By Cheryl Jahn

Sobering Centre destined for downtown hotel

Apr 14, 2022 | 4:10 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The National Hotel is one of BC housing’s newest shelters. And it is soon to be the city’s first sobering centre.

“I got on the phone with Lyn Hall and asked him if’s heard anything about this and he did, in fact, confirm to me that there is a sobering centre going into the old National Hotel,” says Shane Saugstad, owner of Northern Transmatic next door to the former National Hotel.

CKPG contacted both Northern Health and BC housing for confirmation of the planned use of the former National Hotel and was given the following statement:

“BC Housing and Northern Health are working together to identify an appropriate site and operating plan for a new Sobering Centre in Prince George. This Sobering Centre will be a key piece of a comprehensive system of substance use care for adults living with addictions in the Northern Health region. We are working urgently to bring this much-needed service online for people in Prince George.”

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“All of this stuff we hear about, not from the people bringing these projects forward. We always have to find out about by ‘I know somebody who knows somebody and we go and start asking questions and people confirm go from there.”

Saugstad’s business is on Dominion Street. He says he has had a front-row seat to all that’s been happening with the downtown.

“I’ve put my whole life into downtown Prince George. I’ve lived here for forty-seven and a half years. I love Prince George. I do not want to leave Prince George. I will not leave Prince George. But, my God, stuff has to change. it can’t keep rolling like this. It’s atrocious,” says Saugstad.

Both Saugstad and his business neighbour Jeff Hill with PG Plastics say their businesses are suffering.

“I was in Vancouver a week ago. I’m walking to the plane. I’m on the tarmac on a Saturday morning and I get a phone call from my neighbour. ‘Shane, your lot’s been broken into and you’ve had five customer vehicles broken into.’ I’ve had conversations with female clients who don’t feel safe to walk from my shop to their work.”

Both are asking for support from other businesses in the same position to speak up.

“We don’t know where to go from here. We don’t get answers from the City, we won’t get answers from BC Housing and Northern Health. So I think this is the next logical step. to band businesses together in order to come to some kind of resolve. For us,” says Jeff Hill, Owner of PG Plastics.

“I don’t want to get into more stories. Everybody knows what the stories are,” says Saugstad. “What I want are solutions. I want to sit down with people who actually have a plan, that are going to enforce something, who are going to listen to business owners. Because what they’re doing and what we’re doing don’t mix. They don’t dovetail together. I don’t care what socio-economic platform you’re part of, what school you went to. It doesn’t jive.”

Northern Health says once there is a proposal in place, then they will provide more information and engage with the public.