A community rally is planned for residents to come together for a discussion about what the local, provincial, and federal governments could do to improve public safety and reduce crime in PG’s downtown core.
It is set for October 16th at CN Centre.
The goal of the Safe Streets Prince George rally is to show all levels of government the entire community believes more urgent action, greater resources, and broader collaboration from all levels of government is needed.
“Regardless of our political beliefs, everyone agrees the problems are only getting worse, despite the ongoing efforts of government and social service agencies,” Neil Godbout, executive director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, said.
“Downtown is the economic heart of Prince George, but right now it’s in crisis. Businesses are bearing the financial and emotional toll of relentless vandalism, theft, arson, and violence. This isn’t just hurting individual business owners — it’s threatening jobs, driving away investment, and eroding the vitality of our entire local economy,” added Chrisie Berry, executive director of Downtown Prince George.
Business owners and operators, not only downtown but across the city, have been voicing their concerns for years about how the growing number of incidents with vandalism, violent assaults, arson and other crimes has affected them, their employees and their customers.
“But this is about far more than economics — it’s about people’s safety and well-being. Everyone who lives, works, or visits downtown deserves to feel safe. Right now, too many don’t,” Berry said.
“The problems have reached a tipping point, and the status quo is simply unacceptable.”
The inspiration for the rally comes from the Conditional Critical health care rally held in Prince George in 2000 as the city and communities across north-central BC grappled with a significant shortage of family doctors.
Nearly 7,000 residents came together then at CN Centre to show their concern and seek solutions
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