Prince George is in crisis. The number of people facing addiction and mental health challenges is unprecedented. It’s visible in the makeshift living quarters erected downtown and the lineups at St. Vincent De Paul.
This is not news and we are not alone; this is a national issue.
Here in Prince George, as of Oct. 31 of this year, the toxic drug supply has already claimed 56 people. If your house is on fire, you don’t want the fire department to come quickly, but not too quickly. You want action now. We are in a crisis and we need action now.
In a crisis the facts are gathered, solutions are identified, and plans are enacted.
At their Dec. 5 meeting, city council debated requesting meetings and workshops with representatives from Northern Health, BC Housing, various ministries including the Attorney General, and the Minister of Housing.
The intent was good. The city needs to meet with these entities to face this crisis but we need more. No specific result was identified, no measurable goals outlined. The debate lacked any tangible deliverables. Without requesting specific results, there is no accountability. The usual political outcome being “meetings, muffins, and minutes.” Detailed goals allow mayor and council to point at a specific item and say: When can we expect action on this?
In a crisis, time matters. With specifics, mayor and council could have focused the requested meetings and workshops. The result would be less time spent in meetings; time better spent achieving desired outcomes sooner.
On July 27, 2020, city council approved exploring the expansion of the RCMP Car 60. This program partners an RCMP officer with a nurse trained in mental health and substance use services. The program has been hailed universally as innovative and successful. While it is available daily, current funding is only from noon to 9 p.m. Additional funding from the province to Northern Health could expand an established and effective program. This could have been request number one.
On Oct. 13, 2021, the Province announced $132 million in investment in treatment and recovery. Prince George received a new sobering and assessment centre as part of that investment. However, while other communities received funding for new treatment facilities for women and youth, we did not. Our city has no such facilities, a significant obstacle for those seeking a path to recovery. This could have been request number two.
On Oct. 19, 2022, the province and Northern Health announced construction had begun for a new regional “state-of-the-art” mental health facility with 25 beds. It will provide long-term rehabilitation and recovery programs for adults living with serious and persistent mental illness… in Terrace. Unquestionably, Prince George is also a regional hub. We are also in dire need of such a facility here. This could have been request number three.
People’s lives are at stake, our city is at stake. We have a crisis. The facts have been gathered. The solutions have been identified. What is required now is to act upon them in extreme haste.
Cameron Stolz is a Prince George writer.
