Category: Kitmat

Prince George council heading to Victoria to state case to opt out of short-term rental act

March 26, 2024

After being denied a request to opt out of the province’s Short-Term Accommodations Act, Prince George city council is planning a trip to Victoria, April 9-11, to discuss the issue personally with Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon.

Councillors Garth Frizzell, Kyle Sampson, Susan Scott and Brian Skakun, and city manager Water Babicz, who form the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, will try to convince Kahlon that Prince George rental vacancy does indeed meet the criteria to be exempt from new provincial government rules that require owners of short-term rentals to live on the property being rented.

An opt-out option is only available for municipalities with a population of more than 10,000 in the 2021 census and a rental vacancy rate of three per cent for more for two consecutive years, as per data published by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Prince George had a rental vacancy rate of 3.7 per cent in 2022, but a rate of 2.8 per cent in 2023, meaning they don’t meet the requirements and are not eligible to “opt-out” of the principal residence requirements in 2024.

“We disagree on some of the stats,” said Mayor Simon Yu.

“We told the ministry a large portion of our Air B’n’Bs are used for hospital staff, visiting doctors and tradespeople and Prince George is in a unique position because we will perhaps be seeing some big projects in the months and years ahead and without that service it would not be good for us.

“We did lose quite a bit of our lower budget hotel rooms (being converted to social services housing). We feel these (short-term rental) services are essential to our citizens and the longterm economic development of the city.”

Council voted in favour of opting out during a Feb. 26 meeting.

In his response letter dated March 18, Kahlon said the city told the province that they’re in a “unique position as a hub in Northern BC” and claimed the 2023 CMHC data for three bedrooms plus row housing in Prince George was “not statistically reliable” and that apartment housing data for three bedrooms plus apartments was not suppressed, with a vacancy rate of three percent, suggesting to use that data instead to meet the opt-out threshold.

“The total overall vacancy rate (2.8 per cent for Prince George in 2023) reported by CMHC has a data quality rating of ‘Very Good”, which makes the vacancy rate statistically reliable,” wrote Kahlon. “The inclusion of the 3 bedrooms + row home units in the total vacancy rate does not make the total vacancy rate statistically unreliable; to the contrary, it makes the rate more reliable as the sample size is larger.

“Unfortunately, the data does not meet the criteria in the regulations to enable the city to request an exemption from the principal residence requirement,” he continued. “It is important that we prioritize the goal of housing to the long-term housing market in communities where there are rental housing shortages.”

If the Kahlon stands firm on his decision, the earliest possible year Prince George could seek an exemption is 2026, providing the rental vacancy data is three per cent or more in 2024 and 2025.

– with files from Ted Clarke

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Nine projects approved for BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation funding – Prince George Citizen

March 19, 2024

The BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund’s board of directors have approved $173,510 in grant funding to support nine agricultural production and related projects in the Peace Region.

“This is our first intake of 2024 and we are very pleased to be able to support nine important projects in the Peace. The applicants are passionate about what they do and whether it’s new fencing, rotational grazing, or increased irrigation, all these projects seek to benefit agriculture production overall in the region,” said board chair Rick Kantz in a press release. 

The recipients include the following: 

$50,000 to Sunset Prairie Livestock Association for a dugout renovation at their community pasture, a 13,500-acre grazing tenure used by 20 ranching families since the 1950s. The project will supply clean and adequate areas to gather water for livestock. 

$33,423 to Ken Erin Price for sheep handling and sorting equipment, and a three-sided shed to house it. The project will allow sheep to be processed quietly and with more efficiency, with less stress on the livestock and the workers. 

$27,865 to Whiskey Creek Ranch Ltd. for egg growth production in the Peace Region. A new coop will be built to accommodate a larger flock of hens, along with a retrofit and infrastructure upgrade to an existing coop to increase capacity. The current coop space is for 115 hens, while the new coop will provide space for up to 399 hens. 

$22,215 to Cody Johnson for a corral alley and chute upgrade. Their current lead-in alley and chute used on the ranch have aged out, and the purchase of a new system will greatly increase the safety for those using the system and the cattle being processed through it.

$13,008 to Kathleen Peck for water capacity and irrigation. Their farm has a one-acre market garden and a more efficient water pump and automated irrigation is needed to support the current operation and expand the mixed species cider orchard. 

$12,124 to Pegasus Ranch Ltd. for rotational grazing. The project includes the purchase of an electric fencing system and supplies to support intensive, rotational grazing pastures. 

$5,603 to Sunnyside Bookkeeping and Accounting to purchase portable chicken coops to rotationally graze chicken. The coops are movable which allows for an increase of soil nutrients. 

$5,010 to Kyle Bartels for two sheep grain feeders to reduce feed waste and improve animal quality for the flock and lambs that are brought to market. The farm has 90 heads and plans to expand to 200. 

$4,262 to Dead Horse Creek Cattle Company Ltd. to build a new fence around a section of approximately 100 acres to create a pasture for livestock grazing. 

Read More »

Prince George council heading to Victoria to state case to opt out of short-term rental act

March 26, 2024

After being denied a request to opt out of the province’s Short-Term Accommodations Act, Prince George city council is planning a trip to Victoria, April 9-11, to discuss the issue personally with Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon.

Councillors Garth Frizzell, Kyle Sampson, Susan Scott and Brian Skakun, and city manager Water Babicz, who form the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, will try to convince Kahlon that Prince George rental vacancy does indeed meet the criteria to be exempt from new provincial government rules that require owners of short-term rentals to live on the property being rented.

An opt-out option is only available for municipalities with a population of more than 10,000 in the 2021 census and a rental vacancy rate of three per cent for more for two consecutive years, as per data published by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Prince George had a rental vacancy rate of 3.7 per cent in 2022, but a rate of 2.8 per cent in 2023, meaning they don’t meet the requirements and are not eligible to “opt-out” of the principal residence requirements in 2024.

“We disagree on some of the stats,” said Mayor Simon Yu.

“We told the ministry a large portion of our Air B’n’Bs are used for hospital staff, visiting doctors and tradespeople and Prince George is in a unique position because we will perhaps be seeing some big projects in the months and years ahead and without that service it would not be good for us.

“We did lose quite a bit of our lower budget hotel rooms (being converted to social services housing). We feel these (short-term rental) services are essential to our citizens and the longterm economic development of the city.”

Council voted in favour of opting out during a Feb. 26 meeting.

In his response letter dated March 18, Kahlon said the city told the province that they’re in a “unique position as a hub in Northern BC” and claimed the 2023 CMHC data for three bedrooms plus row housing in Prince George was “not statistically reliable” and that apartment housing data for three bedrooms plus apartments was not suppressed, with a vacancy rate of three percent, suggesting to use that data instead to meet the opt-out threshold.

“The total overall vacancy rate (2.8 per cent for Prince George in 2023) reported by CMHC has a data quality rating of ‘Very Good”, which makes the vacancy rate statistically reliable,” wrote Kahlon. “The inclusion of the 3 bedrooms + row home units in the total vacancy rate does not make the total vacancy rate statistically unreliable; to the contrary, it makes the rate more reliable as the sample size is larger.

“Unfortunately, the data does not meet the criteria in the regulations to enable the city to request an exemption from the principal residence requirement,” he continued. “It is important that we prioritize the goal of housing to the long-term housing market in communities where there are rental housing shortages.”

If the Kahlon stands firm on his decision, the earliest possible year Prince George could seek an exemption is 2026, providing the rental vacancy data is three per cent or more in 2024 and 2025.

– with files from Ted Clarke

Read More »

Nine projects approved for BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation funding – Prince George Citizen

March 19, 2024

The BC Hydro Peace Agricultural Compensation Fund’s board of directors have approved $173,510 in grant funding to support nine agricultural production and related projects in the Peace Region.

“This is our first intake of 2024 and we are very pleased to be able to support nine important projects in the Peace. The applicants are passionate about what they do and whether it’s new fencing, rotational grazing, or increased irrigation, all these projects seek to benefit agriculture production overall in the region,” said board chair Rick Kantz in a press release. 

The recipients include the following: 

$50,000 to Sunset Prairie Livestock Association for a dugout renovation at their community pasture, a 13,500-acre grazing tenure used by 20 ranching families since the 1950s. The project will supply clean and adequate areas to gather water for livestock. 

$33,423 to Ken Erin Price for sheep handling and sorting equipment, and a three-sided shed to house it. The project will allow sheep to be processed quietly and with more efficiency, with less stress on the livestock and the workers. 

$27,865 to Whiskey Creek Ranch Ltd. for egg growth production in the Peace Region. A new coop will be built to accommodate a larger flock of hens, along with a retrofit and infrastructure upgrade to an existing coop to increase capacity. The current coop space is for 115 hens, while the new coop will provide space for up to 399 hens. 

$22,215 to Cody Johnson for a corral alley and chute upgrade. Their current lead-in alley and chute used on the ranch have aged out, and the purchase of a new system will greatly increase the safety for those using the system and the cattle being processed through it.

$13,008 to Kathleen Peck for water capacity and irrigation. Their farm has a one-acre market garden and a more efficient water pump and automated irrigation is needed to support the current operation and expand the mixed species cider orchard. 

$12,124 to Pegasus Ranch Ltd. for rotational grazing. The project includes the purchase of an electric fencing system and supplies to support intensive, rotational grazing pastures. 

$5,603 to Sunnyside Bookkeeping and Accounting to purchase portable chicken coops to rotationally graze chicken. The coops are movable which allows for an increase of soil nutrients. 

$5,010 to Kyle Bartels for two sheep grain feeders to reduce feed waste and improve animal quality for the flock and lambs that are brought to market. The farm has 90 heads and plans to expand to 200. 

$4,262 to Dead Horse Creek Cattle Company Ltd. to build a new fence around a section of approximately 100 acres to create a pasture for livestock grazing. 

Read More »

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