When the residents of Prince George were asked to come out to help evacuees from the fires last year, the response was overwhelming. Most people that I know volunteered time and resources to make the difficult time a little easier.
We hosted an evacuee from Williams Lake for three weeks, and volunteered at the reception centre. Our evacuee was a retired lady who had worked for the federal government during her career. She volunteered every day at the centre to help fill out forms and, because of her experience, she was much appreciated. She put in 12-hour days, getting up at three in the morning sometimes because she was needed. No complaints from any of us. We did what we could to help.
To find out that the city manager and directors applied to be paid overtime for doing their work is at the very least disheartening.
The volunteers were given a barbecue as thanks (and that was very nice), and the city manager and directors walked away with a fat paycheque.
Sandi Kubert
Prince George
