ramsay for a conference call recently. The 2nd Street and 19th Street projects were discussed, and Mayor Brian Taylor thinks council is feeling happy having addressed some fears, and questioned their consultation process.
Mayor Taylor explains:
“I think what we’re saying to The Minister is that this has to happen earlier, we have to be able to address people’s concerns, and it’s really hard to do when there is a lack of information. So when the community is not consulted they’re angry, they’re feeling disenfranchised….”
He says having a local operator is critical:
“We’re pushing hard for a local provider that would be a charity locally that actually runs these services, and I think that clearly if it is established and we can have that local accountability we will see these projects being highly successful for our community.”
The Minister acknowledged that having the right people in charge is an important factor. Mayor Taylor also expressed the controversy surrounding the 2nd Street location to Minister Robinson.
He says now they’re in the process of setting up tours of similar projects:
“We’re trying to break down what is a stereotype of who they think is going into these facilities and what they’re going to look like, so I think those things will be addressed if we look at operating facilities.”
Mayor Taylor adds some potential visit sites include Kelowna and Merrit, but there are some varying details between projects around the province which can make comparisons sometimes hard to make. Community sessions will take place once an operator is locked down to collect feedback and provide details. City Council appreciates Minister Robinson’s continued support, and is pleased with the communication.