Local politics was in the forefront of the news in Prince George in 2022.
The Citizen’s nominees for local newsmaker of the year for 2022 are (in alphabetical order) Cariboo-Prince George MP Todd Doherty, former School District 57 superintendent Anita Richardson, Prince George city councillor Kyle Sampson, Prince George RCMP Supt. Shaun Wright and new Prince George Mayor Simon Yu.
Citizen readers can vote in our online poll to select who they think is the top local newsmaker of the year.
TODD DOHERTY
Doherty’s long-running advocacy for the establishment of a Canadian 988 national suicide prevention hotline came to fruition, after the Canadian Radio-televison and Telecommunciations Commission (CRTC) approved the move in August.
While the three-digit hotline won’t be taking calls until Nov. 30, 2023, Doherty’s work on the file could eventually save lives across the country.
In October, Doherty spoke in the House of Commons about the brutal physical abuse he and his brothers suffered as children, in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and show abuse sufferers they aren't alone, and to call for the need for additional supports for people suffering from mental health issues.
ANITA RICHARDSON
Former School District 57 superintendent Anita Richardson led the school district through the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, before taking a leave of absence on Dec. 11, 2020 – less than a year after being appointed to the role. She was the fifth superintendent for the district in a four-year span.
She was officially terminated from her position as superintendent on Jan. 25, 2022. Then on July 8, Richardson filed a notice of claim, alleging she had “experienced a toxic work environment and bullying and harassment” from some members of the district’s elected trustees. In her notice of claim, Richardson singled out former board chairperson Trent Derrick and former vice-chairperson Shuirose Valimohamed – both who resigned in September 2021, prompting a byelection.
While Richardson’s allegations have not been proven in court, they may shed light on a board of trustees "which was dysfunctional and beleaguered by political turmoil,” according to her notice of claim.
In a response to Richardson's lawsuit, the board of education has denied her claims, saying "There is no basis in law for an award of punitive damages because the School Board did not engage in any extreme, harsh, vindictive, reprehensible, malicious behaviour."
COUN. KYLE SAMPSON
First-term city councillor Kyle Sampson ruffled some feathers in the community with comments made during a city council meeting on Feb. 7, calling criminals “a bunch of losers” who are undeserving of sympathy. At the following city council meeting, Sampson issued a public apology for the remarks.
On back-to-back weekends in August, Cariboo Rocks the North (an outdoor concert hosted by CN Centre, but managed by Sampson on behalf of lead sponsor Pacific Western Brewing Company) and the Best Damn Music Festival (hosted by Sampson’s personal business, Kyle Sampson Productions) “acoustically bombarded” residents around Exhibition Park, according to letter writers.
The city received 12 formal noise complaints about the two events.
A notice of motion brought forward by Coun. Brian Skakun later that month raised concerns about the City of Prince George providing letters of support to Sampson, which resulted in Kyle Sampson Productions receiving $157,000 in provincial grant money to host The Best Damn Music Festival.
The controversy didn’t stop Sampson from being handily reelected in October, however. Sampson came in third, with a total of 6,840 votes.
Following his reelection, Sampson brought forward a notice of motion calling on the city to organize a meeting with a wide range of provincial ministries and agencies to address the homelessness crisis in the city.
SUPT. SHAUN WRIGHT
Prince George RCMP officer in charge Supt. Shaun Wright didn’t mince words, when asked what cutting a million dollars from the City of Prince George’s policing budget would look like in January.
The city was facing a 6.55 per cent property tax increase, driven in part by a $2.4 million increase to the city’s policing budget due to contracted wages increased negotiated between the federal government and RCMP union.
Taking a million out of the budget would have meant slashing five officers – likely from initiatives like the Downtown Safety Unit and Car 60 – from the city’s 142-office detachment, Wright said.
“Those are nice to haves, really nice to have, services, but not essential. We have seen a significant spike in calls for service. We have to maintain our core function,” Wright told council at the time.
Wright’s comments were vindicated by a consultant report commissioned by the city and delivered in December, which found that the detachment is under-resourced and the city needs 19 additional uniformed police officers, 10 additional civilian support staff, an unknown number of additional data entry personnel and a “peer navigator” based in the Prince George Public Library, over the next five years.The proposed increases would require increasing the city’s policing budget $1 million each year for five years.
MAYOR SIMON YU
When former mayor Lyn Hall announced he wouldn’t seek reelection in the Oct. 15 municipal election, it meant Prince George would have a new mayor.
Yu, a local structural engineer who had not previously served on city council, launched an energetic campaign for the mayor’s office, using the slogan “Yu can do it.”
During the campaign he pledged to cut building permit approvals down to as little as two days, scrap the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff and contractors, build a network of underground walking tunnels, among other campaign promises.
On election night, Yu took an early lead and held on to it for a decisive victory over rival candidates Terri McConnachie, Roy Stewart, Adam Hyatt, Lisa Mitchell and Chris Wood.
When Yu was sworn in on Nov. 7, he became the first non-white mayor of Prince George and the first first-generation Asian-Canadian immigrant to be a mayor in B.C. Yu was born in Hong Kong, and came to Canada as a student.
“Yes, history is being made here tonight,” Yu said, during his inaugural speech. “Nearly 50 years ago, I arrived in Prince George carrying two suitcases. I have always believed I owe this city everything.”
