The City of Prince George has announced a broad plan and a series of actions aimed at enhancing community safety and addressing issues related to the Lower Patricia Boulevard Encampment (LPBE).
Feedback received at the recent town hall on Community Safety focused on downtown conditions, with specific attention to the LPBE.
Key concerns voiced by residents included housing, air quality, and transition plans for the court-protected encampment. The feedback received is being used to shape future engagement and inform ongoing efforts.
A phased approach to better manage the encampment was endorsed by council at the June 24th meeting.
The phased approach consists of:
Phase One: Build Capacity
Current efforts focus on building community capacity to provide suitable daytime facilities and low-barrier housing while managing health and safety issues at the LPBE and downtown. Information on spaces available from BC Housing are here.
Phase Two: Demonstrate Capacity and Alternatives
The City plans to approach the British Columbia Supreme Court as early as Q4 2024 to demonstrate that conditions are appropriate for transitioning the LPBE site to other forms of housing.
Phase Three: Transition to Other Forms of Housing
Beginning as early as Q1 2025, the City, working with partners, plans to transition the entrenched LPBE to other forms of sheltering, supported by new facilities and designated outdoor sheltering locations.
Phase Four: Maintain Capacity and Prevent Entrenchment
The City will continue working with partners to address new needs and prevent any campsites from becoming entrenched.
Additional actions include:
Encampment Boundary Delineation:
Boundaries will be physically marked with fencing and signage to help bring clarity to the space and deter individuals from illegal dumping.
Reinvigoration of the Community Safety Hub:
Coordination efforts among partner agencies will be enhanced.
Increased Cleanup Efforts:
Ongoing cleanup efforts will continue to improve conditions at the LPBE. This week clean up efforts continued to improve congestion with remediation of burnt sites.
Overnight Sheltering Model Exploration:
Staff will review sites for Council consideration where temporary overnight sheltering may be suitable within the city.
Timelines and Goals for Transitional Shelter Facility (TSF):
The TSF construction is anticipated to be completed by fall 2024, marking the transition to Phase Two. BC Housing confirmed this week site preparation work is now complete and the modular units are in the process of being installed by ATCO Structures and Logistics Ltd.
Over the coming weeks, there will be construction activity at this site between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., seven days a week.
These measures represent a proactive approach by the City of Prince George to transition the LPBE, enhance community safety, and promote coordination among local government partners.
The City remains committed to engaging with residents to address the diverse needs of the community.
The City has also recently completed a pilot project for enhanced collaborative patrols between Prince George Fire Rescue, bylaw services and, the RCMP in the downtown.
A goal of the project was to reduce property damage in the downtown area by decreasing the number of fires and burning complaints.
In total, there were 10 collaborative patrols that took place over the past four weeks. Data recorded during the patrols included the number of people sheltering on the streets overnight, why people were not utilizing shelters, the most used spaces, what was being used to fuel fires and, how readily available this fuel was.
A report to Council with additional findings and recommendations is anticipated in July.
The Town Hall on May 28th had over 200 people in attendance.
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