If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not people or things. - Albert Einstein

 

Often, we hear that you cannot change the world so why make the effort?  This is the mantra of those who lack the ability to set goals and achieve them.

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We, the citizens of Prince George, can set measurable goals and achieve them. 

 

My initial goals as Mayor would be the following:

1. To provide leadership, vision, and ideas that will lead to a better place to live, invest and flourish.

2. To tackle, without prioritizing issues, the following matters:

   • Solving the “homeless” issue.

   • Revising the attitude of the City to investment and development.

   • Changing the image of the City of Prince George, within the City, the Province, and the world. 

   • Accountability of elected officials.

   • Revise current practices to ensure public spending on projects is controlled so as to avoid repetition of overspending. ​​The “homeless” issue is a symptom of underlying addiction and mental health problems. 

3. To tackle this, certain short-term, medium-term, and long-term efforts are required.

   • Short term: increase police surveillance and foot patrols day and night in the downtown core.  Too often we have had fires, vandalism, and other crimes taking place in the downtown of this city. Create housing options to give street people the ability to live with a sense of security.

   • Medium-term: increase the involvement of First Nations in efforts to deal with chronic problems for street people: my own observation is that the majority of the street people are indigenous in origin. We are our neighbour’s keeper and we need to involve First Nations in efforts to deal with these issues.  We need to learn and adapt to take into account the ongoing efforts of First Nations who are trying to deal with this issue.  We also have to politically motivate the Attorney General of BC to start dealing with prolific offenders because, presently, criminal activity generated by addiction is not effectively dealt with.  Prolific offenders need to see consequences for their actions.

   • Long-term: in my opinion, involves finding an institutional framework for street people with addiction and mental health issues: to create with senior governments, First Nations and local government a refuge and treatment facility to deal with addiction and mental health problems for those who otherwise have no option other than to wander aimlessly and pointlessly on our streets. These wasted lives need to be redeemed.

4. Revising the attitude of the City of Prince George respecting investment and development initiatives by business people is critical: the approach of the City should be “what can we do to help you do what you want to do”, not “how can we find ways and means of preventing you from achieving your goal.” Our hardworking staff at City Hall have not been given, in my opinion, the benefit of an overarching new positive philosophy which would facilitate a “can-do” attitude. 

5. Changing the image of the City of Prince George is long overdue.  For all intents and purposes, nothing has been done to positively introduce our City to the world: living in the anthill of large metropolitan centers, with traffic congestion, unaffordable housing, polluted air, and long commutes; knowing that you cannot live a comfortable life when up to 80% of income is used to acquire accommodation is just not a reasonable or viable way to live.  Prince George offers affordable housing, which leads to having some disposable income, a good place to raise a family, local educational institutions of world-class caliber, cultural aspects such as the PG Symphony, local playhouse, arts of all sorts, recreational venues, and the great outdoors at your fingertips.  This is the best alternative.  In this era, virtual learning, working and shopping means that people can live and learn anywhere, and setting out the many advantages of our City and actively promoting this image will change the perception of others who otherwise would not be informed enough to see their future in this region.  Business investment would be encouraged because employees will see the opportunity if employed here, to live, learn and thrive in our beautiful City. 

6. Make the administration of the City of Prince George transparent, to the degree compatible with issues of confidentiality, privilege or the law regarding the protection of privacy.  It is imperative for the business of the City of Prince George to be made open to public scrutiny in order for elected officials to be accountable to the public. 

7. To ensure that public spending on projects is controlled: a review of practices must be undertaken to avoid repetition of out-of-control spending on projects.

 

I am an exponent of leadership, accountability, and transparency in the operation of government.  I understand that to facilitate and encourage these wonderful life-fulfilling choices, we need tax revenue.  I understand that tax revenue cannot be obtained without business investment and the overall growth of our economy and population.  I understand that as the City grows it must maintain and enhance quality of life options for its citizens.

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