I have been misunderstood, by some folks. They think I am always critical or negative about the community I live in. I am not, well ok, sometimes I am, but it’s with the goal of doing better. Every community has issues, some large some small. If there is no one to speak to those issues, they never change, they remain the same. There’s a limit to what each person is willing to do to make things better, sometimes just going about your business in daily life, while being considerate of others is enough for some folks. I would be happy if that were the case for me. Put the blinders on and ignore everything I don’t like and go about my business, minding just that.
I would like to carry on, run my business, look after clients and enjoy life and what it has to offer. I would like to go to work and open up and greet folks as I once did as they walked down the street. A smile, a good morning or even a nod meant everything is fine. That hasn’t happened in a long time. There is a change in the air, folks are not as they once were downtown. Downtown is not as it once was, it’s changed and not in a good way. People are stressed, you can see it in their walk and their expressions. Folks come up to me while I am standing on the sidewalk and tell me they are not happy. They are not happy for a lot of reasons, but more of the reasons are the state of downtown.
Why isn’t something being done about downtown? Why hasn’t something been done about the homeless, the drug addicts, the panhandlers, the person down the street screaming obscenities for no apparent reason? The almost constant sound of sirens responding to another call?
I can only say that we have a new city council and mayor and they must be doing something to address the issues. I keep my eye on the local news, hoping to see mayor and council have started a new initiative to address the issues. Nothing. I have reached out to successful councillors and Incumbents to engage them in conversations about the downtown. Discussions end with “we will see.”
Well, I along with many others are waiting. Any time now would be good.
John Zukowski
Prince George
