I returned to Prince George two years ago, my third move to the city over the past twenty years.
It very much is a generally pleasant place to live but not without some issues. I am pained to draw your collective attention to one which is oddly, apparently, not heard of. Soon after arriving at a great location on Ferry Avenue between Westwood and Ospika, and during the work-from-home circumstances of the pandemic, it was difficult not to notice that members of the community were honking their vehicle horns at nothing while driving by either west or eastbound. One even drove through the apartment parking lot to honk three times in the pre-office hours of the morning.
I was befuddled for I have never experienced this sort of uncivil public behaviour in the past regardless of living in a village, town, or city. "The place," I thought, "must have gone mental since I last lived here." Perhaps the community did not fare well psychologically through the pandemic, a social condition likely correlated with federal Conservative constituencies.
Once, I called the RCMP with a general query. They asked for a license plate number. "They are right," I concluded. "That would not appear to be a great use of police resources."
"Can you get on social media?" I asked the constable. It actually appeared to have some effect and the bizarre activity ceased. But some weeks ago, it began again. This time, I took notes.
Honking at nothing. One wonders what the attempted and illegitimate communication is about. Noise pollution? Absolutely. Disturbing? The act is neither friendly nor nice. In fact, it is an organized nuisance. Which is just short of Nuisance, capitalized for reference to the Criminal Code of Canada and which necessitates physical harm. It seems unlikely the courts will equate psychological duress with physical harm although I expect the courts should still be able to recognize the inflicted duress as harm.
It has been going on for 'so long' and with sufficient frequency that the numbers of the organized nuisance could be approaching a statistically valid sample of the population. An unbecoming condition. This stretch of Ferry is lined with senior citizens. The organized nuisance is terribly unbecoming of the community and I very sincerely hope that the remainder are able to solve the issue in a civil manner and improve the quality of life for all city residents.
Ken Berry
Prince George
