The City of Prince George has fully rolled out new measures aimed at increasing the health and safety of the downtown area, a statement issued by the city on Wednesday said.
The measures in the Downtown Safe, Clean, and Inclusive Package were approved as part of the city's 2020 budget.
Initiatives included in the package include a two-officer RCMP daily patrol downtown; two additional bylaw services officers dedicated to the downtown area, up from two; contracted security services monitioring downtown civic faciliites; funding for the operation of two service hubs for the homeless, providing washrooms, storage and other services; improved lighting, security and cleaning at the Second Avenue city parkade; improved lighting and security at the Fifth Avenue Parkade and Canada Games Plaza; and additional staff and equipment from public works to manage homeless camps and deal with downtown cleanup service requests.
The Downtown Safe, Clean, and Inclusive Package was developed as a response to public feedback received during a special council meeting on Dec. 2. City council heard from the public about the need to put additional resources into addressing social issues in the community, and led to the creation of the Select Committee on a Clean, Safe, and Inclusive Community.
The committee is expected to report back to city council later this year with recomendations on improving public health, safety and security in Prince George.
