How do Prince George's 2026 mayoral candidates compare on election issues?

Caranto has not released specific information addressing housing density and sprawl.

Carrier has not released specific information addressing housing density and sprawl.

Danchuk has not released specific information addressing housing density and sprawl.

Frizzell says the city should plan for an influx of workers moving into downtown hotels to support major construction projects throughout the region.

He says the city needs to bring back incentive programs that encourage new housing and hotels to be built in the downtown core.

He has endorsed creating a business plan for building a new hockey arena and performing arts centre downtown, but says he would want to make sure a new arena is in place before demolishing Kopar in order to preserve a home for the Spruce Kings.

Olson has called for the city to focus on renewing existing buildings and neighbourhoods rather than new builds.

Sampson says he wants downtown to be a "front door" for the city and his platform outlines safety and beautification measures he would endorse to make it feel safer for people to visit on a day-to-day basis. He also wants to support more festivals and events that draw families into the downtown core.

He wants to incentivize downtown housing developments and establish standards and penalties for vacant, derelict or underused properties.

On city facilities, Sampson also supports creating a business plan for building a performing arts centre and replacement for Kopar Memorial Arena, emphasizing his goal is to give voters an informed choice for what he believes should be a referendum issue. However, he does not support demolishing Kopar before a new arena can be built.

Stewart has not released specific information addressing housing density and sprawl.

Yu says he wants to see more businesses opening downtown, envisioning it as a commercial shopping district, and has suggested using zoning rules to remove some outreach service providers from the downtown core.

On city facilities, he believes Prince George should plan for an eventual population of 200,000 people and create a downtown plan that reflects that, including the creation of a performing arts centre and replacement for the Kopar Memorial Arena as outlined in the city's Civic Core Plan.

However, he believes that plan is not ambitious enough and has also proposed the development of Connaught Hill to include an amphitheatre and IMAX theatre, along with an expanded convention centre and high-speed transit and increased parking servicing the area.

He said any major decisions like those he is proposing should go to referendum.

Yu says with a second term as mayor he would work with First Nations and small industry to create value-added forestry jobs targeted at supporting the federal government's plans for new housing projects using Canadian resources. He says he would create a mayor's task force on modular homes and seek to attract small mills.

He also says he wants Prince George to be a hub for mining and other industries in the north, citing the availability of rail lines.

He has supported a proposal from a local MLA to create a military base in the city. 

Frizzell says Prince George is well-positioned to be a service hub for industrial projects taking place throughout the region, but said there needs to be more of a push to improve the health of the forest industry by putting it "at the top of the menu" in Canadian trade discussions.

He also supports a proposal for a military base to be established in the city, citing a recent emphasis on building up Canada's Armed Forces.

He said the city's strong relationship with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation and regional district puts it in a good position to welcome industrial and resource projects.

Sampson's platform calls for Prince George to be a major Western Canada development hub at the centre of economic growth in the region, capitalizing on demand for critical minerals, clean energy and transportation.

He said his job as mayor would be to be chief spokesperson for what the city can offer, and that Prince George needs to be top-of-mind in boardrooms and political offices alike.

He has promised the creation of a FastTrack PG program that would provide concierge services for investors to get all the licences and approvals needed to set up shop, sending a clear message that the city is project-ready.

He also says he would establish an economic advisory table aimed at strengthening the city's competitiveness, and would seek to expand the amount of traffic and services at the Prince George Airport.

Stewart says the city needs to actively seek out investors, and that he would make the direct case to business leaders, investors and senior levels of government that Prince George is ready to be a service hub for new developments. 

Carrier has called for the development of more heavy industries in the city, saying Prince George's  industrial sites and airport are underutilized. Specifically, he said offering fast-fuelling at the airport would attract more cargo planes.

He said he wants to make it easier for businesses to set up shop by reducing the number of permits they have to apply for, and speeding up approval processes.

Danchuk wants to speed up permitting for businesses and said Prince George should work with other nearby communities to promote itself as the hub of the north.

Olson says he would pursue new economic opportunities throughout the city with proactive marketing of what it has to offer.

Caranto has said he wants to see more greenhouses in the city to bolster the agricultural industry and has suggested a large-scale business expo be held to showcase Prince George to outside investors.

Caranto has said he would like to see more community policing and rehabilitation services, as well as increased RCMP patrols downtown.

Carrier says he would push the province to revise the Mental Health Act to make it easier to force people into involuntary care, and has endorsed Alberta's forced treatment plans.

Danchuk says he wants to see more centralization of services and to work with outreach groups to address root causes of crime and homelessness.

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Olson wants to establish a municipal police force, citing the inability of RCMP to fully staff the number of funded positions in the city.

He also wants to establish a civil safety program and volunteer safety patrols on major streets and on public transit.

He says he'd also advocate for more programs to help rehabilitate people without strong support systems.

Sampson's platform says he would re-establish the RCMP auxiliary officer program, which trains volunteers to take part in community policing.

He says he would establish clear guidelines for police and bylaw officers about what behaviours the city wants to target, and instruct them to increase the number of foot and bike patrols in priority areas, including downtown.

He also wants to transition the city's bylaw services to become a community safety division that focuses on public disorder and proactively connecting people to services.He has also endorsed a navigation centre to help those in need find care. Sampson advocates for stronger discharge planning for people being released from hospital, treatment facilities and police custody to find support.

He has pledged to create a community safety advisory table, create a community safety liaison for people who live and work downtown and to improve lighting and visibility downtown and in other public areas throughout the city.

He would also advocate for the province to improve addictions treatment and recovery services in the city and to provide more court resources to speed up the justice system locally.

Stewart says he would direct bylaw officers to more strongly enforce bylaws forcing people to move off the streets, particularly in downtown, and work to move outreach services out of the downtown core.

He says he would seek to break down silos between service providers in order to avoid duplication of services.

Incumbent Simon Yu says he wants to build on the success of the past four years, which saw the closure of a downtown encampment and the opening of supportive housing nearby, as well as a commitment from the province to build an involuntary care facility in the city.

He says if re-elected he would continue to push the province for more support, including a social services triage and navigation centre to help connect people to care, a position that was endorsed by the sitting council.

Yu says the budget for public safety costs in the city is unsustainable, pointing out that RCMP have consistently been unable to recruit enough staff to fill all the positions funded by the city, and says he would instead like to see community-led programs play a stronger role.

Yu says he wants to engage in more direct communication with residents between elections and has pledged to create a community cabinet involving citizens.

Frizzell endorsed a policy of proactive disclosure in which all city documents are made public except for those it is legally prevented from sharing.

Sampson says he wants to have better communication with residents and that he would establish a mayor's listening tour visiting different neighbourhoods. He described these as mini-townhalls where people can get information about the city, ask questions and provide feedback.

He also said he would like to make it easier for people to navigate city websites to find information that is already available but not necessarily easy to find.

Stewart has called for the release of all city reports and documents not covered by legal protections and says he wants to be able to provide clear answers about spending decisions on major projects.

Caranto has not released specific information on transparency.

Carrier says he would establish a comptroller to watch for overspending and hold a townhall every three months to meet with residents.

Danchuk has said he would establish mandatory referendums on any major spending decisions and says he'd like to see a quarterly budget review to track spending.

Olson said he would solicit direct feedback from residents.