City council is seeking a meeting with the provincial government after learning it plans to move the Prince George's welfare office to a new spot downtown.
An agreement to purchase the building at 490 Brunswick St., once the home of Speedee Stationers, has been reached in the name of relocating the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction from its current home at 1445 10th Ave.
In response, the Prince George and District Senior Citizens Activity Centre, located across the street at 425 Brunswick St., has submitted a 68-signature petition to city hall raising concerns about parking, foot traffic and safety.
"We are not against the people who require the services of the MSDPR, we are concerned about the congestion it will cause in the downtown core," PGDSCAC administrator Treena Wight says in the letter. "Parking is the biggest concern as there is [sic] already issues of trying to find a parking space downtown."
Wight went on to say there are plenty of other empty spaces in the city that could house the office and many of them have parking lots.
But in an emailed response to questions from the Citizen, the ministry said the provincial government has spent over a year in search of a new location "and other vacancies in the city are not suitable for an SDPR office."
The move is being made because the landlord for the office's current location indicated the lease will not be renewed. It expires in early 2024 but the ministry has not yet confirmed a date to move the office, the ministry said.
The PGDSCAC learned of the plan through a letter from the provincial government's real property division. In it, executive director Lorne Delarge said the office experiences the majority of in-person traffic during the monthly cheque issue week with the peak typically on the Wednesday and Thursday.
"However, in-person traffic has reduced in recent years with a significant number of clients accessing services online or over the telephone," Delarge said.
The petition and letter were included in the agenda package for the Feb. 24 regular council meeting. Council voted unanimously to seek a meeting with provincial government officials but how much sway they will have appears in doubt as the site is already zoned for the purpose, according to the ministry.
"SDPR is committed to being a good neighbour and will continue to work with the community to ensure that the needs of the neighbourhood are met," the ministry added.
