City ready to resume normal public meetings

Charlottetown Coun. Greg Rivard said June 30 will be the first one people will be allowed to attend in person

The City of Charlottetown is planning to resume hosting public meetings later this month.

Phase four, which begins June 26, will allow up to 50 people indoors.

Coun. Greg Rivard, chairman of the planning and heritage committee, said the first public meeting will be held June 30 at the Rodd Royalty on Capital Drive.

Two issues will be on the agenda. The first is a request to rezone property on Sherwood

Road to allow for some office space and a garage, and the second involves some bylaw amendments. It will be the first public meeting that will allow the public to attend in person since health restrictions were put in place in mid-March due to the pandemic.

The city did hold a virtual public meeting on April 28 for UPEI’s application to erect a nine-storey student residence on University Avenue.

Following that meeting, council gave first and second readings to a bylaw amendment, giving UPEI the green light. Work has begun with the university saying the building has to be ready for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.

A Charlottetown resident has appealed the decision to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission questioning the validity of the meeting in April and the overall format of the meeting.

The appeal hasn’t been heard yet, but if the commission overturns council’s decision, UPEI would be responsible for returning the property back to its original condition.

The city also needs to hold a public meeting based on a request to rezone a portion of the property around the Hillsborough Hospital from institutional to comprehensive development area. The plan is, over time, to replace that hospital and develop close to 100 acres of property that will include a mix of development, including social housing, the new hospital and retail. The province has asked the city to wait another month for this one.

The city says even with the health restrictions, it continued to follow the process for public consultation under the planning act, while trying to adhere to guidelines put in place by public health officials.

On items where the city is seeking public consultation, the municipality says the public can always follow the normal process for accessing information through the planning department or the city’s website.

Additionally, the city says people can participate in public consultation in a number of ways, including video conferencing and attending in person to speak to council directly.

Rivard said the only difference is people are speaking via multiple platforms versus gathering in one large group.

The city says it continues to review and adjust as required, keeping an open dialogue with the public health office.