During the evacuation efforts I was among the many volunteers assisting people in securing vouchers for food and other necessities. We completed thousands of forms which were checked for errors by city staff. Most initially were helpful but as time went on, they seemed more intent on preserving the bureaucracy.
At some point it became unacceptable to write "City of PG" but "The City of Prince George " had to be written in full. Were the previous two weeks of forms corrected by staff on overtime? Doubtful.
One incident I clearly remember was getting authorization for a Salvation Army thrift store voucher for a family from Williams Lake. They were unable to return home from camping and needed clothing. The city staffer said I had given them too long to use the $20 voucher so everyone had to return to the long lineups in the hot sun while the form went back and forth for "correction."
If I had an inkling of the amount they were being paid to cause this needless frustration I might have said something that would have been regretted later.
Thanks to you it is now clear how insulting their behaviour was to the volunteers.
Valerie Schmitz
Prince George
