Since Premier David Eby confirmed to My PG Now that he had plans to come to Prince George to address homelessness and social issues in 2023, the province has been radio silent on the topic.
At tonight’s (Monday) city council meeting, council unanimously approved a third letter to the office of the premier.
They had sent two other letters in January requesting the premier and province’s aid, neither of which received a response.
The only edit made to the draft was to include other provincial ministers in the call to come to Prince George and address these issues, not just David Eby.
This motion was put forward by councillor Tim Bennett.
“We need to have dialogue with ministries, we also need to have an open conversation with all stakeholders as well,” said mayor Simon Yu, introducing the next item on the meeting’s itinerary.
This next item would not be passed so easily.
In essence, it called on all levels of government responsible for Prince George to regularly meet and collaborate in an ” informal ‘Team PG.'”
This would include Lheidli T’enneh Chief, Council, and senior administrative officials, SD57’s school board, and local MPs and MLAs.
The debate on this topic lasted 30 minutes.
Councilor Brian Skakun had the biggest issue with the recommendation, saying it was redundant, and that these meetings already take place.
“The Intergovernmental Resolutions Committee would take these issues, have staff working with them, refine what the ask is, bring that back to council as a finished product, and then discuss it,” he said, arguing that motion would only serve to confuse the public on what council does and does not already do.
“In my opinion, it leaves some people with the impression that we are not doing any of this, and we are,” he said.
Despite Skakun’s arguments, the recommendation was passed unanimously about 20 minutes later.
The additional letter was a follow-up to councilor Kyle Sampson’s December call to provincial officials to meet with and aid Prince George with homelessness and social issues that we have faced.