Another tool for the city to make use of in its long running, though somewhat stalled work towards developing additional housing stock in the city was approved by Council last week.
That as City Council gave approval to the Housing Acceleration Action Plan, a comprehensive document that City Manager Rob Buchan noted was a required element for the city to continue to pursue federal funding for housing initiatives.
We provided a short overview of the document prior to last Tuesdays' Council session, the key element of the Report from Myfannwy Pope, Director of Development Services & Veronika Stewart, Manager of Communications, Engagement and Social Development, is outlined below:
The discussions of the report was opened by the City Manager, with Dr. Rob Buchan highlighting the importance of the document and how it will inform the city's process on housing issues.
"This represents considerable effort from Director Pope and Manager Stewart, it's an aggressive strategy, it's apropos, given the Minister's letter earlier on the agenda about housing and homelessness.
It sets the stage and develops supports we believe for our application under the Housing Accelerator Fund in the amount of ten million dollars that we are applying for. In order to be successful in this, if we are and it's a highly competitive process, we will have to have this in place.
None of this mandates, it requires council to actually enact the strategy, but you have to have the strategy and then you will be able to go head on an item by item basis and give considerations to those items.
If we're successful with ten million dollars, we will be able to be effective in moving housing forward in the District in a significant way.
So there will be lots of chance if it's adopted, and if we're successful in CMHC application to give further consideration to these items, but it's an import step and I want to commend staff for doing really an exceptional job in getting this together and submitted" -- Prince Rupert City Manager Rob Buchan
Towards comment many of the council members spoke to the topic last Tuesday night, all in support of the initiative, with the first of the councillors Nick Adey showing his full support for the document.
"I'm actually fully in support of this, one of things I really like about it, is that is a very readable and relatively concise collection of the various initiatives that we have in place to try and encourage housing.
I'm not sure that there's anybody in the room that isn't at least on board with the notion that we need to develop housing, so from that perspective it's really useful, and I'll echo your commendation for the work that was involved, I think that's really important.
I want to note in particular things like the need for Senior housing, we hear this stuff all the tine so it's good to have this articulated in a document that might help us get there"
The Councillor also relayed an anecdote from a conversation with a neighbour and how there is some frustration for some in the community on the flow of information that the city delivers to residents impacted by housing renovations or changes. Noting how the document provides for a level of transparency towards how the city is addressing housing and offers direction and opportunity for public feedback.
For Councillor Skelton-Moven praise for the report and its authors and the need to represent those who aren't represented in the community was key to his takeaway from the document.
"I just wanted to applaud staff, our two rock stars there for steam rolling this project and making it happen. I think that it speaks to a lot of pieces that are critically important for the community and having that public input process is really critical. But also making sure that we're representing those that may not be able to make it to Council meetings or be able to voice those concerns"
The councillor also outlined some of the past challenges the community found when it comes to providing housing in the community and where the most vulnerable in the community end up on the streets, observing that there are so many voices that would not be in the room at public hearing time with any given project.
Mr. Skelton-Morven also touched on the past term of office and some of the discussions on housing.
"Many of my previous colleagues from the previous term can recall, you know some of the pieces around those public discussions and how, how combative it can be at times and you know we're not going to be able to keep everyone happy and pleased with the results.
Especially when you have a need of 5,000 plus units, we're going to have start building out or building up or a bit of both and not everyone is going to be happy about it But you know this is part of th proves of being in a growing community and not leaving anyone behind"
Councillor Niesh asked for some clarification on an element of the plan, seeking more background on the incentive program in place at the moment.
In reply Director Pope outlined that the current incentive program would expire in November and if Council wishes to extend it would come back following the Budget discussion period.
"The current incentive waiver, or waiver of fees will expire at the beginning of November, if we want to continue that incentive we will have to come back for a new resolution ... that will be a determination on the impacts of budget and then councils discussion"
Councillor Cunningham picked up on the incentive program and it's value towards incentivizing building in the community, he also followed up on the comments from Councillor Skelton-Morven.
"If you look at the homeless count, you know I brought up the 49 percent of the homeless people are seniors, but 44 percent of the people that are homeless aren't making enough money to afford rent.
So those are two factors that bring into play with affordable housing and senior housing, one or the other and both those types of housing we're lacking terribly in this town right now.
So with this type of report, I think it's very important that we also emphasize affordable housing and senior housing because it's the two segments of the city that we've been tending to ignore.
You know, market Housing, market rent, people are working two jobs, three jobs and they still ca't afford their rent and a lot of seniors are now making a choice between leaving the lights on eating or their medications because of rent and high cost of food and that.
I think Councillor Skelton Morven's hit the nail on the head on the head of that in the particular aspect of that housing and its important "
Those comments brought a return from Councillor Skelton-Morven to the discussion, touching on themes of Nimbyism in his follow up comments.
"I think some of the contention obviously is Nimbyism and it's a really uncomfortable topic to talk about because you know really it comes from a different background, in every neighbourhood in every single aspect.
It doesn't matter where we develop there's a constant state of Nimbyism and it's very blatant and it's right there in the forefront.
Policy wise, I don't really know how there's a way to speak to those pieces.
But ultimately it's going to really boil down to advocacy as well as making the tough decisions so that we can ensure that everybody has an affordable place to live.
Again we're not going to be able to please everybody
But there's a lot of pieces around this that again it's a tough conversation that we have to have, we face it or we stick our heads in the sand and don't do the work and the last three decades continues to perpetuate from here"
Councillor Teri Forster spoke to the issue of youth homelessness and how it impacts on the community.
"A point that hasn't been made is actually the show up that almost fifty percent, forty nine percent of our youth have experienced homelessness and that sets the stage for the rest of their life . So I'm really quite impressed by Director Pope's report and I'm grateful that we're getting a lot more work like this ...
The Councillor also noted of the homeless report and encouraged the public to review it
"20 percent of the respondents identify within the LGBTQ2S+ community, a significant proportion 25 percent identity the reason why are under housed is because to substance abuse which is problem we're going to have to address ... touching also on what Councillor Skelton Morven is talking about. Nobody wants to see Social problem sin their backyard but they are in everybody's community"
The Full conversation to the topic can be reviewed through the City's video archive starting at the 31 minute mark.
More items of note from the October 11th Council session can be reviewed from our Archive page here.
The Homeless report cited by the Council members can be reviewed from our notes of last week and from October 6.
The City of Prince Rupert followed up on the work of Council with an information release on October 12th that further expands on their initiative.
That document includes a link to the full report available here.
The theme of Housing has been a long running narrative with many similar conversations over the last decade for the members of both this council and those of the last few terms.
Though from the catalogue of those many discussion over those years, there is still it seems much work to do when it comes to delivery towards the housing required and how Council approaches the topic with its residents.
If council is inclined towards some introspection to their housing themes and some of the frustrations expressed by the public as to how the City has moved them forward, along with the concerns over Nimbyism from the discussion of Tuesday ... they are perhaps rooted somewhat in how the city has introduced those past housing proposals, a process that hasn't always' resonated well with the public in recent years.
A wider overview of Housing themes in Prince Rupert and the rather glacial pace of addressing many of the themes outlined last week by Council can be explored here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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