Premier Eby to visit Prince George, community advocates send letter

PRINCE GEORGE – Premier David Eby will be visiting Prince George from January 16 to 17, and with that several community advocates have written a letter to the Premier, Health Minister Adrian Dix, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, and Parliamentary Secretary Roly Russell. The letter invites the Premier to visit several shelters, community support organizations, and Moccasin Flats, with the hope that a look at what the people on the ground-level experience will help shape provincial government action.

The full letter reads:

Dear Premier Eby, Minister Kahlon, Minister Dix and Parliamentary Secretary Russell,

The award-winning grassroots movement “Together We Stand!!,” Local Food PG Society and End Homelessness Canada invite you to Prince George for a tour with our community to understand the actions and conditions facing people who are de-housed and precariously housed in Prince George. Recently our City Council invited (https://www.princegeorge.ca/city-hall/news-notices/mou-province-6-months) you for a “personal tour of relevant areas of the City” so that you can appreciate the conditions on the ground and the challenges faced by our community. We offer a supplementary tour so you can hear what is working and the opportunities that exist to support the housing, healing and learning in our city. We understand that our current crisis is complex and is shared in many cities across our country. We believe that change is only possible through a human-centered approach that brings multiple actors together. We are reminded that: “We have no hope for rural and small-town renewal if the various senior governments continue to off-load their responsibilities for providing coordination, infrastructure, and vital services, and there will not be successful renewal if rural and small-town residents and decision makers look only to senior government for support and a vision for the future. Top-down and bottom up supports and engagement must co-create solutions.” ~ Investing in Place, Economic Renewal in Northern British Columbia, Markey, Halseth & Manson. With this in mind, please consider our invitation. We are eager to work together for health, healing and learning, so that our community can stand. It is only by working together that lasting change will be possible. We welcome you back to Prince George!