It's a first for me.
The Prince George Metis Housing Society has filed a complaint with the British Columbia Press Council against the Prince George Free Press and reporter Arthur Williams.
Even though I have been in the newspaper business for more than 20 years, this is the first time I've been involved in a press council complaint.
We have been investigating the Metis Housing Society over the past few months after residents complained they were being evicted without cause. Our investigation has revealed that the society sent residents a notice in May that having pets was contrary to their lease agreement and that those who have been evicted were all aware of why their leases weren't renewed.
The housing society has taken exception to some of our stories and, thus, filed the complaint. The process involves us filing a response to the Press Council, which will then try and mediate a resolution.
If that doesn't work, the Press Council will hold a hearing and the ruling of the press council will be binding on the Free Press. We all hope that we can reach a solution to the issue before that happens.
As I said previously, this is entirely new ground for me so I really don't know what to expect.