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By Caden Fanshaw

DOWNTOWN PG

Province backtracks on moving social assistance office after backlash

Feb 8, 2023 | 4:49 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The office for the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (SDPR) will not be moving where the province initially wanted to put it downtown Prince George.

The decision comes after months of advocacy work and rallying by members of the community. Several downtown businesses and organizations such as the Prince George & District Senior Citizens Activity Centre Society along with Downtown PG tirelessly asked the province to reconsider.

The proposed location for the new office was the old Spee-Dee Printers Building at the corner of Brunswick Street and 5th Avenue.

“They were afraid of the needles that were going to be laying around,” said Angie Fretter, Centre Manager at the seniors activity centre. ” As you get older, especially if you’re in your eighties and we have people in their nineties, that we were afraid for their safety.”

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In a statement to CKPG News, BC Minister of Citizens’ Services Lisa Beare said she heard the community backlash.

“After hearing feedback from the community, the Ministry has been exploring a plan to lease BC Housing’s current premises at 1380 Second Ave. for the purpose of SDPR front-facing service delivery,” said Beare.

Beare added, “I am happy to confirm that we are currently working on a long-term lease with the City of Prince George to facilitate this plan and that we have a letter from the Prince George Downtown Business Improvement Association supporting the change. This will ensure that critical social supports and services will continue to be delivered to the people the community who need them the most.”

Many seniors were relieved to hear the news they would not be having the SDPR office as their new neighbours across the street.

The local senior activity centre has been in operation in this location since 1981 when the building was converted from serving as a home for the Prince George Public Library. Members said they had not dealt with an issue like this in “a long time”

Colleen Van Mook, Executive Director with Downtown PG said seeing the province listen to what the community had been saying for months came as a relief.

“We didn’t feel this was an appropriate location,” said Van Mook. “We do have businesses in our downtown in the location where they are currently running their services and there have been some negative experiences and so we didn’t really want to see those transpire at the new location”