A Ministry on the move is causing a stir in Downtown Prince George.
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction had purchased the building located at 490 Brunswick Street in Prince George, and intend to move their offices there.
According to Downton Prince George President, Eoin Foley, the new location is close to a daycare, a senior centre, a church, service-based businesses, and other community retail.
“This is a wildly inappropriate location for this office, the main reason being that this office has a long history of history of quite inappropriate behaviour outside their doors,” Foley said.
“Fights, drug-use, defecation, yelling, screaming, and the proposed location is literally right across the street from a playground of a daycare, that’s located in a church, and a seniors centre, among, of course, the neighbouring businesses that it would have a great negative impact on.”
Foley added they’ve offered and brought the ministry several other potential locations.
“We understand this service needs to be provided, and in or near downtown is probably an neighbourhood to have it, but this specific location, there’s great issues with,” Foley explained.
Downtown Prince George stated that meaningful community engagement with them and the business community in the vicinity was not done.
“As far as we found, all that they did was notify the seniors centre and the daycare of the fact they had purchased the building, and that they intend on moving this office,” Foley said.
“We haven’t found any evidence of them doing any pre-consultation with any of the neighbours, that’s another part that we take issue with. They’ve basically been lying to us right to our faces in some of these Zoom meetings we’ve had.”
Downtown Prince George added that one of the organizations contacted started a petition noting concerns about the office relocation, which was sent to City Council on February 7th, 2020.
Downtown Prince George is launching their own petition to urge the province to re-consider the relocation.
The petition can be found on Downtown Prince George’s website, or it can be signed in-person at their office.
MyPGNow.com asked the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for a statement regarding the claim, but was redirected to the Ministry of Citizens Services, who owns the property.
The Ministry of Citizens Services issued the following statement:
Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their own community, and the Province is committed to continuing to work with the Prince George community, including the PGDBIA, ahead of the 2024 office relocation.
Information sessions were held with local organizations to answer questions about the new location and to address concerns, including Prince George Montessori Education Society, Trinity United Church and North Edge Ice Sports. Citizens’ Services also met virtually with the Prince George Downtown Business Association in May 2020, June 2020 and November 2021.
The SDPR office is an important community resource that provides services to some of our most vulnerable citizens, and the Ministry remains committed to operating a good neighbour to nearby businesses and organizations.
Conversations with the Prince George Downtown Business Improvement Association are ongoing. We are committed to carefully planning the relocation of this office while continuing to work with the PGDBIA and the community to respond to any concerns and questions they may have.
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