October 15, 2022

We need to change our approach to City infrastructure.  Just like in your house, if you fix the drip under your sink when it starts, you save yourself having to replace your cabinet and repairing your floor and the ceiling in your basement.  The City of Prince George is wasting hard earned taxpayer money by not repairing the ‘drips’ before they become expensive repairs.  Worse, as we have seen with the Coliseum (millions of dollars) and with the PG Playhouse and Studio 2880 (hundreds of thousands on each of them), it is putting expensive band-aids on buildings that are at the end of their life. 

 Sensible Solutions:

• Start being pre-emptive and putting together a regular maintenance plan for all our city infrastructure (water, sewer, storm, roads, and our community and recreational facilities) and then ensuring that the needed resources are available

• By being proactive and planning for how we are going to replace end of life buildings in a timely manner

My business partner Charlene and I own IC Expert Painting Ltd. that focuses on commercial and industrial painting.  In the just shy of four years since we started, we are proud to say that we have delivered every contract on time and on budget.  It is this same approach I will bring to City Hall.

 Sensible Solutions:

• Every construction contract for the City is awarded based upon a graded point system. We need to change the type of contracts we are using so that the preference is for General Contractors who can deliver on time and on budget instead of who can deliver it the cheapest (and then runs into massive cost over runs)

• Contracts should have a penalty clause where we pay less if the project isn’t completed on time. Construction delays only result in increased costs.

• The City needs to have our own Project Supervisor who is ensuring that the project is being delivered on time and on budget and is watching out for how our tax dollars are being spent.