The City of Cranbrook is hoping to bring provincial ministries together in order to identify challenges and solutions relating to housing, homelessness and addictions, following a motion issued by Mayor Wayne Price last council meeting.
Given that those social issues are under the jurisdiction of province and various provincial ministries, the city is seeking unique ‘Made in Cranbrook’ outcomes.
“The impacts of homelessness, the encampments, as well as the mental health and addictions epidemic are a growing concern and are impacting businesses and residents of our community, including those living directly with these struggles,” says Mayor Wayne Price, in a news release following the motion’s approval by council.
“Although areas like health, housing, mental health, and addictions are not under the jurisdiction of local government, this is our community, and we need to take the next steps beyond simple advocacy and gain the supports necessary to resolve these issues.”
Price’s motion mirrored the efforts of Kyle Sampson, a Prince George city councillor who issued a similar motion in his community last December.
“One of the primary goals should be to find areas where our City, and the Provincial Government intersect,” says Mayor Price. “This ensures that discussions can move beyond advocacy and real action can begin to be taken from each party to make progress towards a plan with actionable items to resolve these issues.”
Bringing all the various ministry partners and stakeholders together will help all parties identify actionable items, which can then be shared with the public.