'That is what seven years of deployment in Prince George does to officers'
And the X at the CN Centre is upside-down. Plus: Your letters about the good parts of downtown
On Friday, a former Prince George police officer found out he would not be going to trial for a manslaughter charge. And on Monday, that same officer pled guilty to assault in a different case, meaning he will not have a crimincal record. CBC’s Jason Proctor reports from court:
In a brief Vancouver provincial court hearing, Crown counsel Cory Lo said Const. Paul Ste-Marie punched Dilmeet Chahal on the chin with the back of his fist in August 2022 as Chahal sat in a cruiser breathing heavily.
Lo said the officer's actions violated the fundamental principles of the justice system — that prisoners are entitled to be safe and that it's not up to police officers to mete out justice.
But if not excusable, Lo said Ste-Marie's actions were understandable given "unique" circumstances that saw the 27-year-old officer rammed by a vehicle flagged for homicide and gang connections before a foot chase with bullets flying.
"In the events leading up to the assault, Const. Ste-Marie had a very real, very reasonable fear that his life was in danger, and that sort of stress that one must feel in a life or death situation is difficult to imagine," Lo told the court.
"I would say that what Const. Ste. Marie did was unquestionably a criminal act, however it was also a very human failing."
Crown counsel are the ones representing the side of the prosecution. Here is the defence lawyer Ravi Hira:
Hira told the court Ste-Marie is himself Indigenous — growing up on a First Nations reserve in Quebec. He had long dreamed of being a police officer, volunteering at homeless shelters and elder centres.
Prince George was his first posting after graduating from the RCMP's training depot. And the incident with Culver happened during his first year on the job.
"He's fortunate, he's in a common-law relationship with a teacher that has spanned seven years," Hira said.
"But it is important to note that from the age of 21 to the age of almost 28, which is more than a quarter of his life, he's been facing ... the manslaughter charge which was stayed last Friday. He faced death threats and had to be moved from Prince George."
…
The defence lawyer said his client was also subjected to an RCMP code of conduct investigation that resulted in the loss of 10 days pay.
Towards the end of Monday's court proceeding, Ste-Marie offered a brief apology to Chahal — who was not in the courtroom.
Hira noted the officer has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder: "That is what seven years of deployment in Prince George does to officers."
There’s nothing to do downtown and all the parking spots are full
On Friday, I once again had a bit of a laugh as I saw the lack of parking in the blocks immediately surrounding the Crossroads/Black Clover area because the popular refrain is that no one goes downtown. I had a similar laugh as I went into Ritual coffeeshop on a recent Sunday morning and saw it full. The notion that “no one goes downtown” is held, I have to assume, by people who have not tried to go downtown recently because every time I show up I see lots of evidence to the contrary.
Here are some of your thoughts on the state of things downtown:
Dave H:
3 Goblins Games has also been a big add to downtown. They're coming up on their first anniversary this week and the store has brought me downtown on a weekly basis. That store helped me realize that I like going downtown.
4streegrrl:
I've been going to Ritual for coffee breaks and occasionally lunches, and it is generally busy with people on laptops, court folks and office peeps like myself. They've been there... five years? Over five? It's great that they've managed to establish themselves as a great little cafe, and their in-house roasted beans are pretty darn good.
Brian J:
There is A LOT of negative hyperbole about Downtown PG.
I work downtown and there are issues of course that don't need to be repeated here. But it's not the war-zone many make it out to be. Mon-Sat there is enough activity that it feels like a generally functioning downtown. Sunday is definitely owned by the street crowd though.
Arguably it was on a strong upswing prior to Covid-19, which unfortunately knocked all of that hard work at turning the corner back 10-15 years. Now it's a slow grind back up again.
I also received this email from Katherine Scouten and Kirk Gable:
My husband and I enjoyed the tongue in cheek title of today's newsletter and wanted to share our perspective too. We've both lived here for decades and both of us have been involved in downtown development for a good part of that through the eras you recalled from Rogers through Hall. We've also just completed a tour of BC visiting family and we were struck by the pleasant bustling downtowns of smaller communities like Powell River, Campbell River, Comox, Courtenay, Penticton. They all seem to be generally working and we didn't see a lot of homelessness.
What they all have in common is: shopping districts, housing, public infrastucture ( gallery, museum, library, etc), social service and health care agencies, restaurants and a grocery store. Basically these downtowns all offer a variety of reasons for many folks to come downtown and keep the sidewalks busy.
PG has all of the above except it has a fairly large footprint and is absent, still, some core arts and culture infrastructure other communities our size have. You are right - there has been a lot of successful development over the past two decades. Our downtown isn't NOT working, it's got a lot going on. It could work better though like any downtown. PG is fortunately endowed with a strong downtown business improvement organization, at least two farmers market associations, arts and culture groups and now Tourism Prince George is setting up shop downtown. All of these organizations have a vested interest in making the downtown better by attracting more people for various reasons.
Yet here we go again. A new standing committee and town hall focused on crime doesn't seem like it will be able to achieve much except grow the perception that the downtown is unsafe and terrible. Yes the drug trade seems to be thriving in PG and there is no quick fix for the consequences of this but it seems the RCMP's time might be better spent focused on crime rather than add citizen committees and town halls to their undoubtedly heavy agendas.
At least there is renewed interest in the downtown but creating a platform for complaints and public engagement in complex problems has been a futile approach in the past so we're also not holding our breath.
It's unfortunate an approach to downtown public safety does not include a focus on development or marketing. Perhaps City Council could focus on working with their partners including businesses to bring more people downtown through events, retail, hospitality, concerts, meetings, residential, etc. More people occupying our own downtown all day every day would go a long way towards pushing out crime. The city has a lot of reports and plans to help them along the way and only need courage to put tried and true urban development practices in place.
And perhaps related to all of this is a recent column by Eli Klanser in the Prince George Citizen on lessons from the World Happines Report:
I think continuing to invest in arts, culture and educational enrichment is the best path forward.
There needs to be funding for elementary school teachers to bus their students to our fantastic public library at least once per month. Access to books, information, youth programs, intellectual pursuits and knowledge are important key factors for young people to grow into being emotionally healthy, well-balanced individuals.
I also believe strongly in children and youth being supported to participate in art, music, dance, creative writing, or acting classes. These experiences do wonders for improving the expression and communication skills of young people, skills they cannot develop through spending an excessive amount of time on social media.
As well, these activities provide a tremendous boost to dignity, confidence, and self-esteem. Arts activities are the perfect complement to sporting activities aiding in the development of healthy bodies with a healthy mind and spirit.
News roundup:
More from local dentists not signing on to the Canadian Dental Care Plan which, it seems, is a national issue.
Trash battle in the woods: Dedicated crews haul thousands of pounds to landfill.
BC Wildfire Services reminds PG-area residents about open burning ban.
Prince George Kodiak games will be broadcast on Vista’s country radio station, which feels very Friday Night Lights.
2024 Teen Art Showcase shines spotlight on creative talents.
From PG to Toronto: Chlz making noise on Canada’s music scene with new EP.
The 2033 solar eclipse is going to look pretty sweet in Prince George. The 2044 one is even better.
Northern Capital News is a free, daily newsletter about life in Prince George. Please consider subscribing or, if you have, sharing with someone else.
Send feedback by emailing northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. Find me online at akurjata.ca.
I get super excited when the teen art showcase is on at the library - we have some amazingly talented young artists in this town!!!
I think I must've been a Libra in a former life; I often try to find a middle road. Finding a balance between the "DO something!!" crowd and the "let's just change our perception" crowd. I see merit in both approaches. The "do something" crowd maybe doesn't have all the answers, but are motivated by a strong sense of wanting governments and law enforcement to do their actual jobs (no, task forces and study groups don't count). This is a good wish. The "perception" crowd is also motivated by a strong sense of wanting ordinary citizens to take responsibility and create more of what is already working well, perhaps to crowd out the negative, as one of your letters stated. There's also a good case to be made for both of these approaches working well together, where governments provide the necessary housing and services, law enforcement manages crime, and we all flock to our downtown and conduct our business there in a safe and clean environment. Win-win, right? It shouldn't be as hard as it seems to be. And I also feel like the divide isn't really as big as we make it out to be.