By Cheryl Jahn

Petition on 490 Brunswick has thousands of signatories

Jul 7, 2022 | 4:17 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A petition can be found in a number of businesses around the Fifth and Brunswick area of downtown. It asks that the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction not re-located its offices from 10th Avenue to 490 Brunswick Street, the former home of Speedy Printers.

“We understand it is going to replace the office where people come and pick up their cheques and we’ve seen some interesting dynamics in the current location [on tenth Avenue] that are not as positive as we’d like,” explains Colleen Van Mook, Executive Director for Downtown Prince George.

The matter came up prior to COVID, when the Prince George and District Senior Citizens Activity Centre Society inked a letter to Council back in February of 2020 expressing concerns around what was going into 490 Brunswick Street.

At the time Council has reservations and Mayor Lyn Hall still does. “Yes, I still have some concerns about it,” says Mayor Lyn Hall.

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“You’ve heard from the Elders’ Centre, you’ve heard from businesses around the area. I had said then and I will say now that, if you’re looking for a location, what about the location we have around 1st Avenue? To me, the land is there, the opportunity is to move into that location.

Specifically, the petition reads: “Although the services offered by the Ministry are valuable to the community as a whole, the Ministry to date has a proven track record of neither providing a safe environment for surrounding businesses and public, or protecting property of surrounding businesses, nor the ability to manage the behavior of its clientele or to provide a safe and inclusive environment for those with addictions and mental health issues to interact with both the Ministry and the general public. The location that is being proposed is not in line with the downtown community plan of placemaking, increasing foot traffic, and supporting an entertainment district. The proposed location is in close proximity to community retail, a federal post office, national banks, children’s day care, senior activity centre, multiple dining establishments and other service-based businesses that all rely on their customers being able to safely commute.”

The tone of the petition indicates very little faith in the ministry.

“Unfortunately we don’t. I guess the reason we were so adamant in expressing those concerns is that our members, including members of our Board of Directors, are the owners of the current location. They have tried to work with [the Ministry] and asked them to work with them in terms of trying to make it feel safer for everybody in that location. And it hasn’t met with cooperation.”

We asked the mayor if he would sign, should the petition find its way onto his desk at City Hall.

“In my career, I’ve not signed a petition. I probably wouldn’t signed this, but I would support it. As I’ve done over the last two and a half years in discussions with various ministries. And I’ve put that alternative out there.”

The petition is addressed to the Legislative Assembly which is not sitting right now, but Downtown Prince George assures they will be back at it this fall.