The City of Prince George is following the lead of provincial health officials as it responds to the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping the globe, Mayor Lyn Hall said.
Hall and other members of the city's emergency operations centre provided an update to city council on Monday on the city's response to the pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has ordered social distancing measures, Hall said, and everyone in Prince George needs to take them seriously.
"As Dr. Henry said, these aren't optional, they're vital and their mandatory," Hall said. "This is a community we know full well will step up."
Hall said it's the third time the city's emergency operations centre has been activated during his four years in office.
"I'm involved in the EOC on a daily basis," he said. "I want to reassure people that the group of people around the table can handle it."
City manager Kathleen Soltis said the city is working to ensure that civic facilities that remain open, like city hall, are as clean and safe as possible for the public and city staff.
"In staff's interactions with the public, great care is being taken to spread people out two metres," Soltis said.
Twenty staff from the city's shut down pools and arenas are supplementing the city's custodial staff to conduct daily cleaning plans at civic facilities.
The city is also working with the city's unions to allow inside workers to fill seasonal labourer positions while their normal jobs are on hold, Soltis said.
The city's emergency operation centre is in regular contact with Northern Health and following the province's lead, she said.
"Some local governments have enacted local states of emergency. The provincial government has asked local governments not to enact local states of emergency," she said. "They want the response to be coordinated, not a patchwork."
Coun. Brian Skakun said he's received a lot of feedback from residents concerned about paying their bills and city property taxes.
"This pandemic is having a profound effect around the world and people locally are having a hard time with it," Skakun said. "As for tax breaks or incentives, if there is any way to do it we'll look at it."
Coun. Garth Frizzell, who head's the city's finance and audit committee, said the committee is looking for options to help residents who are facing financial hardship. However, he said, the city is governed by the Community Charter that doesn't allow the city a lot of leeway to change things like utility bill and property tax deadlines.
"We don't have the power to change the dates. We know the length and breadth of what we're allowed to do," Frizzell said.
However, he said, the city is in discussions with the province and is hoping the province will look at changing legislation to allow the city to give residents some relief.
"We have heard the questions and concerns from the citizens," Coun. Terri McConnachie said. "It's not a dead issue, it's an ongoing conversation."
