Bruce High This is Me

 View all 6 references Web References

1. 1. www.pgfreepress.com

   www.pgfreepress.com/portals-co - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/21/2005   Last Visited: 1/21/2005

   Krause was responding to comments by Monkey Forest owner Bruce High, who said city council is sending a message that shoppers should head outside of the downtown core, and that he is moving out when his lease expires in June. "I think what's happened is the city has sent a loud and clear signal, because in the last year, two social services were put on George Street," he said. "They have said shopping is on Highway 16. They've done all they can to signal there is no shopping downtown." High said he is upset that the Firepit drop-in centre is located next door to his store. "We'll have customers just shake their heads and walk away because of the people on the sidewalk," he said. "I won't be moving any closer to downtown than the bypass." He said 5 Season Sports had to move for the same reason he is. "(Council) is not on the same wavelength (as business)," he said.
   ...
   High maintains council is making George Street the preferred location for social services, and outlying areas the preferred location for retail stores.

2. 2. www.pgfreepress.com

   www.pgfreepress.com/portals-co - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/15/2003   Last Visited: 8/15/2003

   Little has been accomplished to make the downtown a safer place, says Bruce High, owner of Monkey Forest and Lizard River on George Street.
   ...
   And, taken together with two major shoplifting incidents at his stores in two days this week, High says he's just about had it. City manager George Paul, chair of PHD, says the group is making progress, even if it's not quite fast enough for High.
   ...
   High has consistently pinpointed safety and social issues as the number one priority to be addressed downtown. He is extremely critical of the city and RCMP's response to the problems. The downtown Community Policing Access Centre, he says, is "a joke. It's beyond even being useful. It means nothing to the local merchants." Police foot patrols are having absolutely no impact on what High views as the two most urgent problems: prostitution and the drug trade. "They give a nod and a wave at every hooker and every drug dealer, walk right on by and make no difference. They're actually not accomplishing anything. A nod and a wave just won't do it." High says there are two actions that can be taken that would immediately improve the situation. The downtown CPAC office should be used as a base for four full-time RCMP foot patrol officers, instead of the one currently based there, he says. Secondly, the city should immediately hire four extra bylaw enforcement officers, train them and give them the powers of a peace officer. It's what other cities have done to great success, he says. "Kelowna has 11 bylaw officers that are sworn peace officers. They can arrest, they're carrying mace, handcuffs, the whole nine yards. Our guys are carrying a notebook and a t-shirt. "As a merchant I'm looking at that and saying, well, if that's the commitment the city's willing to make to me as a guy trying to buy in, I'm looking to get out." A frustrated George Paul says High is willfully distorting the truth.
   ...
   "Bruce High says they are peace officers. They are not. Bruce knows that, we've discussed that with him." Paul agrees with High on what the main problems are downtown.
   ...
   "Bruce thinks that he has all the answers to all of the problems. I think that this group, with all of their input, has the answers to the problems. "He wants the right things to be done immediately. Frankly, I think a lot of us are trying to make sure we are doing the right things before we do them." The RCMP have "dramatically" stepped up their presence in the downtown during time periods identified by downtown stakeholders, he said. And while the city has no plans to hire more bylaw enforcement officers in the near future, it is teaming them up with parking control officers and "reallocating their priorities" into the downtown core, he said.
   ...
   High, who resigned in frustration from PHD, remains unconvinced. And he says he doesn't know how much longer he can wait.

3. 3. Prince George Citizen

   www.princegeorgecitizen.com/ne - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/1/2003   Last Visited: 8/1/2003

   Bruce High is owner of Monkey Forest/Lizard River.