(Cont) The cost of living is an attraction as well as employment. PG remains one of tghe few places in Canada where a young family can own their own home with reasonable real estate prices and lots of jobs available - especially in the trades. We have almost all fo the facilities of any lage city, the symphony, a college and univeristy, theatre groups and more - and any big box store you care to think of...
There is no doubt that the Vancouver gangs did move north and that does represent a problem. Grow ops, crack shacks and even seniors selling their prescription drugs were standard fare in the local papers - because they were busted by a very effective campaign by the RCMP. in this regard, a "revolving door" syndromeseems to be an issue - the places are busted but spring up, often with the same participants, a few weeks later. The pont is that these places are being busted, often with civillian imput. The drug tide for Prince George hit high time a few years ago. Now that tide is going out, thank to both the RCMP and a more aggressive community involvement.
One comparison will serve. In Vancouver, in underground secure parking, our vehicle was broken into four times in one year. Here, parked on the street in front of our house, one vehicle break in in ten years. That says a lot, regardles of the Macleans ranking....

Well, as other articles have pointed out, this current year we in Prince George have had no murders. Of the seven in the prior year, four were by an accused seriel killer and the other three gang activities. Various programs have reduced break ins and other crimes. Not to say we are crime free, but it is nowhere as bad as Macleans would suggest.
Many if not all northern communities in the west (BC and Alberta) have major drug problems. To our north, the oil patch has men working long hours with no - or very few - recreational opportunites save hunting and fishing. Most men live in camps and high priced rooms. They earn large amounts and many spend part of what they earn on drugs. The list is a long one. Some of these fellows get out of camp and, with nowhere else to go, shack up in a motel in PG where the drugs continue.
My partner and I moved here a decade ago. We live in "The Hood" a supposedly high crime area. No problems at all in the ten years. We are safer here than in our former city, Vancouver.
Prince George is also a boom towns. With mines opening, the massive infrastructure improvements to facilitate Prince Rupert and Kitimat expansion (the second longest runway in Canada, a massive rail yard and a four lane highway south) and pipelines to be built. So the problems of boom towns are our problems.

If only American cities were this dangerous...

Is this a safe community or isn't this? Tell you what — I wouldn't bring my family here if I didn't think so," said Stubbs.
Yes he would. That's where his paycheck is.