Council spent an hour last week debating and then approving something that didn’t belong on the agenda in the first place: A newly proposed Citizen Recognition Award program.
Put forward by councillors Kyle Sampson, Tim Bennett and Cori Ramsay, the new award’s proposal asked that the city establish an annual recognition medal program.
This program would honour up to five people each year for significant contributions in areas such as arts, sports, volunteerism, philanthropy, social services, and heroism.
While the driving intent is laudable — to highlight our community members who go above and beyond — the fact remains that this proposal should never have made it to the council agenda in the first place.
This discussion, like a similar debate regarding mental health facilities a few weeks ago, raises questions about priorities and the inefficiency of this council’s processes.
The city already has a volunteer recognition event in place alongside other programs designed to celebrate outstanding community contributions. The Freedom of the City award, while seldom granted, exists as the highest honour council can bestow. Let’s not forget the city’s longstanding employee service recognition awards.
These initiatives already provide ample opportunity to recognize the unsung heroes of our community.
Even the Prince George Community Foundation has a long history of hosting the “Citizens of the Year” fundraising dinner.
The question, then, is why add another layer to the already existing programs, particularly when it stretches our city’s staff even thinner?
The idea that sparked this debate is that the current recognition system is too limited. The concern is that it does not capture the many individuals who regularly contribute to our community’s success without seeking acknowledgement.
There’s no denying that these contributors deserve recognition. However, one must wonder if this could be achieved without implementing yet another set of bureaucratic hoops to jump through.
It’s easy to imagine that this debate, like many others, was driven by the ambitions of a few councillors eager to make their mark — or their case — on a hot topic before a larger audience.
It’s not necessarily “grandstanding," as some might suggest. After all, they are pushing for a change that could make a difference for the community. However, it's the process they’ve chosen that’s concerning. Instead of simply asking staff to add an additional award for the city’s annual volunteer recognition dinner, these three councillors, with the approval of most of the rest of council, have formed yet another committee, complete with staff support, and wasted an hour at the last council meeting, not to mention the meetings, muffins, and minutes to come.
This is not an isolated issue. A few weeks ago, a similar situation occurred when competing councillors introduced two separate notices of motion, each calling on council to support the push for a new local mental health facility that is desperately needed in our community.
However, instead of working together to bring the best recommendation back to council from the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, set up for this very purpose and which both councillors sit on, they presented duelling motions at council.
And the result? Council spent valuable time spinning its wheels before staff finally intervened and recommended combining both notices of motions into one motion.
One of the most glaring concerns about the proposal for a new awards program is council’s priorities for city staff.
There are the Official Community Plan, and Civic Core Plan underway, an incredible number of active capital projects, and the work of the Public Safety Committee, plus the additional challenges our city is facing with Moccasin Flats, each demanding city staff attention. Now staff are being directed to draft yet another report for council outlining the structure and staff support for a new recognition committee. It is a poor use of city resources.
In the end, after an hour of debate, council directed staff to create a report on the proposed recognition program, including a framework for the committee and a plan for implementation.
They also asked for a review of the city’s existing employee recognition awards.The result? The potential launch of a new citizen recognition medal program in 2026.
This reveals a lack of strategic focus within this council. Councillors should focus on the big issues and avoid bogging down in well-meaning but ultimately unnecessary initiatives. They should be ensuring that the city’s resources are used in the most effective and efficient way possible.
The discussion surrounding the new recognition program was a reminder of what happens when processes and priorities are not carefully considered.
As this council enters the second half of its term, it’s time for them to refocus, streamline their decision-making processes, and ensure that their efforts are concentrated on the issues that truly matter to the residents of Prince George.
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