Council pressures RCMP for more info as budget deliberations continue

“It seems like the only thing rising faster than crime is the cost of policing,” said Councillor Terri McConnachie.

In that report, one of the ways to save one million dollars was to cut two programs in Prince George including the Car 60 program which pairs a nurse with RCMP for specialized mental health support.

The increase in policing costs facing members of Prince George City Council is just over $2.4m due to a new contract negotiated for members.

The other was the Downtown Safety Unit (DSU) of the RCMP one that according to Brian Skakun shook up members of the business community in the downtown core.

Council questioned PG RCMP Superintendent Shaun Wright on those two items and why they were brought forward to be trimmed specifically, with councillors frustrated and disappointed with the choice.

Supt. Wright said there were no other suitable services to be cut due to benchmark standards which need to be maintained.

Several members of city council including Councillors Cori Ramsay, Brian Skakun, Terri McConnachie, and others criticized the lack of information included in the report and demanded more be brought forward prior to a budget decision on Wednesday.

Councillor Cori Ramsay asked the top cop why Nanaimo paid less for more officers.

“It’s not lining up,” said Ramsay. “That’s a concern.”

The proposed increase to the tax levy is 6.55%, although council will look to lower that with cuts, and creativity to various departments on Wednesday afternoon starting at 3:30 pm.

by Caden Fanshaw

Council pressures RCMP for more info as budget deliberations continue

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