Prince George, BC - In the judgment in Prince George v. Johnny, Justice Coval of the British Columbia Supreme Court found that the City of Prince George “inflicted serious harm on vulnerable people,” when the City removed shelter structures from the Lower Patricia encampment. The City of Prince George sincerely apologizes to all those who experienced trauma from our actions.
The City dismantled a portion of the Lower Patricia encampment on the belief that those shelters were abandoned. The City accepts the decision of Justice Coval, and understands what additional steps could have been taken to ensure those shelters had been permanently abandoned, and what additional evidence could have been brought to Court to show this to be the case. The City regrets any harm caused by its actions.
Throughout this process, the City has acted in good faith, with the benefit of legal advice, and in partnership with BC Housing and other service providers. The intention of the City has been to advance and protect the interests, health and safety of all the City’s residents – including encampment occupants, downtown business operators, and residents of the nearby Millar Addition subdivision.
Even with best intentions and the support of the Province and BC Housing, this remains an extraordinarily complex and difficult issue for the City to address. The City will continue to work with agencies who have expertise and resources in this area to address the complex needs of our vulnerable citizens.
While the appeal has been withdrawn there are still pending legal issues with all three court proceedings and so the City will not comment further on any legal matters.