The Prince George Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Prince George met with Premier David Eby on Tuesday, seeking urgent community safety measures to combat the ongoing harm local businesses and workers are experiencing due to street crime and disorder.

“We stressed to the Premier that the provincial government’s significant investments in housing, health, and policing in Prince George over the past several years have felt like one step forward, two steps back to many local businesses, their employees, and their customers,” Prince George Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Neil Godbout said. “The devastating fire that destroyed the Crossroads Brewery and Restaurant last fall was not an outlier but just one of so many fires intentionally lit outside of local businesses, not only in downtown but also in other areas of the city, which have caused damage.”

“Business confidence in Prince George continues to suffer as owner/operators have to pay for vandalism damage, loss from theft and measures to protect their workers and property,” Chamber of Commerce President Kristine Newell said. “The fact that we met with the Premier to discuss public health and safety concerns, instead of the more usual issues the business community has with government around taxes and red tape, speaks to the severity of the problems we’re experiencing on local streets.”

Newell and Godbout were joined at the meeting with Premier Eby by Downtown Prince George President Eoin Foley and Downtown Prince George Executive Director Chrisie Berry. The Chamber and Downtown Prince George partnered on the Voices For Change Safe Streets Rally held in October. The two business groups continue to work together, pressing all levels of government to step up their efforts and work together to make local streets safer for everyone. Earlier this month, the two groups met with Gary Anandasangaree, the federal public safety minister, to discuss the federal bail reform bill currently before the House of Commons and further support Ottawa should provide to the provincial and local governments.

Contact: Neil Godbout, Executive Director, Prince George Chamber of Commerce
250 552 6029, ceo@pgchamber.bc.ca