Business Examiner Peace Cariboo - October, 2018

OCTOBER 2018

» FOCUS ON MEETING PLACES

– PAGE 4

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Wherever Business Takes You

Car Dealership Experience

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TRANSPORTATION Transportation to Expand Across

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Northern BC

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INDEX News Update Real Estate

CityWest Goes Below and Beyond to Connect Communities

Prince Rupert Telecom Corporation Prepares for Expansive Sub-Sea Cable Project

Resources Continue

Fort St. John | Prince George | Terrace | Vanderhoof

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Movers and Shakers 12 Opinion 15 Contact us: 1-866-758-2684

OUR 8TH YEAR

RINCE RUPERT - Coastal communities all over BC will be more connected than ever, thanks to a partnership between CityWest Cable & Telephone Corp. and the Strathcona Regional District.

Over the next three years, the Connected Coast project will bring new or improved highspeed internet accessibility to 154 rural and remote coastal communities.

This will be accomplished by running hundreds of kilometres of sub-sea fibre-optic cable from Va ncouver to com mu n it ie s around Vancouver Island and the West Coast.

“We’ve been working on the project for the last couple of SEE CITYWEST CABLE | PAGE 7

Communities like the Village of Masset on Haida Gwaii will now have access to the same fibre-optic network as large communities like Victoria or Vancouver

Jim’s Offers Easy Shopping for Men Who Hate to Shop One-stop for Quality Denims to Suits

Canadian Publications Mail Acct.: 40069240

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RINCE GEORGE - Most retail owners want customers to spend lots of time browsing their store. Drew Bradley wants his busy customers to find what they need fast, saving the browsing for when they have time.

This is because he understands his clients. Most men don’t like to shop, so Bradley’s goal in his Jim’s Clothes Closets outlets is to make the process is as efficient as possible.

“We’re a one-stop shop for guys because many men don’t like to

shop,” he said. His philosophy of giving the guys what they need as quickly as possible works.

The Prince George location is the fourth in the chain. Since opening two years ago, Bradley says the store has seen steady month-over-month growth.

Part of his strategy is a wide selection, so the buyer can pick up what he needs, whether it is footwear, dress wear, or work wear, in one trip. Staff are non-commission so give honest opinions when asked if clothing is suitable.

“Men are replacement shoppers. They buy when they need to.” So when Bradley’s customers walk into the store, they know what they need and they need it immediately. Bradley must ensure his inventory is ready.

Jim’s Clothes Closet in Prince George opened on September 1, 2016, an expansion of a homegrown chain that started with a single outlet in Port Alberni 50 years ago. The business was founded by Jim Harris in 1968.

He sold it in 1983 to Don Ferster.

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Bradley joined Ferster in 2003.

Seven years ago Jim’s began a gradual expansion, adding a Courtenay location in 2011 and a Campbell River store in 2013.

They felt the time was right to expand the market. Practical buyers were returning to quality clothing, having learned that cheap, mass-produced clothes don’t last. “People are tired of disposable clothes,” Bradley said.

“There is a resurgence in retail SEE JIM’S CLOTHES CLOSETS | PAGE 6

NEWS UPDATE

2 TERRACE Gitennes Commences Exploration In late August, Gitennes Exploration Inc. began exploration on its high grad Maroon gold property, located 35 km north of Terrace.

Initial work consists of reconnaissance mapping and sampling and surveying of trenches and mine entrances that had been used historically.

The Maroon Property is located in an active exploration area at the southern end of the Golden Triangle and is bordered by Goliath Gold’s Lucky Strike Property, which recently announced encouraging results from work on Lucky Strike.

The company also announced it has been granted approval by the TSX Venture Exchange to extend the maturity of 1.5 million stock options that were set to expire on August 22, 2018. The options will be exercisable until August 21, 2023 at a price of $0.05 per common share.

SMITHERS Staffing Issues Unite Smithers Restaurateurs Smithers restaurant owners are banding together to deal with the growing staffing crisis, forming an unofficial restaurant

association.

Local business-owner Moe Kafer believes that between 15 and 26 kitchen jobs in Smithers have stayed on the Work BC job board for several months and counting.

During a recent town council meeting, Kafer said, “Some restaurants have chosen to cherrypick hours and they close on long weekends, but we have a massive tourist industry here that needs to be serviced, and everybody likes to go out when they want to go out … This week was a great example. Daddio’s had to close for two weeks; they’re now down to reduced days.”

Kafer indicated that the association will be collaborating with Community Futures to try and become a not-for-profit society.

He says the association is still exploring strategies, including changes around culinary apprenticeships and promoting the community to potential hires from out of town. For now, the association has asked for the community’s support and patience.

CHETWYND New Water Treatment Plant The District of Chetwynd is home to a new water treatment plant.

A Provincial and Federal Grant was awarded in 2017, and the project was tendered via the District of Chetwynd’s consultant Urban

OCTOBER 2018

Systems Ltd. Bear Mountain Construction successfully bid on the project and commenced work on the new Water Treatment Plant in the fall of 2017. Substantial completion was achieved in the spring of 2018.

The District of Chetwynd’s former sand filtration system Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was built in 1996. The plant had experienced some major maintenance issues in recent years, and was at the end of its lifespan.

production.

The city has stated that it will not cap the number of cannabis stores in in the city.

MACKENZIE CNC Mackenzie Joins Job Creation Partnership

in response to recent forest fires supporting the mitigation of fuel in the recreation areas it oversees.

“This project has tied a few extremely important priorities, such as community safety, forest fuel mitigation, tourism, trail and recreation development, together in a way that accomplishes some of the goals quicker than we could have done without this project,” said Mackenzie Mayor Pat Crook.

Thanks to a new WorkBC Job Creation Partnership (JCP), the College of New Caledonia’s (CNC) Mackenzie campus is now helping to enhance the areas recreational trails, mitigating forest fire risk.

CNC Mackenzie and the WorkBC Mackenzie Employment Services UNBC Achieves Second No Fee Hike for Fort Centre were seeking a project that Place in Maclean’s St. John Pot Shops would benefit the trail building University Ranking Fort St. John City Council has initiative recently implemented decided that the community’s by the District of Mackenzie.

According to Maclean’s Magacannabis retail will not have to The JCP supports funding to or- zine’s annual Canadian University pay more than the standard $125 ganizations and provides com- ranking, the University of Northbusiness licence fee. munity benefit while creating jobs ern British Columbia continues to Councillors have ordered an to assist unemployed EI eligible be rated as one of the top Universi18-month report on the impact of clients with opportunities to gain ties of its size in the nation. cannabis on local health, police, meaningful work experience.

U N BC placed second of 19 and social services. This process Through this, CNC Mackenzie, universities in the Primarily will commence upon full cannabis WorkBC and the District assisted Undergraduate category of Maclegalization on October 17. with the Mackenzie Outdoor Route lean’s Magazine’s annual rankOther communities in the Peace and Trail Association’s (MOR- ing of Canadian Universities.

Region are considering higher ATA) Recreational Forest Fire This marks the fifth straight year fees, with Pouce Coupe looking at Mitigation and Community Trail UNBC has finished in the top a $5-10,000 per year fee, and Daw- Enhancement Job Creation Part- two in its category. Mount Allison Creek considering a $2,500 nership project. son finished first in the Primarannual fee.

CNC Mackenzie supported the ily Undergraduate category, with At this same council meeting, project by Short Term Trent University coming third.

Fileproviding Name: Log009-Mar18-AD-FinancialStrategy-Prosser councillors instructed staff to Occupational Certificate Trim: 4.8” x 6.2” training “The University continues to Creativeto & Production 0" Safety: n/a as Mech 300dpi update city zoning rules meet Services to sevenBleed: participants as well ad- Res:make progress across a wide 100 Yonge Street, 10 Floor Colours: CMYK new Agricultural LandToronto, Reserve ministrative support to MORATA. ON M5C 2W1 regulations regarding cannabis MORATA launched its project SEE NEWS UPDATE | PAGE 3

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NEWS UPDATE

OCTOBER 2018

NEWS UPDATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

variety of priority areas, from enhancing student success to fostering leading edge research,” says UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks.

“This ranking is a demonstration that we can be considered a destination of choice for students from across Canada, and that we are providing an environment in which our students, faculty, staff and graduates can not only find personal success, but lead the way in the global search for new knowledge and discovery.”

UNBC placed second in three of the 12 categories surveyed by Maclean’s, including the number of students who have won national awards, student to faculty ratio, and library expenses.

UNBC also received top grades in the amount of money available to faculty for research and two categories devoted to how the university allocates resources, including operating expenditures per student.

QUESNEL Pulp Mill Has New Partner On October 4, Mercer International Inc. a n nou nced a n agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd. (DMI), which owns 50 per

cent of the Cariboo Pulp and Paper Company (CPP).

The deal was completed for consideration of C$465 million, which includes minimum working capital of C$111 million.

DMI owns 100 per cent of a bleached kraft pulp mill in Peace River, Alberta and has a 50 per cent interest in the CPP, a joint venture which operates the bleached kraft pulp mill in Quesnel.

The acquisition of DMI will add N BH K pu lp to Mercer’s current product mix, as well as provide the Company with an expanded market presence in Asia.

DMI also holds 20-year term renewable governmental Forest Management Agreements and Deciduous Timber Allocations in Alberta with an Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) of approximately 2.4 million cubic meters of hardwood and 400,000 cubic meters of softwood.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of requisite regulatory anti-trust approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Mercer CEO David M. Gandossi stated, “The proposed acquisition significantly increases our current operations in Canada and, in particular, will complement Mercer’s Celgar pulp mill in British Columbia. The acquisition will additionally strengthen our presence in Asia, which we have identified as an important strategic area, and it will expand our product offering

TIMBER FALLING

to include northern bleached hardwood kraft pulp, a product that we believe is following the same tightening market path that NBSK has experienced during the past few years.”

ALLOWING OUR FRONTLINE PEOPLE TO MAKE MISTAKES

FORT ST. JAMES Provincial Gov Announces New Hospital for Fort St. James Fort St. James and the surrounding region are looking forward to improved health care.

The Stuart Lake Hospital replacement project has received the official green light, with government approval of the concept plan.

Discussions regarding the replacement of the hospital have been ongoing since 2008. In September 2015, Northern Health submitted a concept plan to the Ministry of Health. Northern Health submitted a revised concept plan to government in summer 2018, which was approved in October 2018. The project now moves to business plan phase.

The hospital opened in 1972 and is outdated in terms of space, functionality and technology.

Currently, the hospital has 12 beds and offers emergency, acute and complex care care, as well as residential care, lab and X-ray services, and mental health and addictions counselling.

PIPELINE RIGHT-OF-WAY

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CUSTOMER SERVICE LUCY GLENNON

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appos.com is an online shoe and apparel shop based in Nevada. It’s growth has been closely aligned with its customer care strategy and the success has been undeniable. One of those strategies was completely outside the normal call center paradigm. Instead of measuring the call center on calls answered per minute, the CEO insisted that the operators be trained and rewarded to take their time and actually be human, to connect and make a difference instead of merely processing the incoming.

One of the main elements of that strategy was alignment to the mission, to the culture, to ‘what we do around here’--this was critical, because in changing times, you can’t rely on a static hierarchy to manage people.

‘We have to lead them instead,

HELI FALLING

we have to put decision making power as ‘low’ (not a good word, but it’s left over from the industrial model) in the organization as possible.’

Part of what happens when you put decision-making in the hands of your frontline people is fear of making a mistake. We must decrease fear, because this is the reason that we’re stuck, that we fail, that our best work is left unshipped. Your team might know what to do, might have an even better plan than the one on the table, but our innate fear of shipping shuts all of that down.

So we go to meetings and wait for someone else to take responsibility. We seek deniability before we seek impact. The fourletter word that every modern organization must fear is: hide.

Our fear of being wrong, of opening up, of creating the vulnerability that leads to connection--we embrace that fear when we go to work, in fact, that’s the main reason people take a job instead of going out on their own.

The fear is someone else’s job.

Except now it’s not.

Lucy Glennon specializes in customer service training and recruitment and hiring. She can be reached at 866.645.2047 or lucyg@ hireguru.com or at the HireGuru.

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OCTOBER 2018

MEETING PLACES Meeting Places Boost Economy, Keep Communities Connected BC Conference Centres, Venues, Hotels, Continue to Provide Substantial Economic Impact

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eeting places have a dynamic impact on local economies all around the province.

Serving as gathering points for businesses, families, friends, and special interest groups, BC’s conference centres, hotels, and other meeting facilities are a central part of community cohesiveness and growth.

Not only do these locations facilitate important gatherings for community members and nonresidents alike, but they have a profound effect on each local economy.

According to Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMB), the industry generates $30 billion annually in direct spending and employs over 341,000 people in well-paying, full-time jobs (figures from 2012), and as much as $330 Billion annually in the

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MEETING PLACES

OCTOBER 2018

United States.

The Victoria Conference Centre (VCC) is BC’s second largest convention centre, and its sales and marketing division was recently taken over by Destination Greater Victoria.

The new agreement has already seen tremendous success with a dramatic increase in traffic for the convention centre.

“Confirmed hotel room nights generated by meetings, events or conferences at the VCC have already surpassed the total for all of 2017 (26,399 in 2017 to 26,872 as of September 2018),” says Matthew Holme, Manager of Corporate Communications and Destination Management. “The number of delegate days in 2018 is 41 per cent higher than at the same time last year (73,667 to 52,144).

“These numbers mean stable and predictable revenue for our accommodation sector and smalland medium-sized businesses that benefit economically from hosting meetings and conferences in our region.”

According to Holme, the success is the result of a strong partnership with community stakeholders, including our hotel partners and the City of Victoria.

“Our roles are really evolving,” says Destination Greater Victoria CEO Paul Nursey. “This business used to be all about quotes, spaces, and catering, but now people want exemplary programs with successful business leaders and speakers from universities.

Chuck Loewen is General Manager at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre “Meeting places are important, but it’s also important from a business perspective to be able to craft high-quality customized programs. Now, we connect clients with speakers, book bus companies, restaurants, off-site venues, and high-quality programs. We are more than just a meeting place.”

Destination Greater Victoria recently began to put on its own conferences to fill the space during off-peak season demand times. Last year, VCC was voted among the top 10 rising stars for meetings and conferences by Smart Meetings magazine.

A little to the north, the Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) is experiencing its own season of dramatic growth and impressive numbers.

“When Spectra Venue Management took over management last year, the strategy was to go more after provincial, national, and international events as opposed to just regional conventions,” says Chuck Loewen, V ICC’s General Manager. “These events provide the biggest return, with visitors staying overnight, filling up hotels and seeing the city, sometimes for the first time.

“This past June, we hosted the Science and Spirituality Conference, which was hosted in Tel Aviv the previous year. We had over 1,300 delegates over eight days at the convention, with an economic impact of $3.7 Million.

There were visitors from over 50 different countries, and it was a great way to showcase our city and the businesses in the surrounding area.”

According to Loewen, nearly every hotel from Duncan to Parksville was booked, thanks to the event.

Currently, the team at Spectra is working on bringing more high-profile, large-scale conferences to the VICC, with several hopeful 900-1000 person conferences anticipated for 2020 and 2022.

Currently, the VICC hosts between 24 and 30 conferences in a given year, with between 430 and 450 events (including single-day or multi-day business meetings, special events, weddings, training sessions, or even celebrations of life). The centre also hosts City

Council meetings in the Shaw Auditorium.

Event hosting sites and conference centres are finding new ways to innovate and adapt to cultural changes. For example, the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre (PGCCC) is leading the way in sustainable event hosting, creating a PGCCC Green Team consisting of staff from Administration, Operations, and the Food & Beverage Department.

The PGCCC utilizes the Downtown District Energy System that provides carbon neutral energy.

The facility also improves energy efficiency by increasing the use of natural light, using photo-sensor controlled exterior LED lighting, and motion-sensor controlled interior lighting.

The team works to utilize susta inable waste ma nagement systems, and conserve energy wherever possible. The Food and Beverage Services Department donates perishable unserved food items to local agencies, composts organic waste, and recycles.

Add it ion a l ly, t he PG CC is work i ng to obta i n O n e L eaf Dining Status through Compass Group Canada’s Sustainability Program. They are also looking to use compostable disposable food containers for all concession service and buffets and the donation of food waste to local farmers.

While these large-scale conference centres host some of the region’s largest events, many hotels

5 are deeply involved in hosting meetings of all sizes, boasting spaces that can facilitate more intimate gatherings or corporate getaways.

Located only a couple of hours away from Swartz Bay, the Galiano Inn on Galiano Island offers an array of luxury accommodations, services and amenities that facilitate many corporate retreats.

“The Galiano Inn provides your business the ability to leave all distractions of the city behind so you and your executive team can focus on the strengths of building your business,” says Ian Phyper, the Inn’s General Manager.

Accommodating groups from four to 20, the Inn has begun to offer “Technology Free. Stick-It Note” retreats, where visitors hands in their cell phones, tablets or laptops in exchange for pads of Stick-It Notes.

Establishments like Victoria’s Union Club offer high-quality catering and historic spaces for everything from business f u nctions to wedd i ngs. T he Coast Bastion Hotel in Nanaimo rents out a variety of meetings spaces from boardrooms to halls for hosting plated dinners and buffets.

From intimate executive retreats to high-profile awards n i g h t s , h o t e l s a n d re s o r t s throughout the province give businesses and organizations a plethora of options for each unique need.

OFF THE COVER

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OCTOBER 2018

One-stop for Quality Denims to Suits JIM’S CLOTHES CLOSETS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

for quality.”

Bradley recognizes that men’s clothing stores had dwindled in the market as older owners retired, rents climbed, and demand for quality men’s wear faded. But all that is changing and Jim’s Clothes Closets are riding the wave.

“We’re a true modern day men’s wear store.” His tagline – Denim to Suits for the Quality Man – perfectly captures his market.

His buyers appreciate finding quality locally without having to travel to Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary.

By the time the partners opened Jim’s Clothes Closet in Prince George, they had been studying that market for several years.

They knew there was no existing men’s wear store in the city that offered the quality products and customized service that Jim’s Clothing Closet provided.

In addition to business suits, casual clothes, and denim, Jim’s Clothes Closet provides tuxedo rentals. They also offer custommade suits, blazers, and vests.

Buyers can get measured at their local store, guided by the expertise of store staff. The clothing is made by Jack Victor of TruMeasure and is delivered in 3 to 5 weeks.

‘We’re a one-stop shop for guys because many men don’t like to shop.’

DREW BRADLEY JIM’S CLOTHES CLOSET CO-OWNER

Display at Jim’s Clothes Closet in Prince George illustrates the range of clothing available.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

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Jamie Schwing and Kim Church of Jim’s Clothes Closet show off the quality that led to the store receiving the community’s Readers Choice Award as the best men’s clothing store CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

The partners opened their store in a boutique shopping area that is central to the revitalization of Prince George’s downtown core.

The business climate is vibrant and entrepreneurial, he says.

Entrepreneurs unable to find a foothold in the highpriced lower mainland are discovering opportunity in Prince George, which

offers affordable living, a supportive com mu nity, and a huge market, drawing customers from throughout northern BC. “Prince George is the hub of the north. There is progressive thinking and great entrepreneurial blood happening here.”

Fa l l a nd w i nter fashions are now in stock and Bradley is planning for

Christmas. There will be an extra special celebration to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.

To b e not i f ie d a b o ut sales, clients are invited to keep an eye on Facebook facebook.com/JimsClothesCloset, Instagram, or sign up for the e-mail list through the company’s website at jimsclothescloset.ca.

OFF THE COVER

OCTOBER 2018

7

Prince Rupert Telecom Corporation Prepares for Expansive Sub-Sea Cable Project CITYWEST CABLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

years,” says Donovan Dias, Vice President, Sales & Project Management. “At the moment, we’re working on the administrative components, including communications agreements.

“Once we work through those aspects, we’ll start looking at procurement schedules, build schedules, etc.”

According to Dias, the entire project should be complete by March of 2021.

Out of the 154 communities affected, CityWest will be connecti ng 23, i nclud i ng Ha ida Gwa i i, a nd the K itkatla a nd Klemtu First Nations.

“We’re working very closely with members of the communities, including businesses, chambers of commerce, First Nations bands, government offices, and residents,” says Dias.

“We ma ke su re they u nderstand the nature of the project and what we’re bringing to the table.”

CEO Chris Marett believes this project will have a substantial impact on each affected community. “The Connected Coast project levels the playing field in BC,” he says. “Now they have the same telecom access as someone in Victoria or Vancouver.”

C i t y We s t h a s e x t e n s i v e

A map of the proposed sub-sea cable project shows CityWest’s cable in blue and the Strathcona Regional District’s in green (connectedcoast.ca working relationships with small communities, whose telecom used to rely on satellite internet.

This switch to fibre optic will increase speed, lower liability, and lower the price of telecom in each affected region.

“There are two main goals with this project,” says Dias. “First, redundancy is a big part of why we’re interested in this particular project.”

C u r r e n t l y, t h e r e i s o n l y one fibre optic cable running

between P ri nce G eorge a nd Prince Rupert. If the cable is cut, a majority of the region’s telecom goes dark.

“Last year, we had some fibre that burnt down east of Terrace,” says Marrett. “Terrace, Kitimat, and Prince Rupert all lost connectivity because of that.

“It isn’t just Prince Rupert that needs another fibre optic connection. Every community between here and Prince George will benefit from this project.”

Second, says Dias, the project will bring better communication access up and down the coast to communities that are currently underserved or unserved.

“This type of connection will bridge the digital divide between the folks that live in these communities and those living in the south,” he continues. “It will allow for more economic development, and allow these regions to take advantage of modern advances in health and medicine, and many other emerging technologies.”

Of the $45.4 Million allocated to the project, CityWest will be using $12.4 Million for their portion of the sub-sea cable network. The other $33 Million will be utilized by the Strathcona Regional District.

Both organizations initially submitted individual projects

but concluded that the their goals could be achieved by connecting the two networks, amalgamating them into Connected Coast.

This project will only provide ‘backbone’ infrastructure, and will not include last-mile connectivity. Last-mile connectivity refers to the final leg of telecom networks that connects individual homes and retail customers.

L a s t- m i l e c o n n e c t i v i t y will be unique to each comm u n i t y, c o n t i n g e n t o n i t s aspirations, resources, and existing connectivity landscape.

The Connected Coast project team will work to keep internet service providers, regional districts, and communities informed of important developments and initiatives that may assist them to develop last-mile solutions.

C it yWe s t i s a cit y-ow ne d telecom company that has been serving Prince Rupert and the surrounding region since 1910.

I n 2005, t he compa ny t hen known as CityTel purchased a cable company that ran between Prince Rupert and Houston, subsequently rebranding itself as CityWest.

They currently have 82 employees and service everywhere from Houston to Prince Rupert, including Kitimat, offering TV, phone, and internet service. www.cwct.ca

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OCTOBER 2018

TRANSPORTATION Transportation Resources Continue to Expand Across the North

From People to Pipelines, the North is on the Move

N

ORTHER N BC - In northern B.C., distances are vast. Compared to the crowded south, where cities blend into each other – often with no discernable border – cities in the north are divided by hundreds of miles and hours of travel.

The region covers more than half of B.C.’s 944,735 square km.

The region is where much of the province’s wealth originates, especially in lumber, oil and gas, and mining.

Once extracted, the challenge lies in getting materials to market. Goods aren’t digital so must be transported by wheel, rail, air or pipe.

Pipelines and Politics A vital infrastructure project SEE TRANSPORTATION | PAGE 9

The Port of Prince Rupert moves an estimated $35 billion in international trade annually. Benefits to the region include 3100 well-paid jobs. In September, 2018 the terminal handled a record 105,060 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs)

Falls are a leading cause of injury for truck drivers Reduce your risk 1 Always use 3 points of contact 2 Face the truck and climb slowly 3 Wear proper footwear

For more safety resources visit worksafebc.com/transportation

TRANSPORTATION

OCTOBER 2018

TRANSPORTATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Opening of the new elevator and covered stairways at Prince George Airport, which improves access to the terminal from longterm parking. The project was funded through a $2 million grant from BC Air Access

for the nor thern ha l f of the province is completion of the TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline, a $4.8 billion project to carry natural gas the 675 km from Dawson Creek in northeast B.C. to the port of Kitimat.

At Kitimat, Shell LNG Canada is poised to chill the natural gas for shipping to Asian markets via Kitimat harbour. Although the project is still awaiting final sign-off, work continued over the summer of 2018.

A 34,000 ton Transhelf Heavy lift vessel delivered barges and dredging equipment in August.

Kitimat Harbour will require

dredging for anticipated tanker traffic.

In a bid to slow the project, Smithers lawyer Michael Sawyer has appealed to the federal National Energy Board to review the project.

In September, mayors from Mackenzie, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, Taylor, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, Tumbler Ridge, Fort St. John, Burns Lake, New Hazelton, Terrace, Vanderhoof, Houston and Kitimat all defended the pipeline.

While pipelines are not typically thought of as transportation, they replace tankers on

9 “I understand what it takes to extract our natural resources and what it takes to protect our environment. I live it.”

LORI ACKERMAN FORT ST. JOHN MAYOR

SEE TRANSPORTATION | PAGE 10

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TRANSPORTATION

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OCTOBER 2018

TRANSPORTATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

roads, rail and water as a means to get resources to market. In a defence of pipelines, Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman estimated removing the province’s 43,000 kilometers of pipelines would add an additional 4,200 rail cars carrying oil on tracks through B.C.’s cities.

Freight Traffic on CN Rail Continues to Grow Possibly the most h istoric method of mass transport in the north is via train. First laid in the early 20th century, track is now the domain of CN Rail, which exported $22 billion worth of B.C. goods to the U.S. last year.

CN maintains 2,815 route miles of track; employs 2,379 people on the railroads, and contributes $79 million in taxes to the province. Rail facilities in the north include an intermodal terminal in Prince George, along with a car and locomotive repair shop.

In the north, the destination for much of the cargo are the ports of Prince Rupert and Kitimat, both of which offer short sh ippi ng d ista nces to Asia n markets.

Port of Prince Rupert To meet the continued demand for increased traffic at the port, DP World and the Port of Prince Rupert are embarking on further expansion of the Fairview Container Terminal. The expansion is scheduled for completion in 2022, at which time the port will become Canada’s second largest container terminal.

Current capacity of the port is 1.35 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs.) The next upgrade will begin in mid-2019 and will include moving administrative buildings, expansion of the container yard from 32 to 41 hectares, and addition of three gantry cranes.

To keep northern communities linked, the province stepped in with a pilot bus project starting June 3, after Greyhound Canada eliminated its northern B.C. routes To receive CN freight, the expansion will add 6,680 feet of working track.

To further spread the economic advantages of trade via shipping, the Port introduced a $250,000 Export Development Fund in 2018. This program assists in development of export opportunities in the northwest. By accelerating the identification and development of export opportunities, the port strengthens the economic vitality of northern communities and the future of the port.

Traffic Skyrockets at Prince George Airport

Prince George’s Airport announced a major milestone in early 2018: the highest traffic numbers in the airport’s history with almost half-a-million passengers recorded. The growth has continued throughout the year with an overall increase of 2.32 per cent from January to August 2018.

“This is significant because in 2017 we had elevated traffic numbers due to fire-fighting,” said Susan Clarke, Manager of Marketing, Communication, and Customer Service.

The airport is also upgrading.

On August 8, an elevator linking

long-term parking and the terminal was opened. The project also included two enclosed stair cases and a sidewalk ramp.

“Lack of accessibility to the long ter m pa rk i ng h a s been t h e n u m b e r o n e c o m pl a i n t by people using our airport,” said CEO and President John Gibson.

On October 10 the airport unveiled a self-funded acquisition to improve safety: a new Oshkosh Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicle.

P rov i nce O f fers Stopgap Northern Bus Service Moving people and packages

in the north was challenged after Greyhound Canada discontinued its northern B.C. service as of June 1.

Starting June 4 the province stepped in with a $2 million, one-year pilot project to ensure bus service continued between Prince George to Prince Rupert; Prince George to Valemount; Prince George to Fort St. John; and Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson.

Greyhou nd cited decrea sing ridership and increasing costs as the reasons for cutting routes not only in the north but throughout western Canada.

Northern BC Active Listings Decrease, Sales Increase BCNREB Report Over $1 Billion in Real Estate Sold So Far in 2018

N

ORT H ER N BC - The BC Northern Real Estate Board reports 3928 properties worth $1.1 billion sold through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in the first nine months of 2018. At this time last year, 3878 properties worth $1 billion had changed hands. As of September 30th, there were 3757 properties of all types available for sale through the MLS®, down from 4148 properties at the end of September last year.

B C N R E B P re s i d e n t Cou r t Smith comments: “In the Board region overall, there was a 1.28 per cent increase in sales and a 9.42 per cent decrease in the number of active listings. Real estate ma rkets a re loca l, of course, and while many markets, such as Terrace and Kitimat, have increased sales year

over year; other markets have shown a decrease in the number of sales.

The economy in the north and north centra l reg ions of the province remains strong and the recent LNG announcement will hopefully renew confidence for consumers in the Peace region.

BC Northern real estate markets overall have been steady and doing well when compared to the southern areas of the province.

Thanks to a strong economy, most markets in the Board area have been somewhat immune to the negative effects of the mortgage stress test apparent in the lower mainland; and while tight inventories have pushed up the prices in some areas, BC Northern remains an affordable market.”

In the Northern Region of the

Board, Fort St. John’s number of sales increased (365 sales in 2017 and 401 sales in 2018). There was a decrease in active listings (from 799 in 2017 to 708 in 2018). In Fort Nelson, the number of sales has increased (from 37 in 2017 to 66 in 2018), and the number of listings decreased (from 152 in 2017 to 115 in 2018).

In the West, Prince Rupert’s sales decreased (from 170 in 2017 to 158 in 2018), and the number of listings increased (from 306 in 2017 to 322 in 2018). Terrace saw an increase in sales (from 178 in 2017 to 262 in 2018), and a decrease in listings. Kitimat had an increase in sales (from 73 in 2017 to 137 in 2018). The number of listings increased (from 168 in 2007 to 191 in 2018) and the number of active listings also increased (from 89 in 2017 to 94

in 2018). Smithers had a decrease in sales (from 217 in 2017 to 202 in 2018), listings (from 326 in 2017 to 288 in 2018), and number of active listings (from 202 in 2017 to 160 in 2018). The average price for a single- family dwelling has increased (from $271,678 in 2017 to $306,983 in 2018).

In the South, Williams Lake has seen an increase in sales (from 348 in 2017 to 402 in 2018), and listings (from 594 in 2017 to 628 in 2018). The number of active listings decreased (from 342 in 2017 to 302 in 2018). In 100 Mile House, the number of sales decreased just one sale (from 438 in 2017 to 437 in 2018), and the number of listings increased (from 793 in 2017 to 820 in 2018).

The market has been steady.

There was a decrease in number of active listings. In Quesnel,

the number of sales increased (from 262 in 2017 to 274 in 2018).

T he nu mber of l i st i ngs decreased (from 467 in 2017 to 463 in 2018), and the active listings also decreased year-over-year (from 208 in 2017 to 190 in 2018).

The average price for a singlefamily dwelling increased (from $205,795 in 2017 to $239,869 in 2018).

Prince George had a decrease in sales (from 1238 in 2017 to 1082 in 2018), listings (from 1825 in 2017 to 1744 in 2018), and number of active listings (from 624 in 2017 to 607 in 2018).

The number of townhouses was the same (81 sales in 2017 and 2018), and the dollar volume increased for townhouse sales (from $16,214,688 in 2017 to $20,014,782 in 2018). www.bcnreb.bc.ca

11

OCTOBER 2018

STAFF & SUPPLIERS GIVE SPECTRA NATIONAL REACH Heino and Tracy Seibert Bring Car Dealership Experience to Power Sports Industry

W

ILLIAMS LAKE Thanks to outstanding suppliers and staff, Spectra Power Sports Ltd. is continually growing on a national scale.

Owned and operated by Heino and Tracy Seibert, Spectra Power Sports Ltd. sells and services new and pre-owned ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, scooters, snowmobiles, trailers and related off road equipment and supplies as well as supplying commercial off road rentals dealing with government entities and corporations from across Canada.

The Seiberts bought the store (formerly called Spectra Specialty Repairs) in November of 2006.

At that time, it was a Polaris and Kawasaki dealer.

Hav i ng a n ex tensive background in the automotive industry, “It took us a couple of years to get our feet on the ground,” says Seibert. “We needed to figure out how the industry worked.”

After spending a couple of years getting to know the unique facets of the recreational vehicle industry, Heino and Tracy began to explore new avenues for expanding their business.

“I spent ma ny yea rs in the car industry, and worked with commercial sales, leasing and rentals, so I wanted to see if that commercial side existed in this business,” says Heino.

W hen tenders ca me out for proposals for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Spectra presented an offer. T hey were notified in late 2009 that they had the winning proposal, which gave them about two weeks to prepare and provide the initial order of about 60 rental units for a 3 month period including pre-Olympics, Olympics, a nd Specia l Oly mpics.

“In the end, we sent about 100 units to them, and that was our introduction into the fleet aspect

Heino and Tracy Seibert are the owners of Spectra Power Sports

“All [our staff] are so important. Without them, we couldn’t enjoy the success we do. They work as one cohesive unit, and always get the job done. Our staff is our most valuable asset!”

HEINO SEIBERT OWNER OF SPECTRA POWER SPORTS LTD.

of the off-road vehicle industry,” says Heino.

From that point, the company pursued the commercial and wholesale side of the industry, establishing rental and/or purchase agreements with both Federal and Provincial branches of Government, as well as other commercial clients.

They rent to various companies in the forestry, oil and gas, mining, surveying and geological sectors, having provided off-road vehicles for several large Western Canadian operations.

Most recently, Spectra provided the Off Road security patrol vehicles used by the RCMP at this past summer’s G7 Summit in Quebec.

Spectra Power Sports Ltd. primarily works with and supplies products built by Polaris Industries.

“I ca n say w ithout hesitation or reservation that Polaris Industries has been and is a

The team at Spectra Power Sports phenomenal company to work and grow with,” says Heino.

“With their support, large scale, short notice commercial orders have been fulfilled in extremely short amounts of time. The product is reliable, safe, low maintenance and importantly, easy to use, which is significant with multiple operators, something typical in fleet usage.”

Heino and Tracy especially credit their reliable, tenured staff for Spectra’s incredible success.

The Seiberts’ team has grown substantially over the years. Staff members are typically involved in the hiring process.

“The chemistry needs to be there,” says Heino. “If an applicant doesn’t fit the fluidity of the team, they will be passed by.

We’re very slow to hire, making certain we get the right people.”

Thanks to this process of involving the employees, Spectra boasts a well-tenured staff, with nearly every staff member boasting five years or more with the Company.

“Our employees are extremely creative and resourceful.” says Heino. ”They need very little supervision or motivation. They, as a team, are key to the success and growth of the Company.”

Spectra’s receptionist, Sherry, is the customers’ first point of contact. She answers the phones but primarily works in accounting. She brings a background of real estate sales, legal experience, and hospitality management.

Dennis manages the Business Office. He broke his back in a mountain bike accident 12 years ago and is now restricted to a

wheelchair.

“He had previously worked as a truck driver and when he joined us about 10 years ago, we retrained him to look after legal contracts, seeking out credit for customers, and controlling inventories. He is excellent at his job,” says Heino.

Scott has been with the company for all 12 years of its existence, and looks after all fleet commercial and government rentals, leasing and sales.

“Derrick has been with us for many years, after having sold his audio/visual store.” says Heino.

“We’ve had a long relationship with him as we used to work at the same Ford dealership, and he does a phenomenal job in retail sales.”

Gilbert has been with Spectra for 12 years. He currently is acting Sales Manager and assists Derrick in retail sales.

The parts, clothing and accessories department is managed

by Steve, who graduated from Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Pheonix, Arizona. Heino describes him as having “amazing industry knowledge and customer handling skills.”

Heino’s brother, Rick, is Spectra’s Service Manager, bringing years of experience in construction, and is a licensed mechanic.

Rick’s passion for snowmobiling and off roading really shines through when helping customers.

The lead technician, Paul, has been a powersports technician all his life and has been with Spectra for 12 years. “He’s honest, reliable, and enthusiastic,” remarks Heino. “He personifies the perfect member of the team.”

Paul is Red Seal certified with over 30 years experience in marine and powersports repairs.

In the shop, apprentices Haiden and Cassidy are working toward becoming certified powersports technicians. Haiden will complete his Red Seal certification in a month and Cassidy shortly thereafter. Both have been with Spectra for many years.

Spectra’s newest employee, Lucas, has been with the company for about two years now, and looks after the lot, deliveries, pickups, and other needs at the dealership.

“All these people are so important,” says Heino. “Without them, we couldn’t enjoy the success we do. They work as one cohesive unit, and always get the job done.

Our staff is our most valuable asset!” www.spectrapowersports.com

www.hubinternational.com

250-392-6565 Congrats to Spectra Power Sports on your success!

Congratulations!

From all of us at Williams Lake and District Credit Union, congratulations to Heino, Tracy and the team at Spectra Power Sports on many years of success.

Commercial Services Team

Contact us to discuss your needs today!

139 Third Ave N Williams Lake, BC V2G 2A5 Tel: (250) 392-4135 Fax: (250) 392-4361 http://www.WLDCU.coop

Proud to assist in Spectra Power Sports' ongoing Success!

778-412-4200

info@fbbcpa.ca • www.fbb-cpa.ca Nolan Hill, Diane Baerg, Kym Tugnum, Heather Callender

Serving: Williams Lake - Quesnel - Prince George

12

MOVERS & SHAKERS

OCTOBER 2018

FORT ST. JOHN The Charlie Lake Store has been acquired by Jack Hynes who is now renovating the site. New gas pumps have already been installed and will sell fuel under the Tempo brand, supplied by Coop. The remainder of the building will include a 3,000-square-foot convenience store and pizzeria and a 2,000-square-foot liquor store. The store is planned to reopen in mid-November.

Macro Industries sig ned a contract to build a two-unit greenfield compressor station near Dawson Creek as part of the North Montney Mainline.

The contract is valued in excess of $37-million and includes the installation of two 15.1-megawatt ISO rated gas-turbine-driven centrifugal compressor units.

Pool and finished her career in the finance department as an accounting clerk.

The District of Hudson’s Hope received an award at the annual convention of BC municipalities for their solar power system. The District was presented with the community excellence award in the excellence in service delivery categor y, wh ich recog n i zes local governments for providing s u s t a i n a bl e a n d b e n e f ic i a l services to the community.

Fo u r n e w m e m b e r s w e r e recently appointed to Northern L i g h t s C o l l e g e ’s b o a r d o f governors. The new members include Jody Fox-McGuire of Com m u n ity Cor re ct ion s i n Fort St. John; Michael Gilbert a regional development officer for the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality; executive director of the Northern Environmental Action Team and co-owner of Cool Beans Cafй Karen, MasonBennett; and CEO of Lake View Credit Union, Lorrain Archibald.

The board also saw Tyler Holte e l e c t e d a s c h a i r a n d A n dy Ackerman as vice-chair.

Sonya Runacres has retired from her long career with the City of Fort St. John. Runacres began working with the City In 1992 as a cashier at the Centennial

Former Taylor fire chief Edward Albury is the new fire chief at the Charlie Lake fire hall. Before taking on the role, Albury was an industrial firefighter in Fort

McMurray. Albury began his new role on September 24th. Steven Byford, the deputy fire chief for Taylor, is taking over from Albury as the new fire chief.

PRINCE GEORGE Trench Brewing and Distilling and Crossroads Brewing have been nominated for BC craft brew i ng awa rds by the beer p u b l i c a t i o n T h e G r o w l e r.

Trench Brewing was one of ten breweries nominated in the Best New Brewery category while Crossroads was one of the ten nominees in the Unsung Hero category. Polls are open until O c to b e r 2 n d a n d t h e a w a rd winners will be revealed in the Growler’s Winter 2018 issue.

The College of New Caledonia (CNC) opened a new facility for

Heavy Mechanical Trades after a year and a half of construction.

The $18.5-million building makes room for the school to add 48 fulltime spaces bringing the capacity to 251, with the hopes that future graduates could work and stay in the North.

D i s t r i c t o f Va n d e r h o o f Councillor Brian Frenkel has been elected Third Vice President on the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Executive Board.

F re n k e l s e r v e d a s a U B C M Director at Large for the past year.

The Prince George Airport has added a $1.3-million airport rescue and firefighting vehicle to their fleet. The new Oshkosh Global Striker carries 13,650 liters of water, more than double the size of the previous truck’s capacity, can reach 113 km/h in 30 seconds and only needs to be operated by one person.

Brian Frenkel

Macleans Magazine ra n ked UNBC second place out of 19 schools of its si ze i n t he undergraduate category in their annual rankings. The university was ranked only behind Mount A l l i s o n Un ive r s it y i n N e w Brunswick and ahead of Trent University in Ontario.

The Prince George Chamber of Commerce is holding their 33rd annual Business Excellence Awards on October 19 th at the Prince George Playhouse. The Chamber has announced their finalists for the awards in 12 categories and will name the winners on the night of the gala.

Don na Mor r ison h a s b e en SEE MOVERS & SHAKERS | PAGE 13

MOVERS & SHAKERS

OCTOBER 2018

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named the 2018-19 Artist in Residence at Studio 2880. Morrison teaches painting at Life Lessons Fine Arts in Prince George. The residency program helps artists launch and develop their careers through no-cost studio space at Studio 2880, administrative support and providing opportunities for exposure.

Attendance at Barkerville rose by over 10,000 visitors from last year. 60,107 people visited the historic site this season, up from 49,085 in 2017 and just shy of the record 64,000-plus in 2016.

For the second year in a row Dr. Vanessa Sloan Morgan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Northern BC, has received a Banting Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. With the fellowship comes $70,000 a year in funding for up to two years of research. Dr. Morgan’s work explores how youth voices can be centered in community-engaged research and decision making to shape more environmentally, economically and socially optimal futures.

Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George is set to receive $60,000 from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The funding will come in installments of $20,000 each year for three years to help the gallery expand their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) program.

PRINCE RUPERT Mackenzie Furniture (Ashley Homestore) is celebrated its 95th anniversary this month. The celebration occurred on October

Bill Snell, interim CEO and President at Northern Savings Credit Union 12-13 at its location on 1st Avenue.

The Earl Mah Aquatic Centre is open again as of October 9. It has been closed since the beginning of july while crews worked to replace the hot tub, mezzanine doors, and skylights, and regrout the stairways. The project was completed by Rupert Wood N Steel and their sub-contractors.

Vopak Development Canada Inc held an open house along with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO). The event, held at the North Coast Convention Centre, gave interested citizens an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed project to bring propane, diesel, and methanol products to the region.

Coast Spas is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this year.

The International Sailor’s Society of Canada presented its Volunteer of the Year award to Morris Kaardal. Kaardal was recognized after spending the last 10 yea rs ma ki ng sa i lors feel welcome in Prince Rupert.

The award was presented at the Prince Rupert Seafarers Mission on September 18.

The Prince Rupert Northern View announced its Readers

Choice Awa rd w i n ners. T he winners included: The Pavillion (New Business), Hair By Susan (Home-Based Business), Le Blanc Boutique (Retail Business), Rainbow Chrysler (Customer Service), The Argosy (EnvironmentallyFriendly Business), Tricorp (Aboriginal Business), Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter (Not-ForProfit), Pita Pit (Family Friendly), Andre’s Electronic Experts (Customer-Minded Business), Progressive Steel Inc. (Industry), Rapid Gantry Custom Signs (Manufacturing), Aero Trading Co. Ltd. (Employer), International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 505 (Union), Ocean View Hotel (Service), Rupert Wood’N Steel Ltd. (General Contractor), Realty Executives (Real Estate Agency), Prince Rupert Adventure Tours (Tourism), Ashley Homestore (Furniture), and many more. In all, there were 112 individuals and companies recognized.

Kerianne Smith has been hired as the new assistant coach for the Prince Rupert Gymnastics Association.

Fay Booker announced that she was stepping down as CEO of the Northern Savings Credit Union.

Bill Snell was named interim CEO and president, bringing over 20 years of experience, including chief financial officer, chief risk officer, and vice president of credit roles.

One year after announcing his retirement from the Port of Prince Rupert, Don Krusel is taken a position at the Quebec Port Authority.

DAWSON CREEK

13

Ken Day, former manager of the UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest, with his successor, Stephanie Ewen

Macro Industries sig ned a cont ract va lued at over $37 M i l l ion to bu i ld a two-u n it greenfield compressor station near Dawson Creek. This project is part of the North Montney Ma i n l i ne. Construction is expected to begin in October 2018, with completion expected by the third quarter of 2019.

T h e Dawson Creek Sen ior Ca nucks h ave n a me d Cra ig Benning as their new General Manager. Benning is a former N HL a m ateu r scout for t he Buffalo Sabres, and brother of current Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning. Cra ig Ben n i ng officially started his General Manager position on October 1.

T he Dawson Creek M i r ror introduced a new columnist, Amna Khaliq. K ha l iq has a n MBA in community economic development and is an Northern Lights College instructor.

On September 4, the two Ford dealerships in Dawson Creek officially joined together. Now in its 65th year, Aspol Motors has now come under the Bannister Ford umbrella. September 4 is also Aspol owner Fran Schilds’ 83rd birthday.

Two tea ms of South Peace entrepreneurs were named as finalists for the ThriveNorth Business Challenge. Chetwynd’s Jessie Taylor, owner of Mama G’s Kitchen is one of four finalists recognized for its opportunity for growth. Dawson Creek’s HollyAnne Rickie and Shay Berguner, owners of BowTie Party Boxes and Events, a re one of fou r finalists in the new business category for ages 18 to 28.

WILLIAMS LAKE The Boitanio Mall owner has applied for a setback variance to a l low for a gover n mentowned retail cannabis store. The SEE MOVERS & SHAKERS | PAGE 14

T he Enca na Events Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary with a free community skate and open house.

Business Advice Served Straight Up Local in focus and national in scope, MNP provides clear, straightforward business advice and a full suite of accounting, tax and consulting services to help you succeed in every aspect of your operation.

Prince George | Vanderhoof | Terrace | Fort St. John

MOVERS & SHAKERS

14 MOVERS & SHAKERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

request is for a reduction on the 300-metre distance requirement from the store to the Cariboo Memorial Complex.

Peggy Mass joi n s t he Hub International team and brings a wealth of industry experience.

She is a commercial insurance specialist.

The BC government and the Tŝ ilhqot’in Nation will work together to ensure a sustainable moose population and harvest in the Tŝ ilhqot’in territory (Chilcotin) through an agreement signed Sept. 28, 2018.

A f ford able renta l hou si ng w i l l soon be ava i l able w it h construction underway on 39 rental units.

Shel ly Pe el of Mo u nt v ie w Elementary School was named a finalist for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education.

The Realm of Toys is at their new loc at ion - 190A Ol iver Street.

Ken Day, re t i re d m a n a ger of UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest, was presented the CIF Canadian Forestry Achievement Award. The award recognizes unique and outstanding a c h ievement i n fore s t r y i n Canada.

Esther Lagemaat of E.L. Fabricating, formerly at South 3rd Ave, has opened her custom drapery workroom exclusively by appointment only. She can be ready at 250-305-8359.

KITIMAT Phil’s Mobile Service and tattoo studio Divine Link have recently joined the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce.

QUESNEL Eagle Rock Construction has completed of the Reid Street Revitalization Project with paving expected to be completed at the end of October. The project included the replacement of critical water mains and storm drainage.

The City’s Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) will open its door October 31st offering same-day access to urgent primary care.

The UPCC will be located within G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital at the Community Health Services

OCTOBER 2018

site on Front Street West Fraser is one of the groups harvesting burned timber from the 2017 forest fires and have 1.2 million Douglas-fir seedlings growing in nurseries to be planted next spring.

Mercer International Inc. has acquired a 50 per cent ownership of Cariboo Pulp and Paper after its purchase of DaishowaMarubeni International (DMI).

West Fraser still owns the other 50 per cent.

Mercer paid $465 million.

A referendum will be held October 20th, regarding contributing $3.65 per $100,000 in assessed CRD property value to the North Cariboo Airport Service. The money would go towards the operating costs of the Quesnel Regional Airport. Currently only

the city of Quesnel and businesses support the airport with their taxes.

TERRACE Coast Mountain College now has a newly renovated Trades training facility. The upgraded project cost approximately $18.4 million.

The Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw have applied for BC Rural Dividend funding for their Main Street Experience project. Terrace Council issued a letter of support for the Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw which was needed for their application. The project includes a cafe called the Welcome House, the Sasaak’ Hill Trails and a river walk. The total estimated value of the project is $660,000.

2018 ThriveNorth Business Challenge Winners Awarded in Fort St John

T

h e 2 01 8 T h r i v e N o r t h Business Challenge was recently held at the Lido Theatre in Fort St. John for a chance to win a share of $35,000 to support their small business dreams in Northern BC. The finalists pitched for their chance at the $10,000 per category cash prize to a judging panel of successful entrepreneurs and business experts, and had another chance to impress at the evening pitching event for the $5,000 People’s Choice Award.

T h e yo u n g e nt re p re n e u rs had the opportunity to meet the owners of ideal OS (office solutions), Scoop Clothing and Canadian Grind Coffee and Tea Company, each of whom shared unique insights and perspectives on achieving small business success in their community.

Following a thorough and dynamic deliberation process, in addition to a total of more than 1,200 public votes made online and in-person, the winners were chosen.

Holly-Anne Ritchie & Shay Bergunder of BowTie

Stephen Beard

Jessie Taylor

now products and services.

Best New Business (18-28 years old) – a business at any stage prior to launch or within their first 12 months in business, by an entrepreneur between the ages of 18 and 28: BowTie, owners Shay Bergunder and Holly-Anne Ritchie use their differences as well as their similar to create, coordinate and clean up events. Looking to the future, they also hope to be able to supply rental of tents, photo booths, lighting as well as many other event related items.

The Dawson Creek business won $10,000.

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Stephen Beard of Beard’s Brewing Company won $10,000 for Best New Business (29-39 years old) – a business at any stage prior to launch or within their first 12 months in business,, by an entrepreneur between the ages of 29 and 39. Stephen and his family started on this adventure last November. They purchased used brewing equipment from an expanding southern BC brewery and brought the first taste of fresh, locally crafted beers to northeastern BC. Jessie Taylor of Mama G’s Country Kitchen won $10,000 for Best Growth Opportunity (18-39): a business currently in operations looking to expand through increased staff, new locations or

Jessie Taylor and business partner Gwen Taylor are the proud owners of a tiny red travelling food trailer called Mama G’s Country Kitchen in Chetwynd.

They travel around Northern BC to many rodeos and festivals during the summer months, bringing back that home cooked experience people are craving at these busy events. This is their 4th successful year and busier than ever! They are hoping to expand their operations by selling their homemade salad dressings.

Axel Whalen of Tiny Life Supply won $5,000 for the People’s Choice Award for the entrepreneur that received a combination of the most online and in-person audience votes. Following his studies in mechanical engineering, Axel gained experience working as both a tree planting foreman and a railway engineer before discovering the tiny house movement. Axel fell in love with the combination of architecture, design, and sustainability, and in 2015 began building a tiny house of his own. In response to the difficulty he had sourcing premium supplies and appliances, Axel founded Tiny Life Supply in 2016.

Axel has always been guided by his passion for the environment. Following his studies in

Axel Whalen mechanical engineering, Axel gained experience working as both a tree planting foreman and a railway engineer before discovering the tiny house movement.

Axel fell in love with the combination of architecture, design, and sustainability, and in 2015 began building a tiny house of his own.

In response to the difficulty he had sourcing premium supplies and appliances, Axel founded Tiny Life Supply in 2016. www.futurepreneur.ca

OPINION

OCTOBER 2018 A division of Invest Northwest Publishing Ltd. Prince George Office 2871 Wildwood Cres Prince George, BC V2K3J4 Toll free: 1.866.758.2684 Fax: 778.441.3373 Email: info@businessexaminer.ca Website: www.businessexaminer.ca

15

PUBLISHER | Lise MacDonald EDITOR | Robert MacDonald SALES | lloyd@businessexaminer.ca, josh@businessexaminer.ca, john@businessexaminer.ca WRITERS | Beth Hendry-Yim, Robert MacDonald, Kristin van Vloten, Val Lennox​

DEMOCRACY IS BEING THREATENED BY KRITOCRACY: THE RULE OF JUDGES

MARK MACDONLD

N

ot Withstanding.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threatened use of the rarely used Clause upset the proverbial apple cart for some, but to others, it was about time.

One court ruled Ford’s decision to cut the number of city councilors from 47 to 25 for the upcoming civic election wouldn’t be allowed. Ford waived the Not Withstanding Clause, but before he had to actually use it, another court ruled the Premier was indeed within his power to make such a decision. So he never had to use it.

But he could have. And he would have.

It is just one word, but it is a very important one, which, if needed, ensures that democracy – the rule of the people – remains intact.

In every day terms, Not Withstand ing basically means

“nevertheless”, as in: After considering all relevant facts and information - including judges and the courts – the government is going to do this. Elected governments are designed to carry out the will of the people, as people vote in which individuals and parties they want to best represent their interests.

Democracy, therefore, is the rule of the people.

Kritocracy is the rule of the judges and courts, which can overrule the will of the people.

The Not Withstanding Clause is there to provide balance between the two.

To quote columnist Rex Murphy: “The NWC (Not Withstanding Clause) is an instrument of the Charter of Rights to protect against judicial overreach. There are times judges should say no to legislatures. There are other times legislatures should say no to judges. Seems fair. Very Canadian in fact.”

While Canadians expect fairness from the courts, we must also acknowledge that judges are people, too, and therefore, well, people.

Their opinions and rulings are expected to be well thought out, and measured, but do they always make the right decision? Is that possible?

Add to this the uncomfortable knowledge of how judges becomes

judges that must be allowed into our conversations.

The appointment of judges is part of the political process, plain and simple. The federal government of the day makes decisions on which judges will fill which federal court, including the Supreme Court. Provincial governments make the same choices for provincial court.

We must ask ourselves: Would liberal-minded governments appoint conservative-minded judges, or vice-versa? How dare we ask? Isn’t it time we did, considering what appears to be an increase in “activist” judges whose decisions can seem to be their own interpretation of the law?

In Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a rather fluid vehicle left wide open for personal interpretation by judges at all levels, and since Canadian law is based on precedence “what did the last guy get?”, shifting sand can be the norm.

Unless the appropriate elected government head invokes the Not Withstanding Clause to overrule the judges. That is the balance that ensures that, ultimately, the interests of people in general are kept at the highest value.

Whether or not the Ontario court made the ruling after Ford waived the Not Withstanding flag to self-preserve its power and

avoid further, widespread use of the clause to overrule court decisions cannot be proven. But it did show the potential power our political leaders can wield to overturn decisions that undermine the wishes of the majority of the electorate, or what is in the best interests of the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could have used the Not Withstanding Clause to overrule court rulings and drive the twinning of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline forward to completion. He chose not to.

B.C.’s NDP Premier John Horgan’s stonewalling of the muchneeded pipeline through the courts is a cost borne entirely by taxpayers, but one which, with the use of just one clause - Not Withstanding - could be stopped in its tracks. Polls show most people supported the pipeline expansion, which has not (and many believe will not) proceed as the federal and provincial governments use court decisions as a political shield. They can appease their supporter base by using taxpayerfunded legal bills to stop projects, and at the same time put their hands up and say “we want to, but can’t because of the courts”.

How convenient.

So, having said all that, and peering past the Not Withstanding Clause, what was Premier

Ford’s real action all about?

Smaller government. Less politicians. Savings for beleaguered taxpayers.

Governments are paid for by taxes, and Canada has quickly become uncompetitive tax-wise, particularly compared to our U.S. neighbours, which makes us vulnerable for a “brain drain” of higher skilled workers that have been targeted by the Canadian taxman.

Governments at all levels should get out of business. Get out of the gas business (Petro Canada), get out of the insurance business (ICBC), and get out of the liquor distribution business (provincial liquor stores). And anything else that the private sector, has proven, time and time again, that it can do much better, and do so competitively.

Governments would argue they need to be involved in these sectors, not just from a regulatory standpoint, but also for revenue that helps provide other social services.

Nevertheless. Or should we say, Not Withstanding?

Premier Ford’s use of the NWC to cut Toronto council almost in half, not only helped balance out the power of the courts, but drive this point home that our governments need to be smaller. And therefore, less expensive for taxpayers.

THERE’S NOTHING ‘AFFORDABLE’ ABOUT BC TAX INCREASES

THE FRASER INSTITUTE NIELS VELDHUIS AND MILAGROS PALACIOS

“M

aking your life more affordable” has been a dominant rhetorical theme of British Columbia’s government - so much so that its 2018 budget uses the word “affordable” 76 times. Finance Minister Carole James mentioned “affordable” 26 times in her latest budget speech.

While making life more affordable is a terrific goal, the government of Premier John Horgan has substantially increased taxes on middle-class families. It’s hard to see what’s affordable about that.

Before this government’s tax increases, the average BC family’s total tax bill (federal, provincial and local taxes) was $47,868 nearly 42 per cent of its income.

This includes income, payroll, sales, property, carbon, health, fuel and alcohol taxes, to name but a few.

Given the tremendous tax burden that BC families face, it’s no wonder James said her government’s elimination of Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums will take “some pressure off people’s pocket books.”

That would, of course, be nice.

Unfortunately, it’s not the case.

Since assuming power in July 2017, this government has enacted or announced several significant tax increases that more than offset its elimination of MSP premiums.

The government raised taxes on

British Columbians earning more than $150,000 to a rate of 16.8 per cent from 14.7 per cent under the previous government.

It also increased the general business income tax rate from 11 per cent to 12 per cent (while maintaining the previous government’s pledge to reduce the small business tax rate from 2.5 per cent to 2.0 per cent). And substantially increased the carbon tax from $30 per tonne when it took office to $50 per tonne by 2022. What’s more, it has completely abandoned a commitment to making the carbon tax revenue neutral.

Then there’s the MSP premiums switch. The previous Liberal government said it would cut MSP premiums in half, a plan the new NDP government adopted and implemented on Jan. 1, 2018, while also planning to eliminate the remaining half on Jan. 1, 2020. To replace the forgone revenue, the government will levy a new Employer Health Tax (EHT) starting in January 2019.

While the EHT will be levied

on employers, don’t be fooled - it will very quickly be paid by workers. A recent empirical study of Canada by economists based at HEC Montréal, the graduate business school of the Université de Montréal, found that “payroll taxes are passed almost entirely to workers in the form of lower wages.”

All told, these tax increases will add an expected $1.9 billion to the tax burden of British Columbians once fully implemented.

But what do these tax hikes mean for average families?

As noted in a recent Fraser Institute study, the average BC family will pay $959 more in taxes, led mainly by a $498 increase in fuel and carbon taxes. And while the government has tried to protect lower-income families by increasing the Low Income Climate Action Tax Credit, families with household incomes ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 will, on average, still pay nearly $200 more in taxes.

This calculation does not include several tax increases on residential

property (increased property transfer taxes, speculation tax and increased school tax), which total more than $500 million.

There’s no question that these tax hikes will hit some middleincome families, including families who experience substantial appreciation in home values, or where property tax hikes result in higher rental prices for renters in an already-tight rental market.

Higher carbon, personal income, payroll, business and residential property taxes will not only hit the wallets of BC families, it will also make the province less attractive for business investment and entrepreneurs. And it will make it more difficult to attract and retain top talent, with ripple effects throughout the economy.

BC - less affordable for families and less attractive for business,’ is not exactly a slogan for success.

Niels Veldhuis and Milagros Palacios are economists with the Fraser Institute.

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