Downtown business owners meet

PRINCE GEORGE – While Mayor and Council were holding a regular meeting, a group of downtown businesspeople also had a meeting of their own, angry over what’s happening to the city’s core. Bernie Schneider with the National Hotel describes the tenor of that meeting.

“A lot of upset people. Upset about safety. Upset about vandalism, property crimes, violence. Women expressing their concerns about being afraid to walk to their vehicles alone. People concerned about walking the streets by themselves without a large group,” describes Schneider. “It was a place for people to vent, really.”

But once the dust had settled, the group of about 50 business people struck an organizing committee to get the businesses from the east side of Queensway on board and look at possible solutions.

The fact that angry business people have gathered is not a surprise to Mayor Lyn Hall.