Prince George’s Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs discussed its plans for 2025 at its Monday, Dec. 9 meeting, but its members acknowledged that there are a lot of questions marks on the horizon.
Committee members discussed the files they want to prioritize in the new year and went over several potential problems that have yet to emerge but could require their attention.
Within BC, the city is still waiting for the NDP’s post-election cabinet to be issued mandate letters and to see how the government changes course after its majority slimmed in the fall election. Those letters will outline the province’s priorities on a host of different files.
In February or March, the committee is planning to send an advocacy delegation to meet with provincial representatives in Victoria.
In 2024, director of administrative services Eric Depenau and city manager Walter Babicz were the city staff members joining the delegation. This year, consideration is being given to bringing manager of economic development Deklan Corstanje along for the ride.
The exact date of the trip isn’t known yet because the BC Legislature has yet to set its 2025 calendar.
Coun. Brian Skakun said the committee had branched out on its own for some trips in the past couple of years and said it was important to keep Mayor Simon Yu as head of council in the loop so that the city’s various efforts don’t become disjointed.
“When we’re dealing with senior levels of government, they’ll see that,” Skakun said. “(Union of BC Municipalities) we’re good because we’re united, we tend to do things together, but with the one-offs just sort of undermine some of the stuff we’re doing.”
Internationally, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to implement 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods entering his country when he becomes president. That could have a heavy economic impact on local industries that export to the U.S., like forestry.
“We might be nine hundred kilometres away (from America), but the impact on us can be felt immediately economically,” Skakun said.
Yu asked whether it would be worthwhile to collaborate with other governments, even ones outside of BC, to assemble data on the number of people experiencing homelessness.
The mayor brought up the mass deportations that Trump has threatened to enact when he assumes the presidency for a second time.
“Don’t kid yourself, we’re going to get affected,” Yu said. “It’s pressure ... people need housing. Fourteen days and they can claim refugee status. We, as a municipality, are we ready to anticipate some of this? If there’s a surge of a million, half-a-million people across the border, the pressure is going to (huge).”
The impact of the drop in international students was also raised at the meeting. Earlier this year, the federal government announced it was lowering its cap on the number of international students studying in Canada
Committee members said that this change is more likely to affect the College of New Caledonia than the University of Northern British Columbia as CNC has a larger reliance on foreign students.
Skakun referenced the Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s commentary regarding the reduction of international students potentially limiting the region’s labour pool and harming international CNC graduates’ ability to qualify for postgraduate work permits.
The mayor said he’s met with CNC representatives informally about the issue and has spoken with UNBC president Geoff Payne as well.
Committee chair Coun. Garth Frizzell noted that anything could change after the federal election scheduled to take place on or before Oct. 20, 2025. However, he also said he hasn’t heard of the parties currently in opposition express a desire to raise the international student cap back to former levels.
Also regarding the university, there was some talk about discussing whether UNBC was interested in having some of its Cranbrook Hill endowment lands developed into housing, which would need approval from the province.
If that were to move ahead, the mayor said the city would need to look at expanding its water and sewer infrastructure in the area.
On Dec. 3, applications closed for a senior advisor for intergovernmental relations positions with the City of Prince George. Applicants are being reviewed and administration hopes to start interviews early in the new year.
The city previously tried to hire a manager rather than a senior advisor earlier this year but decided not to hire any of the applicants. The position was reviewed and reposted as a slightly different role.
Eric Depenau was initially hired as the manager of intergovernmental affairs when he joined the city in 2023 but transitioned to director of administrative services earlier this year.
Depenau said the draft 2025 plan was reaching the limit of what he could accomplish by himself for intergovernmental advocacy, but that hiring the new advisor would allow the city to do more.
Should the hired advisor work out, the city will have the option of promoting them to a managerial position.
Going forward, the committee is working on developing motions and material for next year’s Union of BC Municipalities, North Central Local Government Association and Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings.
Members also discussed adding additional meetings with the board chairs of UNBC and CNC, with School District 57 and Lheidli T’enneh First Nation to their 2025 calendar.
The only committee member not at the meeting was Coun. Kyle Sampson.
