Prince George, BC - Today, lawyers for the City of Prince George withdrew the City’s appeal in the case of Prince George v. Stewart, which sought the closure of the encampment on Lower Patricia Boulevard near downtown Prince George.
After a review of the decisions of the Court in the Stewart and Johnny cases, and upon reviewing additional external legal advice, the City is reevaluating its approach and response to homelessness and homeless encampments. The City’s conclusion is that pursuing an appeal of the Stewart case is unlikely to achieve either the immediate result of closing the Lower Patricia encampment or otherwise addressing the City’s concerns relating to encampments in the city.
In the Stewart and Johnny cases, the City proceeded to court based on the reports from service agencies responsible for the provision of housing that sufficient shelter space and housing existed in the City for all those in the Lower Patricia encampment. On hearing the cases, the Court ruled that not enough housing or shelter space which is accessible to all homeless people, is available in Prince George.
Addressing social issues
The City will continue to encourage and support the Province and BC Housing in their provision of housing and health services for Prince George’s vulnerable citizens, and work to develop both short-term solutions and a long-term resolution to the issue of homelessness and encampments in the city.
The City is deeply conscious of the impacts of homelessness on those who are experiencing it and of the impacts of encampments on the community, including on local residents and business operators. In the immediate future while housing solutions with health supports are sought for the remaining occupants of the Lower Patricia encampment, the City will work with the Province and BC Housing to find ways in which to mitigate the ongoing impact of the remaining encampment. This includes working with the residents of the Millar Addition subdivision on measures to address their safety and security concerns.
For its part, the Province of BC and BC Housing continue to make significant investments in Prince George to house or otherwise provide shelter for those in need. The City has supported and helped facilitate these investments, and has done so in a way which seeks to address and balance the needs and interests of all impacted people and groups.
The City will continue to take steps to regulate the use of its parks and public spaces, and is mindful not only of the protected right for homeless individuals to take temporary overnight shelter, but also the City’s ability to regulate places where temporary overnight sheltering may not occur.
The City of Prince George also continues to invest in the management of social issues by way of several recent and important initiatives, which include:
The Community Safety Hub to coordinate the efforts of all the agencies providing services for vulnerable citizens.
- Increased numbers of bylaw officers and foot patrols
- Increased hours of service for bylaw officers
- The addition of dedicated downtown RCMP officers
- The addition of two City outreach workers
- Funding for graffiti removal, needle disposal, and other waste pickup downtown
- Washroom and storage facilities for vulnerable people
- Partnership with BC Housing to provide accessible housing on 1st Avenue integrated with healthcare services for vulnerable people
- Peer grant to support and encourage non-profit agencies to hire people who have lived in or are currently living in poverty and may be affected by its associated challenges, such as homelessness.
- A current project to work with dozens of service agencies in the development of an evaluation framework to understand how current initiatives are contributing to safety, cleanliness, and inclusion in Prince George.
The City will provide residents with regular updates about its progress in managing these important matters. While the appeal has been withdrawn there are still pending legal issues with all three court proceedings and so the City will not comment further on any legal matters.