Prince George City Council voted 6-3 to push back the Safe Streets Bylaw until August 30th.
The bylaw is meant to outlaw loitering and soliciting, as well as trying to deal with break-ins, drug use, and vandalism in the downtown area.
“In addition to the broken windows, there have been physical threats, there have been assaults. People have been spit on. A woman I spoke to last week had her earbuds in, had her ponytail pulled out because she said no to a panhandler,” said Councilor Terri McConnachie.
McConnachie said she hoped the fourth and final reading of the bylaw doesn’t get pushed back any further.
Councilor Cori Ramsay on the other hand wanted to take more time to speak with the community and advocacy groups.
“Policing our way out of this is not the right direction,” said Councilor Ramsay.
The discussion around the bylaw was one of the bigger ones last night (Monday), and many Councilors had differing opinions on the reading.
Together We Stand, an advocacy group against the Safe Streets Bylaw, held a gathering last night in protest of the reading.
