Prince George Mayor Lynn Hall has joined the growing list of northern leaders not seeking re-election in October.
Hall’s announcement follows in the wake of similar decisions made by other multi-term northern mayors, such as Terrace’s Carol Leclerc, Prince Rupert’s Lee Brain, and Fort St John’s Lori Ackerman.
Those announcements come at a time when many northern communities are banding together to deal with issues relating to homelessness, housing affordability, and prolific crime.
In Terrace, council has been fighting to have the province step up to deal with the catch-and-release cycle of dealing with repeat offenders.
Prince George has faced backlash for their methods of dealing with the homeless population, including the demolishing of homeless camps.
Meanwhile, Prince Rupert has been doing their best to deal with housing affordability and availability issues, including by making a number of city lots available for development.
While many of the issues are provincial jurisdiction, there is no doubt the mayors have felt the public pressure to deal with the issues, alongside those from the Covid pandemic.
But, not every community in the northwest will see a new mayor come October, with Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth, and Smithers Mayor Gladys Atrill both announcing they will seek re-election.
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