A community-run initiative aiming to provide some people living in Moccasin Flats with more suitable winter housing has been shut down by the City of Prince George.
A small group of volunteers has been building tiny homes for the people of Moccasin Flats for a few weeks – between a GoFundMe page and in-person donations of money and supplies, over $12,000 had been raised.
Phillip Fredriksson, one of the fundraiser organizers, initially had a $1,000 goal for the project and was ecstatic about the community support – until the stop work orders came down yesterday (Friday).
“Yesterday morning we arrived on site. There was bylaw, there was police, they had posted stop work and do not occupy notices,” he said. “They posted them on the work that we had done, but also on the private individuals [structures] that are there. There are three or four structures that were built by residents in Moccasin Flats, those were tagged as well.”
Prior to yesterday morning, Fredriksson said he had not received any warning from the city that the stop work order would be coming – only an anonymous text from someone giving him a heads up an hour before the orders were posted.
My PG Now spoke to Prince George Mayor Simon Yu about the issue this morning.
“It is a legal liability issue,” Yu said, because Moccasin Flats is on city land. “We are not saying what they are trying to do is wrong. All we are saying is they need to come to city hall to discuss with planning staff to make sure whatever they are doing there is safe for occupants.”
“We applaud their effort to try and help homeless people, but at the same time we would like to coordinate some activity together to make sure the safety of the people living in those tiny homes is protected,” he said.
Physical structures beyond tents and tarps have existed in Moccasin Flats for years.
“I am not really understanding how that liability does not become a problem, but shelters going up having liability becomes a problem,” Fredriksson said.
Yu said the stop work order is only coming down now because the tiny homes exceed 60 square feet, but did not explain why pre-existing structures were also given do not occupy notices now, not earlier.
Fredriksson does not believe the notices will stop people from staying in the structures they have built – especially when the city says they will not be enforcing the orders.
“The city sent out a statement saying they are not enforcing this order, but the city has to put them [up] because of liability, so that if there are accidents, the city isn’t liable,” he said.
Fredriksson shared the full statement with My PG Now, which reads:
On November 10, 2023 City staff posted Stop Work and Do Not Occupy Notices on a number of structures which appear to be permanent or semi-permanent in nature and are under construction in the sheltering area located off Lower Patricia Boulevard. The construction of permanent or semi-permanent structures is not permitted in the sheltering area.  These notices identify that construction of the structures is illegal and that they should not be occupied, in part, because they are believed to be unsafe. The City, as the owner of the Lower Patricia property, wishes to ensure that individuals sheltering in that area are made aware of the legal prohibition and the risks associated with these structures. The City does not presently intend to take steps to actively enforce the Stop Work and Do Not Occupy Notices. The City urges those seeking shelter to contact BC Housing. The City has been informed by the Ministry of Housing that there are 140 shelter spaces in Prince George.
When asked what the city will do if construction on the tiny homes does continue, Yu didn’t give a firm answer, instead saying “I have communication with Phil, the organizer, I do believe next week he will drop by to talk to us to make sure whatever they are doing and what we are doing is coordinated.”
While Fredriksson does plan to meet with Yu next week, he also resumed construction the second police and bylaw left the encampment.
“We continued working yesterday. We will just keep going,” he said, firmly.
55 people had requested a tiny home in Moccasin Flats instead of the tents and tarps many of them would have to shelter in throughout the winter.
When asked if the City had an alternative plan for the people who saw themselves spending the winter in a tiny home – three of whom are pregnant women – Yu merely said housing and homelessness is under provincial jurisdiction.
“As you know, housing, the homeless, is a provincial mandate. They have the jurisdiction of taking care of the homeless in terms of finding them homes,” he said. “I am just glad we are right now ready to have enough units in this area from the BC Government to make sure all our homeless people have a warm place to go to over this winter.”
Two of these spaces include the North Star Inn and the Lotus Hotel, which were both recently purchased by the provincial government.
According to the province, renovations began this fall and are expected to finish by the spring of next year.
“That is a great opportunity for some people, but there is a lot of hindrances for people who want to move in there,” Fredriksson said, listing BC Housing’s rules and potential turbulence “like we saw at the Knight’s Inn” as examples. “We want to make sure we are not going through the same thing again where North Star Inn is completely gated and fenced.”
“The North Star is a great start because it offers immediate shelter for people who are willing to go. We might get half of the residents [in Moccasin Flats] go and take advantage,” he said.
“We are hoping the mayor comes down and works with us and is able to help us get these buildings up to code so there is no liability,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want liability… we are just doing our best to keep people safe and have a structure they can stay in to be warm through the winter.”
In a previous interview, Fredriksson told My PG Now one tiny home would only cost around $1,500 to build and insulate.
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