By Cheryl Jahn

crime

Opposition criticizes government for “abandoning” municipalities

Jul 30, 2025 | 2:55 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – “Action is what is required now to save lives in our community.”

That was Williams Lake Councillor Scott Nelson this spring, when Williams Lake city council contemplated declaring a local state of emergency over concerns with public safety and crime. Nanaimo was the next community to take measures, considering putting up a fence around city hall to protect staff from violence and disorder associated with an overdose prevention site next to city hall. In Prince George, downtown businesses have had enough for just as long.

“There’s garbage and feces and fires, there’s burn marks up, up and down, all sorts of buildings all over the city here from, things that have nothing to do with people staying warm. It’s just that people are getting high and setting fires. It’s absurd. It’s unsafe. It’s untenable,” says downtown business owner, Eoin Foley.

The BC Conservatives are blaming the provincial government’s lack of action forcing local governments to pick up the slack.

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“Cities have had enough, and they’re trying to figure out how to solve it. They’ve even written to the federal government now to try to get solutions because they’re not getting the help they need from the provincial government,” says BC Opposition Leader, John Rustad.

So what is the recourse for municipalities, like Williams Lake?

“I don’t know what that would do. I don’t blame Williams Lake for doing this. Other communities are certainly thinking about the same type of issues,” says Rustad. “And once again, communities do not have the money. They do not have the resources to be able to fight this. It has to come from the province, and by declaring a state of emergency, it helps to highlight this. But I don’t think it’s going to be able to help solve the problem.”

The City of Prince George has been dealing with the issue for years, spending millions on downtown street safety.

“I get why municipalities are getting fed up with it, too,” says Foley. “They’re getting downloaded from the provincial government all these responsibilities of housing and health care, and dealing with these issues. If the province isn’t stepping up and providing this care for people that is desperately needed, it wouldn’t be costing municipalities so much time and effort.”

Foley says at election time, there was plenty of talk from all the candidates about tackling things like mental health and addictions, but he says little has happened since the government was formed.

We reached out to the Ministry of Public Safety and office of the Solicitor General, but got no response.