www.pgcitizen.ca THE PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 Newsstand $1.45 incl. tax | Home Delivered 70c/day CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN Hail to rail Ian Hoag with the City of Prince George hangs up the new CN Rail banners along Highway 97 Wednesday morning. The new 100 years of Rail banners will be found along the highway. George Street eatery still awaiting all clear Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff If all works out The Copper Pig BBQ House will reopen by the end of May, but owner Tyler Burbee still needs answers to key questions before he knows for sure. The restaurant at 363 George St. remains standing after a spectacular fire leveled three historic buildings along the block early Monday morning but there was concern the blaze may have put the building’s integrity in doubt. Burbee is hoping inspectors will give it a passing grade sooner, rather than later. “Right now, if everything is OK, we’ll be good to go this month,” Burbee said Wednesday. “If something’s found that’s compromising the structure, then who knows what the delays are going to be.” Along with the loss of revenue for Burbee, he said 23 people are out of work for at least the time being and noted that if they I've had people say 'I'm down there right now with a shovel, what can I do?' to 'Can we help you out with freezing your food?' or 'What can be done?' — Tyler Burbee apply for Employment Insurance, they’ll have to wait at least a month before they start receiving payments and they’ll be less than what they earn at the restaurant. “The uncertainty is terrifying,” said Burbee, who was away in Edmonton when the fire broke out. He was notified at about 1:30 a.m. on Monday. “The outpour of support has been amazing,” Burbee said. “I’ve had people say ‘I’m down there right now with a shovel, what can I do?’ to ‘Can we help you out with freezing your food?’ or ‘What can be done? “But honestly, unless they’re city engineers, nothing yet.” Meanwhile, the Prince George Red Cross’s reception centre for residents left homeless by the fire at the Latitude apartment building closed up on Wednesday evening. Red Cross volunteers provided information and coordinated services for 31 residents who were displaced by the April 30 blaze at the 3712 Westwood Drive structure. The cause of the fire was deemed accidental. Officials from the City of Prince George, the Salvation Army, Ministry of Social Development, BC Housing, Northern Health, Prince George Native Friendship Center, and Ketso Yoh were also involved in the effort. Prince George ballplayer Today's Weather Hi +18° Low +6° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts Recovery centre opponents dealt court loss Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen A B.C. Supreme Court Justice has dismissed a lawsuit brought against the city by Haldi Road area residents opposed to the development of the Northern Supportive Recovery Centre. Justice Ron Tindale’s judgment, issued Wednesday morning, ends a year-long court battle sparked when area resident Torre Pettersen filed a petition seeking to quash city council’s decision to allow the 30-bed facility to be located in the old Haldi Road elementary school at 5877 Leslie Road. Mayor Shari Green said the outcome left her relieved and added there is a need in the north for the facility, “so I am pleased that the applicant will be able to proceed with that. “But at the same time I’m torn because I know it was divisive for many residents of the neighbourhood and they won’t be happy with the outcome.” Pettersen declined to comment Tuesday morning because he had not yet seen the ruling. Pettersen, who was later joined by 10 others who signed onto the petition, launched the action in May 2013, just shy of three weeks after council gave the go-ahead for a second time. A previous council vote was also in favour of the centre, but that decision was overturned when a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled the attempt to rezone the property violated the community plan. In response, the current city council amended the plan following a public hearing, in addition to passing a zoning amendment. Pettersen claimed the decision remained invalid because it was inconsistent with the city’s official community plan and council’s amendment to the OCP is “internally inconsistent” with city policies in respect to Rural B property, which is marked for “moderate-intensity rural residential use” with a minimum lot size of one per two hectares. Of particular note for Green in the ruling is the statement that an “OCP is not meant to be a static document but rather is fluid and develops over time. Surely, a municipal council can revise and change its policies and visions to accommodate an ever-changing I'm torn because I know it was divisive for many residents of the neighbourhood and they won't be happy. — Shari Green community.” Green said that statement is “pretty important for future rulings for municipalities, that council has decisions to make. Some of them are easy, some of them are hard but at the end of the day, we do what we think is best.” “Certainly one of the objectives of council could be to provide special needs housing in a rural area,” the written judgment says. “It is up to council to determine whether special needs housing fits in the rural setting.” Pettersen had also claimed Green was in a conflict of interest when she voted on the matter due to a long-standing friendship with Brian Fehr, one of the shareholders in the company that owns the land. That aspect of the proceeding was abandoned, however, before the matter was taken to trial in October. “Twice the neighbourhood has been to court on this issue, and what they do from here is up to them but the city felt very strongly and certainly council overwhelmingly supported this application so I’m looking forward to seeing women across the north have access to this important resource,” Green said. In a statement, the Haldi Road Community Committee continued to maintain it’s the wrong location for the centre and noted that of the 194 properties canvassed, 153 of them strongly opposed the amendment. “This repeated disregard of the neighbourhood’s wishes sparked this latest court case,” the committee said. “This challenge was a community effort where fund raising played an important part of not only bonding the community, but assisting our financial obligations.” A representative of the Northern Supportive Recovery Centre could not be reached for comment Wednesday. CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN Signs are seen along Haldi Road Wednesday. ANNIE'S MAILBOX 46 OPINION 6 BRIDGE 46 B.C. 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