George Street Parkade cost sparks discussion on Mayor Lyn Hall’s position in government

There has been plenty of speculation online regarding the status of Mayor Lyn Hall’s position in Prince George’s Municipal government.

A large portion of the concern stems from the George Street Parking Complex project that has gone over budget by millions of taxpayer dollars.

The parkade was approved in tandem with a housing project in 2017 and originally projected to cost $12.6 million, however, it is now estimated it will cost taxpayers about $34.1 million.

Additionally, the new Fire Hall #1 is expected to be $2 million over budget following the addition of 5,000 square feet to the building.

$15 million was initially set aside for the Fire Hall following the 2017 Referendum, however, it is now expected to cost around $17 million.

While there are a number of residents that believe the city needs a new Mayor immediately, some requirements need to be met in order for a special election to be hosted before the end of his term in 2022.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs explained that in order for local elected officials to be disqualified or removed from office, they have to be either convicted of an indictable offence and incarcerated, fail to take their oath of office, be absent for four consecutive council days or contravene the conflict of interest rules.

These conflict of interest rules mean elected officials who have a financial interest in a matter discussed or voted on at their council meetings must declare that interest.

Once they declare their interest in the matter, they may not participate in discussions, vote or exercise influence on the issue.

Local governments have a variety of tools available to support the responsible conduct of local elected officials, such as codes of conduct adopted by councils and regional district boards.

If needed, there is an option to involve the courts if, for example, an elected official contravenes specified requirements or prohibitions that would disqualify them from holding office.

Additionally, Elections BC explains that one cannot apply to recall a mayor or city councillor, as there is no recall process for either mayors or councillors in BC.

The province introduced recall legislation for MLA’s in 1991 meaning that constituents can trigger a by-election if more than 40 percent of voters sign a formal petition to recall their MLA.

Elections BC does administer the Recall and Initiative Act,  however, this only applies to MLA’s and cannot be used for municipal leaders.

The City of PG explained the 2018 Municipal election cost $95,397 and the 2017 Municipal Referendum cost $91,593.

However, these numbers don’t necessarily correlate with the potential cost of a special election, as the 2018 election also accounted for the nomination of City Council members.

The cost of a possible special election is unknown.

While Prince George residents may feel the need for an immediate special election to intervene with the Mayor’s career that began in 2014, there are a number of conditions to be met and costs associated with the process.