The mayor of Penticton, along with Coun. Amelia Boultbee and one staff member are off to Victoria Monday to get a face-to-face with the Premier and several ministers.
With the provincial government committed to major investments in housing and new mental health supports, the city council delegation is hoping to find common ground on opportunities for the City of Penticton to work with the province.
“We are a new council, with clear priorities, and we want to make sure the provincial government is aware of our desire to work together to deal on these challenging issues,” said Mayor Julius Bloomfield. “It’s important to put Penticton’s problems and solutions in front of the people who are going to be making funding decisions.”
“As a municipality, we are now facing big city problems and we must have partners to deal with them appropriately. Face-to-face meetings with the ministers ensures the province is aware of our needs and our willingness to find answers,” added Bloomfield.
The city has now put together a safety action plan and will start implementing those goals. One of the first steps is going to Victoria and getting in front of the “people with the power and the purse strings,” said Bloomfield during a Chamber breakfast.
At the meeting, they will press the provincial government to help fund mental health and addictions with Car40 and complex care housing that shelter providers have been asking for.
“We also want to tell them that Penticton can be an innovator in housing,” he said.
During the two-day trip to Victoria, the delegation will meet with:
Premier David Eby
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon and representatives from BC Housing
Lisa Helps, the premier’s special advisor on housing
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth
Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang
Members of the Official Opposition
The mayor and Boultbee, along with one staff member, will be in Victoria on Monday and Tuesday. The total expected cost is $5,000.