Petty crime continuing to hinder downtown businesses

PRINCE GEORGE — The amount of petty crime affecting downtown businesses seems to be on the rise. Picking up needles, fixing broken windows, and other issues have increased the last couple years, and businesses in the downtown core have been forced to take extra measures to uphold standards. It’s an issue some hope the City will step in to fix, but the wait is getting to be too much for some business owners.

That includes Shane Saugstad, the owner of Northern Trans-A-Matic. He has been in the downtown for 25 years and is calling on the City for better help in mitigating issues affecting downtown businesses.

Colleen Van Mook, Executive Director of Downtown PG, noted programs run in-conjunction with RCMP and the City aimed at reducing crime in the downtown. She said the most important thing business owners can do is call the police and report any issues they see.