A resource centre in Prince George catering to the needs of people with autism remains in play.
"We're still working on it," Pacific Autism Family Network executive director Dawn McKenna said this week.
In April, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Gateway Centre at 1811 Victoria St., with the expectation it would be up and operating by the summer.
But the door to its second-floor office remains closed, although the centre is still listed on the directory in the building's lobby,
On the reasons for the delay, McKenna, who became executive director in August, limited her comment to saying "nothing is ever as easy as you think it's going to be. That's about it, every thing has taken longer than anticipated."
Local MLAs Mike Morris and Shirley Bond were among those who attended the ceremony, but McKenna said the change in government in Victoria is not the reason for the slow progress.
"Absolutely not," McKenna said of the plan to open the Prince George location. "None of it is being government funded or supported."
That's in contrast to the PAFN's Richmond-based "hub" opened a year ago. A $20-million grant from the provincial government covered roughly two-thirds of the cost. A further $5 million came from David Patchell-Evans, founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness.
The plan has been to subsequently open eight "spokes" around the province. The centre in Prince George is to include a gathering space, lending library, information technology room, quiet rooms and access to teaching aids.
In the process of committing the money to PAFN, the government also canceled a request for proposals won by another organization, ACT-Autism Community Training, to provide support services and instead house them at PAFN's centre.
ACT executive director Deborah Pugh said her organization lost about two-thirds of its staff as a result but is continuing to provide training and resources online without government funding.
ACT has raised concern about the viability of the MCFD's decision given the allegedly high operating costs at the PAFN centre combined with the needs to maintain the necessary technology and pay unionized staff.
Pugh said the focus of ACT's request for proposals was on rural areas, aboriginal communities and linguistic minorities.
"Those families have particular problems with accessing service and understanding autism," Pugh said. "There is very little available. Prince George is a relatively large centre but even in Prince George it's difficult."
