New initiatives for downtown

“I see a lot of value in that concept and I think it’s been successful so far and I’d like to see it continue forward,” says Supt. Wright. “I know we’ve talked with Northern Health and I don’t know what internal discussions Northern Health has had, but I believe there is some willingness to come to the table and really support an initiative, hopefully in a more robust fashion.”

A third initiative is the creation of something called a “situation table.”

“A situation table is really a mechanism for police, social service providers other government agencies to meet, bring forward cases of persons who are on the verge of crisis or entering into a crisis situation and identifying what agencies are best equipped to assist those individuals.

For Mayor Lyn Hall, that is particularly helpful as it sets out distinct jurisdictions. If a housing issue, it’s BC Housing’s case, for instance.

“Once the jurisdictions are known, that just provides a clearer flow of work and duties that can take place on a much, much quicker basis.”

As for when the latter two will be in place is uncertain, bu Mayor Hall says the Public Safety Office is right around the corner.

by Cheryl Jahn

New initiatives for downtown

Our Community