Hall made the announcement at the end of the regular council meeting Monday afternoon. “Today is bittersweet — there’s no doubt that this was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Hall told the boardroom, his voice choking with emotion. Hall joins several other long-serving BC mayors who have announced they will not run in the Oct. 15 municipal election, including New Westminster Jonathan CoteHenry Braun of Abbotsford, Ken Christian of Kamloops and Lori Ackerman of Fort St. Hall has spent two decades in local politics, starting on the Prince George school board before joining the city council for a single term in 2011. He was elected mayor in 2014 and won re-election in 2018.
Cost disputes
Hall began his first term as mayor just months before the city hosted the 2015 Canada Winter Gamesthe biggest sporting event ever held in the city at the time. He also oversaw the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons, when thousands of residents displaced by evacuation orders in nearby communities had to flee to Prince George for weeks at a time. The latter became an issue in Hall’s 2018 re-election bid after it was revealed that the city’s nine senior administrators were paid up to $235.72 an hour in overtime to handle the logistics of managing evacuees. But Hall easily won the match after the sole contender for the job, Willie Enns, largely failed to campaign, including skipping several debates. Hall’s second term was marked by new developments throughout the city as the population reached record highs, including major hotel and housing developments aimed at attracting new residents downtown. But controversy has marred these efforts as well cost of a large apartment and a park built next to the town hall with a hot air balloon with minimal supervision, prompting an independent review about how the city manages its finances. More recently, Hall joined the mayors of other major BC municipalities. demanding action on housing, mental health and addiction treatment as the city struggled to deal with a growing tent city just outside the downtown core. Last November, the city of Prince George demolished several camps despite a court order protecting them. This March the city issued an apology for her actions, following criticism from the BC Assembly of First Nations. that the city’s policy on homelessness is “counterproductive, cruel and inherently racist.”
challenges of COVID-19
Hall said leadership has become more difficult in the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the city still has more hurdles to overcome in the coming years. “It was important to me to see Prince George grow into a vibrant, active man [and] desirable place to live, making sure we provide amenities for everyone — from our youngest to our seniors — to make it an attractive location for growth and investment. I believe we did just that. “Are there still challenges to be faced and overcome? No doubt,” he said. “This work will continue — and that’s the hard part.” So far, no one else has announced their intention to run for mayor of Prince George in the upcoming municipal election. Subscribe to Daybreak North on CBC Listen or your favorite podcast app and connect with CBC Northern British Columbia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
