By Cheryl Jahn

Busy Bylaw Department

Dec 10, 2021 | 3:46 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Most people think Bylaw Services takes care of parking violators and animal control. But this past year, the department has taken on a much broader role, with the number of Bylaw Officers in the division increasing from 17 to 21, the hours of service have expanded from 10 hours a day to 16 hours a day and for the first time in many years the entire department, which includes Animal Control, Parking Control, and Bylaw Enforcement are all housed under the roof of City Hall. The reallocation of funds earlier in the year was used to double the size of the Downtown Team.

And they had had the new Safe Streets Bylaw for the latter half of the year. The first 6 months of this new bylaw were intended to highlight education, in the future, escalation up to and including ticketing may occur, to ensure compliance is achieved. Since September 1, 2021 there have been 345 complaints made under the Safe Streets Bylaw.

“Basically what the Safe Streets Bylaw did was set a standard of behaviour,” explains Charlotte Peters, Manager of Bylaw Services. “t gave the Bylaw Officers the ability to educate folks on what that standard is. So what’s acceptable and what isn’t acceptable in and around the City of Prince George. That was the intent from the start. And I think it’s really important for people to realize we haven’t gone out and written tickets to folks.”

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The additional people and hours have resulted in the department, just this week, locating its fifth missing person. And one particular story is poignant. Bylaws had located a man camped in an area he wasn’t allowed. They relocated him to the encampment at Lower Patricia Boulevard. And the rest of the story is very interesting.

“A couple of days later, coincidentally, we had a gal from New York drive into Prince George in a rental vehicle and approach Bylaws that she was looking for her dad. As it turns out, the man we had just moved into the Lower Patricia encampment was in fact her dad. She hadn’t seen him in several years and she was able to go down and have a visit with him. Yeah, it was quite an interesting reunion.”

Bylaws also responded to a number of unsightly premises that have subsequently been cleaned up.

However, as was pointed out, the City subsidizes Animal Control. While revenues are $309,000 for the department, the expenses are half a million dollars. Peters admits the department will have to step up next year.