Willy Ens — the only person running against Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall — was one of 13 candidates in attendance during an all-candidates forum Tuesday night (Oct. 9).
(Ens did not attend the Sept. 25 all-candidates forum at the Bob Harkins branch of the Prince George Public Library.)
The Northern Regional Construction Association’s forum at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel was an opportunity for community members as well as representatives from the construction industry to ask candidates questions related to construction, economic development and the procurement process for infrastructure projects.
Here’s a look at candidates with Ens sitting on the end #CityofPG pic.twitter.com/gSswDgPQP6
— Hanna Petersen (@hannaepeter) October 10, 2018
Each candidate had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience before the question period began.
“I’ve come from construction; that is my claim to fame,” said Ens, who was first to speak.
He also explained that because of a medical condition, he has spent time in a homeless shelter in the past.
“I learned a lot about what these people are up against. The drug addiction on the streets — all these types of issues need to be dealt with. These people do have votes and I’m encouraging them to come out and voice that.”
Hall focused his opening statement on the development that has occurred in Prince George over the last four years.
“From 2015 until the end of September this year, we have seen over $490 million dollars’ worth of building permits issued here in the city. We have all seen the construction taking place in downtown and other areas like College Heights and the Hart. We haven’t seen this type of construction in Prince George for many, many years,” said the incumbent.
He added the bulk of the investment was from the private sector, which shows great confidence in the economy of Prince George.
After introductions, candidates’ names were drawn to answer specific questions regarding a variety of topics including the shortage of trades workers, housing affordability, infrastructure development and downtown revitalization.
Coun. Garth Frizzell was asked about the affordable housing issues, and how to support private rental properties if the government were to freeze rental rates.
“We need to get more housing and we need to open doors, literally and figuratively,” responded Frizzell.
He said council has used tax increment financing to encourage an increase of housing in the downtown core, and that it’s effective, but housing is a provincial government mandate.
“We have been very upfront about going up to the provincial government, going out to the federal government, and making sure that they know Prince George is here and they know Prince George has needs,” Frizzell told the crowd.
A question regarding Prince George’s aging infrastructure and what needs to be done to keep ahead of underground failures like the Massey Drive sinkhole was posed to candidate Cameron Stoltz.
“As any construction person knows, you start with building a good foundation before you put up the rest of the building. Right now, our foundation needs some significant work,” said Stoltz, adding that the city is fortunate to have fully funded water and sewer. “Where I see our challenges right now are is in our roads and sidewalks. I think, moving forward, we need to be fully funding our sidewalks and roads and addressing the shortcoming for our storm sewers.”
Kyle Sampson also noted the importance of infrastructure investment during his answer to the question, what would you do with a $25-million grant?
“In Prince George, we have a lot of needs and infrastructure is a massive need right now,” he said.
Many of the questions posed throughout the forum addressed the issue of downtown revitalization, and downtown’s homeless population.
“You can’t just have record investment without cleaning up the safety issues downtown,” answered Coun. Brian Skakun. “I think what really has to happen with the downtown is we need to have a community meeting with all stakeholders, so everybody can address their concerns and come up with some long-term plan. This time around we have made progress, but we still have work to do.”
Hall noted he’s advocating for a wrap-around service model that would address a variety of social needs in one location.
“We have been actively pursuing that; it’s one part of the puzzle we can put into place in Prince George,” said Hall.
Coun. Terri McConnachie also tackled the issue, stating the current council is not afraid to look for solutions from experts who are already doing the work.
“It’s not to redo the work that everybody (has) already (done) but to funnel all that expertise at the table and come up with the solutions that will benefit the people who need it the most,” she said.
After candidates were asked general questions from the audience, the forum wrapped up with all candidates offering closing remarks.
