There may be a hitch in the B.C. government's plan to send welfare recipients into the north for jobs -- in some communities, there's no room for them.

Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman says her community is already coping with a housing shortage and strained social programs, while Fort Nelson Mayor Bill Streeper says there's a zero vacancy rate in his town.

Meanwhile, NDP social development critic Carole James says the program wouldn't address the underlying issues that lead some people into social assistance in the first place, such as addiction and mental illness.

Finance Minister Kevin Falcon unveiled the idea for the program this week, saying the government would help welfare recipients with training, travel and accommodation to place them in jobs in the north.