Editor,
This is an open letter BC Housing, Quesnel Shelter and Support Society, Quesnel City Mayor and Council and Northern Health.
Several years ago we bought the house at 323 Elliott St. as an investment for our children’s education and our retirement.
We worked hard to fix up our little pink house and have it rented to an elderly disabled gentleman who is happy there.
Our house sits right up against the proposed Elliott Street Supportive Housing development. It is much too close.
When we bought the house we had no idea that this type of huge, tall and densely populated housing facility could be allowed to tower imposingly over us, within feet of the bedroom window. This massive structure will be so much higher, three storeys, elevated on a metre of dirt to raise it above the flood plain, so even the tallest fence would provide no privacy whatsoever.
This unexpected and unwanted development will negatively affect the use and enjoyment of our house, unfairly and permanently impacting our property so much we would likely find it impossible to get any potential tenants to even consider staying there.
Our family has been paying close attention to this proposal since we found out about it, and we have been basically ignored by BC Housing (BCH), and especially by Seasons House. They won’t even acknowledge or speak to us. We can’t help but wonder if this is how they intend to honour and engage in their “Good Neighbour Agreement.”
It is so unfair our family’s financial future and ability to pay our mortgage doesn’t matter to BCH or to the Quesnel Shelter and Support Society (QSSS). If any of them had to live directly beside this, we’re sure they too would be afraid and feel unfairly treated by a huge organization doing whatever it wanted and infringing on their livelihood.
From what we’ve learned, this project has a very large budget of over $6 million, all jammed tightly onto a very small parcel of property. It will house about 40 unpredictable, at-risk residents, plus over a dozen shelter beds and a full staff.
They have even admitted to council that residents will have the right to do drugs in the privacy of their own units, but they will be encouraged to smoke their cigarettes outside. We feel the outdoor
smoking policy will further impinge our right to breathe clean air.
BCH was asked by city council to reveal plans for future drop-in services and harm reduction, and how and where methadone dispensing, among other things would be offered in the community if they were not to be offered at the new development, which they stated repeatedly, they will not.
After seeing their latest proposal, we can’t help but wonder otherwise.
In regards to our house, they state that they have no intention of acquiring our property, even though it would be just a tiny fraction of their budget. It would allow for an associated ancillary use, and breathing room for future expansion, which will surely be needed.
They intend to build directly beside us, and don’t care that our elderly tenant fears this right beside him.
Why are we as directly impacted abutting homeowners not named as part of their Good Neighbour Agreement?
Why don’t hard working taxpaying citizens like us, and our children’s futures not seem to be of any concern too BCH and QSSS?
Please don’t let our financial ability to pay our mortgage and our tenants’ right to continue living their lives quietly and peacefully be steamrolled by BCH without making it fair for us to be able to relocate elsewhere.
Finally, why can’t BCH simply follow the responsible and caring lead of the Quesnel Lions Club, when the Lions did the right thing by purchasing the (much higher valued than ours) house closely abutting their new housing development in North Quesnel?
A public open house on the Elliott Street Supportive Housing Project will be hosted by BCH and QSSS at the Quesnel & District Seniors’ Centre (461 Carson Ave.) from 5 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 13.
It will be followed by public hearing (Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw) by Quesnel city council at 7 p.m.
About 40 pages of information is available on the Nov. 7 council agenda that can be accessed through the city’s website at www.quesnel.ca
Danielle and Sean Cunningham
Quesnel