Several times in recent years Prince George has helped people in the North affected by emergencies, primarily wildfires. City council is now hoping the province will fund a permanent reception centre in the city.
Council has approved a resolution from the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs to make the request.
This resolution will now be submitted to the North Central Local Government Association. This was one of many advocacy items on the agenda from the standing committee on Intergovernmental Affairs.
The report accompanying the resolution explains that the City of Prince George is proud to support its neighbours as a host community during emergencies. Activating the Prince George Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has become an almost annual task. For the 2023 season the City’s EOC was activated on May 5 and continued to provide host community services until October 3. Within that period the ESS Reception Centre was moved eight times to accommodate other municipal activities, adding unnecessary strain and confusion to the emergency operation as well as additional staff resources.
The proposed solution to this challenge would be for the establishment of a purpose-built, seasonally activated, facility to function as a dedicated host community ESS reception centre.