By Adam Berls

downtown

58 fires started in one month in downtown Prince George

Aug 22, 2024 | 3:53 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Between May 18 and June 18, City of Prince George bylaw services and PG Fire Rescue conducted 10 patrols on various days of the week between 10pm and 6am to deter fires and other crime in the downtown core.

The goals of the patrols were to gather data, educate offenders and deter the recurrence of fires, as well as conduct an escalating strategy of enforcement. The report found that 58 fires were located, some of which were unattended. During the patrols, there was an average of 45 people located outside, and were generally in groups of three or four.

The most common areas where people were located during the overnight patrols were as follows:

• 277 George Street – The Northern Health Overdose Prevention site
• 144 George Street – AWAC Shelter
• 1220 2nd Avenue – St. Vincent DePaul
• 1386 3rd Avenue – Northern Hardware
• 1126 3rd Avenue – POUNDS
• 808 Canada Games Way – Civic Plaza

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Most groups had fires that were small and were used for warmth. When asked about fuel for the fires, it was reported that the fuel was generally cardboard or broken pallets. The report highlighted that these materials are readily available in the alleys of downtown Prince George.

The report also found that people who were located sheltering on the street, when asked why they did not take up shelter in Moccasin Flats, in almost all instances, the response was consistently given that they fear the criminality that is alleged to be taken place at the site. Others reported that they could not get back into a shelter as they were either not allowed in, or left and then could not get back in.

Councillor Kyle Sampson says BC Housing has a role to play.

“Just because somebody might be difficult to house, it doesn’t mean that BC Housing, the province and the Ministry of Housing gets to abdicate the responsiblities of housing these individuals. That’s their responsiblity, not ours.” – Councillor Kyle Sampson

The city highlighted a number of recommendations in the report to prevent fires, including:

1. “Proactively use the provision of the Zoning Bylaw that requires garbage and recycling bins (as well as outdoor storage areas) to be screened in. Past work on similar projects suggests that securing bins directly often poses challenges as locks are easily cut and business owners absorb these costs without significantly preventing the issue.
2. Consider opportunities to support / incentivize screening in garbage, recycling and storage areas (such as additional support to existing programs like the related DBA micrografting stream).
3. Work with businesses to reduce the number of dumpsters that are present in each alley.
4. Establish a regulated cardboard recycling program with more frequent pick up so that there is not as much readily available.
5. Establish a program where pallets can be properly disposed of and/or recycled
6. Work with local businesses and groups like Tire Stewardship BC to reduce the buildup of tires on properties downtown.
7. Explore an event where the municipality can support the removal of derelict vehicles. A specific instance in the spring where a derelict vehicle was involved in a fire downtown highlighted this as a possible activity. The City could engage with local auto wreckers to support an annual event (coinciding with earth day as example) where people could call 311 to be added to a list to have vehicles removed from their property. The municipality could help advertise and coordinate the list. This is an activity that some other municipalities in the Regional District Fraser Fort George have undertaken (Valemount as example).”

Going forward, Sampson says that the city could advocate the province for other alternatives.

“One of the areas I think we should be advocating the province to look into is involuntary treatment to help folks who are more precariously housed or not housed and maybe not fitting into that mold that BC Housing has created. Get into treatment to help them rehabilitate.” – Councillor Kyle Sampson

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com