First task force meeting to combat Hope’s street problems set for Wednesday

A new task force whose goal is to tackle street issues will meet on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

The idea of a task force was hatched at the July 24 council meeting with a goal to bring various groups together to develop a solution to issues such as public peeing, panhandling, harrassment, public drinking and drug consumption.

In an email dated Aug. 2, District of Hope chief administrative officer John Fortoloczky sent an email to various stakeholders including Fraser Health, AdvantageHOPE, the Hope and District Chamber of Commerce, the Hope and Area Transition Society, RCMP, First Nations Health Authority and Chawathil Chief Rhoda Peters. Fortoloczky said those included in the email represent a “preliminary list” and requested that the invitation be forwarded to groups who can “add value to the effort.”

“Council has recently received noteworthy concern regarding the amount of aggressive panhandling that appears to be going on in Hope’s downtown core,” said the email. “To address this, council wishes to create a task force of stakeholder groups who can assist in the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategy to deal with issues leading to aggressive panhandling.”

The email further said the task force will be led by Mayor Wilfried Vicktor and the first meeting has four goals including confirming or suggesting adjustment to the task force membership; drafting expectations and goals; suggests any immediate action to take; and determining the next steps such as meeting dates and development of terms of reference.

Asked if members of the public can attend, Fortoloczky said the meeting is meant for stakeholder and caregiver groups who can add value to the task force.

“The Mayor will report out on task force activities to council and the public as required,” said Fortoloczky. “We need to concentrate on task force confirmation of membership and terms of reference. General public attendance could be a distraction. There may also be privacy issues if particular individuals are discussed.”

Related: Crowd attends meeting to discuss problems on Hope’s streets