Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
A group of concerned Peace River residents and business owners gathered on May 22 to discuss challenges the community faces.
The Community Workshop to Address Downtown Peace River Challenges was held at the Sagitawa Friendship Centre and welcomed nearly 150 people to brainstorm solutions to the various concerns in the community.
“No one understands the community better than people who live in it,” says Town of Peace River Councillor and Peace Region Mental Health and Addiction Task Force team member Marc Boychuk.
“This workshop is not just about identifying what the problems are, it’s about discovering what is right and what is possible. We are here to hear stories and to learn from one another, to develop practical ways to make our neighbourhood safer and more compassionate.”
The large group was divided into teams of eight to discuss the various issues the community is facing and to discuss what can be done to eradicate the concerns in the community. Some of the issues include homelessness, prison releases, mental health issues, lobbying the province, addictions, lack of accommodations and affordable housing, and issues of belligerence and vandalism.
The community has a group of government and local agency representatives who have been working diligently to try to find solutions to the various issues, but after many years of trying to find solutions, they are reaching out to community members to try to help find additional ways to aide people who require assistance.
RCMP Peace River S/Sgt. Lacey Blair expressed the desire to work closely with the community to help ensure the issues are handled in a timely manner.
She adds she has an open-door policy and she welcomes any community members to go speak with her about their concerns.
“We are working closely with the new bylaw officers and peace officers that have been hired by the Town of Peace River,” says Blair.
“We know there have been challenges with different things over time that business owners are concerned about. I am here to support (community members) to move forward and make this the best community it can be,” she adds.
Some of the issues businesses are facing are looters, vandalism on their properties, squatters in storage sheds and various other locations. Their concerns voiced include feeling unsafe, facing increased insurance premiums because of claims made due to damage on their properties, and decreased traffic to their businesses because people are concerned to shop in the community.
Some solutions suggested through the three-hour meeting included adding a community curfew, increasing patrols, supporting the Citizen on Patrol (coming soon), finding ways to introduce more affordable housing, transitional housing, and permanent housing to the community.
One of the main concerns expressed by community members in attendance who are facing homelessness was not being able to access affordable housing.
Community groups at the meeting have committed to working together to fulfill some of the suggestions made at the meeting.