Downtown Prince George and the Prince George Chamber of Commerce held a meeting Tuesday with Gary Anandasangaree, the federal Minister of Public Safety.
The two groups submitted a joint letter to the minister, which thanked the federal government for introducing Bill C-14 regarding bail reform and made several recommendations to improve the proposed legislation.
“Both of our organizations are members of the Save Our Streets Coalition, a BC-based alliance of community and business groups working collaboratively to address the public safety challenges facing communities across the province,” Downtown Prince George Executive Director Chrisie Berry said.
“Our recommendations to not renew BC’s drug decriminalization pilot and to better address prolific offenders of non-violent but dangerous crimes like arson support the Coalition’s call for targeted federal action.”
The business associations also stressed to the minister that addressing public safety in communities like Prince George speaks to “bringing down costs for Canadians and helping them get ahead,” one of the seven priorities outlined in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s mandate letter from last May.
“For businesses in Prince George, public safety is inseparable from affordability, workforce retention, and economic resilience,” Prince George Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Neil Godbout said.
“We told the minister our organizations and our members stand ready to do our part to help restore safety, confidence, and opportunity in our community.”
Tuesday’s discussion with Minister Anandasangaree was the latest effort by Downtown Prince George and the Chamber of Commerce to improve safety for employers, workers, and customers since they partnered in October to host the Voices For Change Safe Streets Rally at CN Centre.
Last month, Downtown Prince George, the Chamber of Commerce and other local stakeholders met with Nina Krieger, B.C.’s Public Safety Minister.
“We’re hopeful Premier Eby will respond to the letter the Chamber sent to him in December, asking him to meet with Prince George business leaders when he’s here later in January,” Godbout said.
“Both of our groups will be keeping up our efforts in 2026 to make downtown and the entire community safer for all residents,” Berry said.
Combined, Downtown Prince George and the Prince George Chamber of Commerce represent 900 local businesses
In a follow-up letter, Downtown PG noted a series of targeted actions in the following areas:
- Do not renew British Columbia’s drug decriminalization pilot.
• Ensure public safety is prioritized in bail decisions.
• Amend Bill C-14 to better address prolific offenders responsible for multiple non-violent crimes.
• Broaden the application of consecutive sentencing beyond organized auto theft to include repeat offenders
accused of theft, assault, and significant property damage.
• Create a distinct Criminal Code offence for organized retail crime.
• Require online marketplaces to take greater responsibility for preventing the sale of stolen goods.
• Permit bail denial on tertiary grounds where an accused has a demonstrated pattern of breaches or repeat
offences.
• Take steps to restore greater efficiency and predictability to the justice system, strengthening public
confidence.
• Establish a national bail repository to allow Crown prosecutors and judges to assess the full scope of an
accused’s conduct, regardless of jurisdiction.
• Expand the application of reverse-onus provisions to better capture repeat and prolific offenders, beyond
their current focus.
• Use federal health transfers to incentivize provinces to build a full continuum of addiction and mental health
care, recognizing that untreated illness contributes significantly to street disorder, retail crime, and public
safety impacts
A Downtown Prince George business survey conducted late last year found that 55 respondents collectively reported more than $4.5 million in damages in
the first nine months of 2025.
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