By Cheryl Jahn

Advocacy Delegation plans trip to Victoria

Mar 20, 2024 | 3:42 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Members of Council typically get some face time with ministers during events like the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention, but that time is very limited. Tantamount to speed dating with hundreds of other municipal representatives vying for the ear of one minister or another.

“When we go to UBCM and NCLGA, it’s a great way to find common problems that municipalities throughout the North face or municipalities all across B.C. face,” explains Garth Frizell, Chair of Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. “And then we can line up one or two or three things and hit really hard with lots of voices all at the same time. That’s really effective. But at UBCM, we get our one-on-one time for the city. It’s short and it’s amongst many, many other municipalities.”

So Council plans to send a delegation to Victoria to meet with the likes of the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness and the Minister of Housing.

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“We’re always open to talking to Mayor and Council,” says Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “The Premier was in Prince George just recently met with Mayor and Council, had a discussion about a whole whole list of topics. And, of course, our door is always open if the schedules permit. I’d be happy to meet with the Mayor and Council and whoever becomes part of their delegation.”

“By going from Prince George all the way down to the ministers on their home ground, it’s going to be an opportunity for us to step out of the big group and say, ‘Look, it’s really important. It’s so important that we sent a group of people down.’ You’re not just going to hear it through our UBCM because Councilor Ramsay’s our rep. You’re not just going to hear it through Mayor Yu as our rep on the B.C. Urban Mayors Coalition but you’re also going to have inter-governmental to come down and we’ve got that three-way punch of reminding them from the UBCM side, from the mayor’s side, and from the intergovernmental side that we’ve got some issues that are unique to Prince George,” says Frizzell.

The aim is for the delegation to head down to Victoria for this blitz of meetings in April.