Photo: PG Matters

A Prince George hotel that’s been described as a hot spot for nuisance and criminal activity has been shut down for six months.

City council voted unanimously Wednesday to suspend the business license of Lotus B&B Hotel for six months beginning Aug. 1.

David Parmar, who took over the business in May 2018 under the company name SPD Enterprises Ltd., will have to get the licence reinstated. 

From Jan. 1 to Apr. 7, the fire department was called to the property eight times, and a recent fire inspection found an emergency exit door that was chained and bolted shut.

In total, the property was the subject of 19 calls for service from Jan. 15 to Apr. 7, including fire alarms, false alarms, and medical aid.

“This particular property draws our attention on essentially a daily basis,” said Prince George RCMP Insp. Shaun Wright. “It’s downtown right on the corner of a lot of criminal and nuisance activity that gets reported to us. Essentially, it’s a ground zero in that particular area.”

Fred Crittenden, the city’s manager of bylaw services, also called the property a hot spot for the downtown enforcement team.

Parmar asked that the suspension be for two months, as he says he is in the process of getting the building into compliance and wants to have the building available for international students in September.

“With our history with Mr. Parmar, we don’t feel that he will follow through in that period of time,” said Crittenden. “The letter of suspension was issued on April 29 which is just about two months ago and to date he hasn’t taken any significant steps to meet that, so we feel the ability for him to do that in the next few months is very unlikely.”

The city’s lawyer Troy De Souza said it would be irresponsible to have International students coming into the property in its current conditions.

“If council were to grant a two-month suspension and you start getting international students to his property in September, it would be an international black eye, and that’s not good for the city.”