Prince George is not known as a pretty town, but there are rules in place that could help turn that perception around - if only the city would enforce them.
Typically, tourists who arrive in the city immediately notice industrial complexes belching out smoke. Mill owners make certain efforts to try to minimize the impact of their production, and for the most part, residents see the pay cheques they or their loved-ones earn as a fair trade off.
But what kind of trade-off exists for irresponsible property owners leaving land and buildings to deteriorate into squalor?
We're not just talking about the need for a fresh coat of paint. Prince George is dotted with front lawns adorned with collections of debris that no one but the owners could possibly identify, vehicle carcasses buried in foot-tall grass, buildings forever covered in tarpaper and collapsed porches.
These eyesores do not go unnoticed by the city's visitors, and with less than four years to go before we host athletes, sports fans and television crews from across country, the city needs to step up its game if the property owners refuse to.
This week The Citizen put on its front page a Prince George council decision to force one of the city's worst offenders to clean up.
During deliberations over forcing the remediation of the dilapidated site, the mayor said "It's not something we like to do." No kidding.
These owners left an unshingled, tarp-covered house in its eyesore state for an unbelievable 20 years. Scores of complaints were filed with the city and the site had made the paper for its dangerously rundown state three previous times.
Sadly, the owner's had medical issues preventing him for fixing the place up.
So a perfect solution is now in the works - city staff will clean up the mess themselves and bill the owner for the work.
The tolerance and goodwill of immediate neighbours who've been looking upon this eyesore for 15 years is admirable.
They have nothing but praise for the city staff, who finally took the bull by the horns and recommended that the remediation bylaw be enacted. But the truth is something should've been done years ago.
Why did it take this long to fix a problem the city's own bylaws clearly address?
While the city showed patience for one derelict property owner, they neglected the rights of everyone else in the neighbourhood and sent a message to the entire population that the city's own laws don't matter.
Let's hope this remediation order is the beginning of a new era in community pride.
-- Prince George
