PG Proud 2012

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CITIZEN

PG Proud

nside, you’re going to read stories about a city on the cusp.

This isn’t the old boosterism about the good days being right around the corner or the old business development optimism.

The naysayers point to the collapse in timber supply brought on by the mountain pine beetle infestation and say Prince George and the central Interior will be stuck in neutral for another half-century and maybe longer.

It’s more than necessity, it’s crisis that is the mother of invention.

The forestry crisis is not a scourge for Prince George to wear around its neck but an opportunity to remake itself for the global market of the 21st century.This community has a tradition of working hard and overcoming obstacles. Combined with the intellectual talent on hand in our college and university, Prince George is well-positioned to evolve into something much greater than its humble roots.

For starters, UNBC now spends more than $100 million a year in Prince George, providing good-paying jobs for hundreds of people.

PRINCE GEORGE

Meanwhile, there are already more people in Prince George working in the mining sector than there are in local sawmills.

As time goes on, with more mines in the exploratory and development phase, that separation will only grow.

There are more numbers to support a positive local outlook.

In 2004, there were 132 doctors working in Prince George.This year, there are 200 and that number will continue to rise once the B.C. Cancer Centre for the North opens its doors later this fall.The Northern Medical Program at UNBC and the evolution of Prince George Regional Hospital into the teaching hospital known as University Hospital of Northern BC puts Prince George, not Kelowna or Vancouver, as the hub for medical treatment for area residents.

This year, the first Northern Medical Program graduates finished their five-year residency programs, meaning more of our locally-trained doctors will be coming back to set up practices in Prince George and surrounding communities.

Part of the attraction for doctors,

academics and other professionals looking to relocate to Prince George is real estate.

Compared to most other regions of the country, home prices in Prince George are a ridiculous bargain.

Investors from the Lower Mainland have been quietly scooping up commercial and residential real estate in Prince George for years, recognizing the potential for profit.

Local investors are laying down their money, too. Rod McLeod is leading a $40-million, 12-storey hotel and luxury condo complex planned for next door to the Prince George Public Library, with construction set to start in September.

Investors don’t believe in optimism, they believe in opportunity and clearly that’s what they see in Prince George.

But don’t take our word for it.

We’re not alone in being proud of PG and in the following pages, you’ll hear from many others who are proud of our city, for what it is now and especially for what it could be soon.

Neil Godbout, Managing editor

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WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Tourism draws visitors Growth and

to Prince George investment from near and far T HEATHER OLAND CEO, Initiatives Prince George

Aiden Kelly, CEO of Tourism PG, with Mr. PG and a new trade-show display.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

MARK NIELSEN | Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

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here aren’t many places on the planet that can claim to be an urban community in the middle of the wilderness, but Prince George is one of them and it’s something Tourism Prince George chief executive officer Aidan Kelly never fails to promote.

Indeed,Tourism Prince George’s promotional logo for the city is a moose standing amongst multiple story buildings, the result of a branding exercise to determine what makes Prince George a unique place to visit.

“We looked extensively at communities throughout Western Canada and right through the Pacific Northwest, and one of the things that does set us apart is the combination of the urban amenities with the wilderness environment,” Kelly said.

“If you go 15 minutes in either direction, north, south, east or west, you can be doing pretty much any type of outdoor activity you can imagine and then 15 minutes later you’re right back at the spa, your hotel or you’re having dinner at a nice restaurant downtown.”

It’s struck a chord.

“A lot of our regular visitors comment on that,” Kelly said.“They like the fact that they can stay in a fullservice hotel downtown but 10 to 15 minutes later they’re at Forests for the World.”

Although Prince George remains best known for resource industries, particularly forestry, and as a transportation hub, tourism plays a more significant role in the local economy than many may think.

Enough people stayed in Prince George hotels to generate $33 million in economic activity last year, a 14-per-cent increase over the year before. And that’s not counting the spinoff benefits from restaurants to night spots to suppliers, Kelly noted.

The jump has been attributed in good measure to a promotional campaign financed by a hotel room tax.

Prince George has a long way to go before it becomes Cancun, Mexico, Kelly conceded.

Families from outlying communities staying in Prince George for a weekend of shopping and entertainment are a key source of tourist income as are athletes

competing in local tournaments and competitions, businesspeople working on deals and the motorhome drivers on their way to Prince Rupert or the Peace and beyond to the Yukon and Alaska.

Giving people reasons to come to Prince George takes footwork.

“This year, we’ve got a lot more resources to work with, so we’re doing a lot more outreach,” Kelly said.

“If you take the PGX, that’s a major local event, so we’ve been finding the equivalent local event in all the major communities around the North and we’ve been booking in to attend those -- Seafest in Prince Rupert and Riverboat Days in Terrace, events like that. We’ll have our staff go and engage with the folks there and let them know what’s new in Prince George.”

Kelly can give a long list of special events worth attending in Prince George, beginning with the 2012 Baseball Canada Senior Championship, Aug. 23 to 26 at Citizen Field and Rotary Field and Mamma Mia!, the Abba-based, Broadway-style musical set for Aug. 16 at CN Centre.

“We went to a trade show in Smithers and probably 50 per cent of the questions were about the show,” Kelly said.“When you’re able to go out and you’re able to see those people who want to come to the show and you start telling them,‘well stick around the next day and you can have dinner here and you take the family to this event here,’ and you can build into having those larger trips.”

People from farther-flung reaches have also graced this good city.

“The Elton John concert that happened last summer, we had people from all over North America who flew in for that one,” Kelly said.“I was down at Fort George Park that day and I ran into three different groups of people, one from Texas, one from Winnipeg and one from Edmonton.”

Possibly more unexpected, the Railway and Forestry Museum once inspired a man to fly here all the way from Belgium.

“If you’re into trains, you’re really into trains,” Kelly said.

he northern BC economy is experiencing a period of significant growth and investment, driven largely by activity in natural resource sectors. Natural resource commodities produced in the northern part of the province led a 14 per cent increase in the value of BC’s exports in 2011 and current innovations and developments within the forestry, mining, and energy sectors are expected to lead continued export growth. Resource industries make up a considerable portion of the province’s Jobs Plan, and projected growth in these industries shaped the Pacific Gateway Transportation Strategy which is the province’s guiding document related to investments in transportation and trade-related infrastructure within BC. It is well understood that the northern economy and investments in northern transportation routes will continue to be the driving force of economic growth in the province.

The growth in resource commodity sectors, primarily forestry, mining, and energy, is felt throughout Prince George’s diversified economy. Growth in these sectors furthers growth and diversification within supporting sectors, such as manufacturing, transportation and logistics, land management and exploration, construction, professional services, as well as the tourism sector which includes retail, food, and accommodation services.

Local Prince George companies are diversifying their businesses to include providing goods and services to all of the resource sectors while, at the same time, the large multi-national companies that are developing major forestry, mining and energy projects in northern BC are examining how they can work with local businesses to best utilize and expand the supply chain. A robust and diversified supply chain will enable large resource projects to be delivered on time and on budget.

Prince George companies will play a significant role in constructing, supplying and servicing major resource projects throughout northern BC, and an expanded workforce will be required to construct, manufacture and deliver those products and services. This is creating significant opportunities within the northern labour market for employment ranging from skilled trades to professional services.

Growing the population in Prince George and throughout the North is a critical component of our ability to fully capitalize on development taking place across northern BC. Attraction and retention of population requires a multi-faceted approach involving immigration, training, provision of amenities, such as education and health care, as well as the opportunity for people to experience an improved quality of life with respect to housing affordability, discretionary income, recreation, and cultural pursuits. Prince George offers all of these benefits to its residents.

As the city’s economic development corporation, Initiatives Prince George is privileged to represent the community and market Prince George as the living, working and investment centre of northern BC. We have the opportunity to work with local companies as they identify their growth strategies and move to capitalize on northern economic growth. Understanding the capabilities and growth strategies of our local companies enables Initiatives Prince George to add value to local firms by: connecting them with major players in key developments, particularly procurement decision-makers; as well as facilitating training opportunities to assist firms in diversifying their businesses across a greater number of sectors.

Initiatives Prince George works collaboratively with private and public-sector businesses and other organizations to achieve success with respect to: positioning and marketing Prince George; business retention and expansion; labour recruitment and retention and downtown development.There are many factors driving the success of our diverse and growing city.

Initiatives Prince George is proud to contribute to the economic development of Prince George.

«saturday», «june» «30», «2012» | WWW.pGCitizen.Ca

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

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Public art offers a lift in community pride

Groop Gallery public art on the alley wall of the gallery.

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hroughout the years there have been several art projects placed throughout the city, some permanent, some temporary, but everyone can agree they do beautify the public spaces in Prince George.

The latest project installed at the airport is called Celebrating Diversity. It's a project partnered with Welcome PG, IMSS, IPG, the Chamber of Commerce and the airport authority by artist Aiden Callison, who created a chandelier sculpture of 440 portraits of local residents.

The Prince George Airport Authority – in partnership with the Prince George & District Community Arts Council and the Groop Gallery – has additional space in the departure lounge where local artisans can showcase their art.

“It offers great exposure for local artists and the airport gets their walls beautified,“ said Lisa Redpath, Prince George & District Community Arts Council project co-ordinator.“In the future there will be a lockable antique cabinet in the departure lounge that will contain jewelry, pottery, and fibre art.“ Taking art to a more basic level by beautifying the streets of downtown Prince George has become a big part of public art forms seen in the city.

In the alley on the site of the Groop Gallery at 1127 Third Ave. is a mural.

Now the community arts council has received funding for more art to be created down the alley.

“We're hoping to do the whole alleyway little by little every year,“ said Redpath.

There's also going to be an Aboriginalinspired mural painted on the wall of the Firepit building across the street from the gallery alley, she added.

Local artist Roman Muntener created Commotion, depicting human forms holding hands in a tumbling formation at the intersection of Victoria Street and 20th Avenue. The project was ongoing from 2010 to 2011 with finishing touches put to the piece made of half-inch raw plate-steel sheets that oxidized over time to result in an earthy rust-colour. The piece was funded by the merchants in the Gateway district of the city.

Over the years many public places have had the benefit of original art contributed to it.

In March 2011, Sisters Across Borders, a large three-foot-by-four-foot painting depicting three women of different cultures happy and at ease with each other, was hung at the entrance of the Prince George Public Library.

The piece, created by artist Claire Kunjundzic from Wells, captured the welcoming atmosphere at the library and celebrated the 100th anniversary of

International Women’s Day, as well as the International Day for the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination.

In 2009 Balance was installed in front of the Two Rivers Gallery. The piece was created by Peter Von Tiesenhausen, from Alberta, who made a six-metre metal sculpture depicting a man with a lodgepole pine growing from his head.

The piece focused on the plight of the pine tree in this region.

The Prince George Community Foundation has a program called Youth in Philanthropy that in 2010 saw 14 plastic barrels repurposed into planters for vegetable that grow at the Integris Community Garden on Victoria Street at the corner of Seventh Avenue. The garden provides food to those in need in Prince George. The barrels were painted by youth in the Two Rivers Young Associates program, Big Brothers Big Sisters and several secondary schools.

A variation of the theme saw artists painting recycling barrels at the soccer fields this year.

“These types of projects add colour to the community and we'll continue that program next year by painting the garbage cans,“ said Redpath.“There's always a lot of positive feedback about this kind of beautification project. It gives the artists an opportunity to get their

ChriStine hinZMAnn | Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca style out there and it's a win-win.“ Public art on a smaller scale is just as significant, she added.

In 2004 College Heights secondary school art students and teacher Maureen Faulkner took on the Stash-Your-Trash project, where seven garbage cans were placed in city parks. The project was supported by SuperPages and the City of Prince George.

Making a big impact on the city were successful fundraising campaigns.

Spirit bears were placed all over Prince George in 2005. The 17 large fibreglass Kermode bears, designed by Judson Beaumont, were painted by local artists, displayed around the city for about six months and then auctioned off for charity in November 2006. All proceeds from the auction went to the B.C. Lions Society, which runs the Easter Seal Services for children with disabilities.

Following that successful campaign was Eagles in the City in 2009 where several seven-and-a-half foot fibreglass bald eagles painted by local artists were placed all over the city and auctioned off as part of the BC Lions Society fundraising efforts.

“All the little pieces definitely contribute to the community in a huge way and we always hope to do more,“ said Redpath.

Hosting the 2015 Canada Winter Games Mike DAViS Director of marketing and communications 2015 Canada Winter Games

In

February of 1967 in Québec City, the Canada Games were born and for the first time in Canada’s history, 1,800 athletes from 10 provinces and two territories gathered to compete in 15 sporting competitions.

These first Canada Winter Games paved the way to what is now Canada’s largest multi-sport competition for young athletes.

Held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, the Canada Games are a key event in the development of Canada’s young athletes.

With the Canada Games poised as a key step in the development of Canada’s future stars, Canada Games athletes are the country’s next generation of national, international, and Olympic champions.

Since 1967, nearly 100,000 athletes have participated in the Canada Games, with hundreds of thousands having

engaged in tryouts and qualifying events.

More than 90,000 coaches, officials, and volunteers have been directly involved in the planning and staging of the Canada Games. Cumulatively, $250 million has been invested in the Canada Games; about half of that invested in capital projects in the various host communities. Legacies of more than 300 sports facilities have been built in more than 16 communities across Canada.

From Feb. 13 to March 1, 2015, thousands of Canada’s best and brightest young athletes will set their sights on Prince George and northern British Columbia as the region hosts the 2015 Canada Winter Games, the 25th edition of the Canada Games.The year 2015 will also mark the 100th anniversary of the City of Prince George and the 25th anniversary of UNBC. More than 2,100 young Canadian athletes, from over 800 communities, will be part of over 3,600 total participants from across Canada to compete in 21 unique sporting competitions. More than 400 members of the national and local

media, over 1,000 special guests and VIPs, and 500 officials, will join these participants and thousands of visitors as they converge in Prince George.

Featuring numerous sporting events, arts and cultural exhibitions, displays, special events and festival activities, the 2015 Canada Winter Games will mark the first time the winter edition of the Canada Games has been held in B.C.The 2015 Canada Winter Games will also be the largest sporting and cultural event to ever be held in the northern region of the province.

As an entire region is hosting the 2015 Canada Winter Games, the northern story of the region will be told. Prince George is the undiscovered gem of the northern region of British Columbia, on a journey of enduring advancement.This journey has many paths, each chosen by its residents, athletes and visitors, which will lead to a renewed spirit, passion, pride, and confidence within the region.

The 2015 Canada Games are an opportunity to let the region’s people shine, and to build local, provincial and

national pride, exceed expectations, resulting in lasting legacies and a renewed image. Canada’s next champions will achieve personal bests, and efforts will be made to put on the best, most memorable games. Athletes from 10 provinces and 3 territories will compete in 21 sports with the dream of becoming Canada’s next champions. In 2015, choose your path, leave your tracks, and journey with the 2015 Canada Winter Games as our region hosts the nation and shares a northern story.

To date, more than 2,200 proud, passionate, and dedicated individuals have signed their names to the 2015 cause.To tackle what will be the largest multi-sporting and cultural event to ever be held in our region, it will take a monumental effort led by up to 6,000 inspired volunteers.To volunteer or learn more about the 2015 Canada Winter Games, visit www.canadagames2015. ca and www.jeuxducanada2015.ca or join the conversation at facebook. com/2015CanadaGames and twitter. com/2015CanadaGames.

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WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

College on top of health and trades technology TED CLARKE | Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

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onsidering job trends in local industries, there’s no denying the skyrocketing demand for skilled workers in health services and trades.

New technology and an aging population have changed the face of hospitals and health clinics, bringing persistent shortages of trained staff to fill those positions. In resource-rich northern B.C. and its expanding mining and oil and gas sectors, there’s an ever-increasing need for skilled tradespeople to fill the labour gaps.

The College of New Caledonia is a major player in responding to the needs of industry in the northern B.C. region and that is reflected in the programs now being taught at the Prince George campus as well as regional campuses in Mackenzie, Quesnel, Burns Lake, Fort St. James and Vanderhoof.

Expanding on its long-established dental hygiene and nursing programs, the college has added programs in medical lab technology and medical radiology, and is now training health-care assistants, part of a growing heath sciences component at CNC.The dental hygiene program celebrated its 25th anniversary this year and CNC has a long line of graduates of its early childhood education and social work programs, among a list of more than 50 programs now offered.

In the spring of 2011, CNC opened its $19.7 million Technical Education Centre, now the base of operations for welding, machinist, industrial mechanic-millwright,

automotive collision repair, plumbing, and power engineering technology programs.

The John A. Brink Trades and Technology Centre on 18th Avenue (formerly Canadian Tire) opened in 2006 and now houses CNC’s programs in carpentry, computer/network electronics, electrical technology, heavy duty mechanics, and heavy equipment operation. Last year, CNC introduced a mining certificate program at its Burns Lake, Mackenzie and Vanderhoof campuses.

“We’ve had a lot of developments around health and the other thing has been the expansion of industry training,” said CNC president John Bowman.“We’ve doubled the number of apprenticeship and foundations trades seats in the last 10 years. In order to facilitate that we’ve seen major investments in facilities. Right now in Prince George we can boast trades facilities and equipment that are second to none in British Columbia.

“The relationships we have with key industry partners are extremely positive.

We have been responding to what the community is telling us is needed.”

CNC communicates regularly with health officials for input on what type of workers are needed. It also meets four times per year with the President’s Industry Council, a 15-member association that represents key stakeholders involved in trades to gather advice on potential program changes.

“The labour market demands in northern B.C. are going to be so extreme with the expansion of mining, oil and gas, and, hopefully, the recovery of forestry, all the developments on the west coast with liquid natural gas, and the development of Site C mine, which will need tens of thousands of people,” said Bowman.“We’ll do everything we can to train those people in the North for those opportunities.”

CNC president John Bowman. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

A partnership between CNC and Canfor Pulp created the power engineering program in Prince George and Quesnel a few years ago and those graduates could be called into action to fill a steady stream of retirements Canfor is facing over the next decade. While the pulp industry is thriving, the same can’t be said about forestry, and CNC’s forestry program has adapted by adding mining and oil and gas components in what’s now known as the natural resources and environmental technology program.

CNC is awaiting funding for a civil engineering technology two-year diploma program, a partnership between CNC, Northern Lights College (Dawson Creek) and Northwest College (Terrace).The fields of rehabilitation assistance and recreation therapy will also be priority programs for CNC to add to its health program list in the next five years.

A CNC success story has been its ability to attract aboriginal students, which this year made up 24 per cent of the entire student body. Provincial government support of the Aboriginal Services Plan the past five years provided an average $400,000 annually, which allowed the college to build working relationships with 21 First Nations and six municipalities, allowing for close-to-home education.

“Our enrollments of aboriginal students have probably doubled in the past 10 years,” said Bowman.“Some of it is growth in the population and the aboriginal communities are one of the segments of

our population that is growing.The cohort of kids in the school system is shrinking and we all know about the elementary school closures in Prince George the past 10 years. But close-to home access to programs in trades in Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Quesnel has been the key to the growth of the college in the last 10 years.”

With fewer kids coming up through the grade school ranks, it will come as no surprise when colleges and universities struggle to fill classroom seats, especially in smaller communities.

“When the economy’s strong we have a harder time filling out classes because there are jobs out there,” Bowman said.“I was talking to my counterpart at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek [Laurie Rancourt] and they can’t even keep kids in high school because they’re getting goodpaying jobs in the oil patch and half the college programs are half-empty.”

CNC had to cut 12 faculty positions and raise tuition two per cent this spring to pass a balanced budget and while provincial government support never seems to be enough, Bowman says the college is in relatively good financial shape.

On the wish list over the coming decade for CNC is a new health sciences building, a new nursing lab, a student/cultural centre and an aboriginal residence at the Prince George campus. On the immediate horizon, the college will to invest $2 million this summer to replace the 43-yearold heating/cooling/ventilation system of its main campus building.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

CEO proud of Northern Health’s achievements

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Cathy Ulrich CEO of Northern Health.

MARK NIELSEN | Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

As

proud as Northern Health chief executive officer Cathy Ulrich may be of the construction that has occurred across its region, what’s been going on inside them is just as important to her.

There is the Gateway Lodge Assisted Living complex, the expansion of the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UNHBC), the Northern Cancer Centre, Kordyban Lodge and Iris House, the recovery centre for people with chronic mental health issues.

But there is also a fully-integrated clinical information system, amounting to 15 modules covering a full range of services, from admitting, to lab, to radiology, to pharmacy.

Equipment has been refreshed – there are now stateof-the-art computerized tomography (CT) scanners at UNHBC and in Terrace, plus a magnetic resonance imager is now a fixed part of the UNHBC radiology department, replacing the old mobile service.

The lab and radiology departments of UNHBC have gone through a full renovation as part of the development of the cancer centre, and the entire neonatal intensive care, maternity and pediatric wings were redeveloped once the new parts of the hospital were occupied.

And UNHBC’s fifth floor is completely redeveloped for teaching space for the Northern Medical Program, which trains doctors for careers in northern B.C. Ulrich went on to note the developing relationship between Northern Health, the University of Northern BC and the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, as well as Northern Lights College and Northwest Community College further abroad around education for professionals.

“We’ve had probably close to 1,000 students go through UHNBC every year and that includes nursing students, nurse practitioner students, medical students, residents, lab students, physiotherapy, pharmacy residents and radiology. So that’s made a huge difference to us in terms of recruitment and retention of health professionals in the north.”

Northern Health employs about 7,000 people, adding up to 4,500 full-time equivalent positions.

“There are always challenges in terms of recruitment

and retention but it’s improved dramatically as we developed relationships with the educational institutions and we’re educating more and more people to stay in the north,” Ulrich said.“It’s been a strategy that’s really worked.The nursing vacancies have dropped, as have lab and radiology vacancies because of the partnership we have with the educational institutions.”

The creation of a division of family practice by Prince George general physicians has also been a good step in Ulrich’s opinion.

“That has given Northern Health an entity to work with,” Ulrich said.“When you talk about optimistic for the future, I think that’s an area where we collaborate more on that care that’s provided in the community and not in hospitals – what can we do to support people in the primary end of care better. For a lot of people their experience is that they get referred from place to place, to place, but how do we make that a more co-ordinated experience for people.The division of family practice is really interested in working on that and I think we have a really good opportunity in this community to change some of that.”

Ulrich also highlighted two public health initiatives.

The Road Health Initiative is a partnership between six or seven entities – Northern Health, ICBC and the RCMP among them – which looks at the incidents of road crashes across the north.

“That initiative did have a measurable impact on the reduction of crashes in northern B.C. over the last seven years,” Ulrich said.

And there is the ongoing men’s health initiative, a strategy to encourage men in northern B.C. to take better care of themselves.

“If you look at the health of men across the North, men die sooner than women, they have more health problems than women, so putting some focus on that population I think is something that the healthcare system isn’t always very good at, so we’re working on that,” Ulrich said.

Perhaps the most high-profile manifestation of the work that’s gone on behind the scenes are the responses to the Babine Forest Products and Lakeland Mills sawmill disasters.The reactions showed just how physicians and staff can pull together, said Ulrich.

“How they made sure there was a plan in place at the time was a credit really to the trauma accreditation process that we went through 18 months ago,” Ulrich said.“First of all, there was a plan for how Northern Health would respond in a mass casualty kind of event and secondly, when the actual events occurred, I think people delivered high quality-care. And that’s the feedback we received from inside and outside Northern Health. When you see those sorts of things, where people come together, you can’t help but be proud of the people who work here every day.”

More major projects are in the works. A request for qualifications has been issued for a new hospital in Burns Lake and the hope is to start construction in early spring next year.

A new hospital on Haida Gwaii is in the business plan stage.

A $300-million project to replace the hospital and residential-care facility in Fort St. John finished earlier this month. Patients moved in to the new hospital from the old hospital on June 21 and then the new residential care facility opened on June 24.

Northern Health was formed in 2001, Ulrich has been the CEO for five years and she’s a believer in the current model for delivering health care.

“Instead of there being a fragment voice from the north, when there were 16 organizations before we became Northern Health, there is one organization thinking about health care in the North,” Ulrich said.“What’s important in that is we work with regional hospital districts and communities, and Charles Jago, the board chairman and myself spend a lot of time talking to municipalities across the North.”

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WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

All in the family SHERI LAMB | Citizen staff slamb@pgcitizen.ca

In

business, the Brodskys like to keep all in the family.

That tradition is fine for Brandi Brodsky, who serves as vice-president for the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League, while dad Rick is the president and husband Dallas Thompson focuses on hockey operations as general manager.

“It has brought us closer,” said Brodsky.

“I love that my dad’s office is next door to mine. I love it. He’s maybe not here as much as he used to be but that’s his spot. I love that when I have a problem or when I have something to talk about, I can call my dad and we can work it out together.”

As for her marriage, Brodsky said she and Dallas have an understanding at work that keeps things sane at home.

“Dallas is the hockey side and I’m the business side and it’s best when they don’t cross,” she laughed.

Not that it’s all a bed of roses, especially when Brodsky shares her opinion about the Cougars’ power play, but no one has been tossed from the boardroom into the penalty box yet.

“We fight sometimes,” said Brodsky.“We try not to do it that much in the office, but every once in a while there’s three doors slamming in a row.”

Brodsky began in her current position

with the Cougars in 2002 after getting her feet wet in the business of operating g a junior hockey team in Saskatoon where re she started selling souvenirs for the Blades when she was 13.

“I worked for them all the way going through university doing various thingss and helping with promotions on game nights,” said Brodsky, who received an economics degree from the Universityy of Saskatchewan while taking some courses at the University of Victoria and the University of Northern British h Columbia.“I’ve been around [junior hockey] for a long time, working in it for a long time and the thing is that we’re all so passionate about it and alll Brandi Brodsky and Da pulling in the same direction. It doesn’t n’t Citizen llas Thompson from th photo by Brent Braaten e PG Cougars. turn off at five o’clock at night, it goess 24 hours a day, every day.”

The Brodsky family invested in the Cougars when the team was in Victoria, Thompson are relaxing on their acreage the Boston Bruins. moving it to Prince George two years later in Prince George.

The last few seasons have been difficult for the 1994-95 season.

“It’s such a beautiful place in the sumfor the Cougars when it came to collect“With us there was the intention to mer, there’s lakes within a 15-minute drive ing wins, but Brodsky said she’s excited come up here and stay forever,” she said. in any direction and in the winter there’s about the potential of the current crop “We weren’t coming up here to try it all this skiing and hockey that’s here,” she of teenagers with the team and it brings out. We came up here and we have really said.“It’s just been fantastic.“We say all the back memories of 2007, when the team embraced the community.” time that we wouldn’t have the quality made it to the WHL’s western conference When they’re not planning season-ticket of lifestyle that we have if we weren’t in final, sweeping the Kamloops Blazers campaigns and power-play strategies Prince George,” she added.“We’re close and upsetting the Everett Silvertips in six in their CN Centre offices Brodsky and enough to Vancouver to be able to hop on games before bowing out to the eventual a plane to anywhere in the world, and yet, Memorial Cup champion Vancouver Giwhen you’re driving around here it takes ants. you 10 minutes to get anywhere. It’s just a Brodsky has seen many changes in beautiful, beautiful spot.” society, the business community and Brodsky said the best part of her job is Prince George since her journey with the the variety it gives her and the relationCougars began. ships she’s built within the community.

Not only has the world of social media “There’s so many different things that given players new venues for communiwe do. It’s not just selling tickets. It’s not cating and keeping in touch during the just selling sponsorships. It’s getting out summer months, but it’s also opened up in the community and meeting people new advertising opportunities. and the relationships we’ve been able to “Things are ever evolving and we’re not build on a number of different levels in so set in our ways that we’re not open to the community, which is so fulfilling on a change, so if there’s a better, more effipersonal level and a business level.” cient way to do something we’re all open Some of her most memorable partnerto it,” said Brodsky. “Just by way of ticket ships through the years have included programs and promotions at games and work with non-profit organizations like we’re constantly going to other sporting CIBC Run for the Cure, the Elizabeth Fry events and seeing what people are doing.”

Society and the Spirit of the North Health- Fan interest and the team’s performance care Foundation. go hand-in-hand when it comes to solv“I feel like I’m in a position and I have ing some of the Cougars challenges. But the ability to partner with a lot of these geography is something the team has to non-profits. Working on these events that live with.

I’ve been a part of it’s a privilege,” she “We have always been in the mindset added.“They say when you help someand tried to not make it that big of a deal,” body else out you can’t help making said Brodsky.“We can’t change it so we yourself feel better. I guess there’s a little make the best of it by having the beds on bit of a selfish component, maybe, because the bus and having things that the boys it makes me feel so good when I get to go can do on the bus. We’ve been trying to out and help other groups.” make the road trips fun.You have to make One of her most cherished working the best out of it. We certainly lose a lot of relationships is the one she’s formed with practice days compared to other teams.” the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization, Not to mention the 16- and 17-year-old where she’s a board member and past players miss a lot of school and have to president. balance homework assignments with “That’s something that’s close to my games, practices and workouts on the heart,” said Brodsky.“I got to see how road. important it was for these kids to be able The geographic challenges also result to have somebody in their life and to have in scheduling headaches when it comes somebody to do things with.To be honest, to visiting teams since the closest rival I’m not quite sure how it all came about, for Prince George play in Kamloops – six but it wasn’t long before I was on the hours away.These various challenges, board there and we were helping them combined with comments the Brodskys with different fundraisers and on opening have made over the years have resulted night we invite them to the games and in constant speculation the Cougars will give them all the donations from the hot pack their gear on the bus and head for dog sales.” greener pastures.

On the ice, Brodsky fondly recalls the “There’s always been rumours that dozens of young players who have passed we’re going to leave,” said Brodsky.“We’re through Prince George and how they’ve not leaving.There’s no plans to leave. We matured through their tenures, moving on want to make it work here. We’ve talked to professional hockey careers, post-secpublicly before about the concern about ondary education and starting families. the number of fans and the cost of operat“To be watching NHL games, either in ing a business like the Cougars up here person or on TV, and to see so many famil- with all of the travel,” she added, pointing iar faces of guys that have come through to fuel for the bus, hotel rooms and meals our system and have gone on to have such on the road and university tuition for each successful hockey careers [is gratifying],” year a player has played for the team as she said. some of the major costs.

In 2010 and 2011, former Cougars One way to stifle the gossip and create a played on Stanley Cup winning teams -positive environment within the Cougars’ Dustin Byfuglien with the Chicago Blackfamily is to post a few more W’s, she said. hawks and Zdeno Chara, as the captain of “Life is so much better after a win.”

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

Groop Gallery focuses on local artists Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

CHRISTINE HINZMANN | Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

M

elanie Desjardines just celebrated the second anniversary of the Groop Gallery located at 1127 Third Avenue in Prince George.

“We’re all trying to do our part to improve the downtown,” said Desjardines.

“Ultimately, I’m trying to encourage a cultural precinct in the area. I felt there were a lack of venues where people could actually find original pieces by local artists for sale.”

Sometimes Desjardines would get calls from people looking to buy art in Prince George.

Melanie Desjardines owner of Groop Gallery with one of her own pieces.

“It’s a niche that wasn’t being very well met,” Desjardines explained.

“I wanted to support and promote those artists who were making a commitment to their art practice,” said Desjardines.“Some of them are really trying to make a living at their trade.

I’m just trying to provide that venue.

The gallery is really acting like a bit of a catalyst and bringing the artists together as well.”

Desjardines is a businesswoman and artist who works with sheet metal, mixed media and water colours.

“I was finding a lot of artists were underground and there are still ones coming out of the woodwork, especially

since I opened the gallery,” said Desjardines.“In the last year especially, I have brought in a number of new artists as part of my stable.”

Well known artists Betty Kovacic, Bruce Baycroft, Keith Carlson, Milan Basic and Annerose Georgeson, are among those artists represented at the Groop Gallery.

The gallery is a great indicator of who visits the downtown core.

“It’s actually a sin and a crime how many people live in this town and don’t ever go down there,” said Desjardines.

“The markets, the parades, the downtown events, it’s such a great atmosphere. But it’s the tourists that are down there and they are just pleased as punch when they

find me. I’ve had total strangers – people from Australia, China and from all over Europe and even people from Smithers, Terrace and Dawson Creek -- they’ll stay and visit and hang out and they just really like the atmosphere. It’s a real honour for me to be able to offer that.”

In the future, Desjardines hopes to continue to keep the gallery open, focusing on that and her own artistic work.

“I hope I can continue cheerleading for the artists,” said Desjardines.“Without them the gallery would not exist and their support is very much appreciated.

I am really proud of all the artists who show their work in Groop Gallery.”

Entertainment growing up with the region As far as our evolution as a community goes, it was a good touch stone to see that people want.”

Bringing bigger shows to Prince George ince CN Centre – formerly known is in part due to the Venue Coalition of as the Multiplex, opened in 1995, which CN Centre is a founding member. there have been many amazing When it started, the coalition linked events held there. Concerts together 10 venues across western including Sir Elton John, as well as Reba Canada – now it has 50 members across McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, the everNorth America – to make it easier for popular Johnny Reid, Paul Brandt, the show organizers to set up tours. spectacle of the KISS concert, and most “CN Centre linked into the recently the sold out John Mellencamp entertainment community,” said show have rocked CN Centre.

Mikkelsen.

These and hundreds more took to “We meet by teleconference a couple the stage during sold out shows and of times a month and meet whenever we the facility staff that brings those can at different conferences throughout successful shows are all about offering the year.” entertainment that elevates the quality of The coalition is like a one-stop life in Prince George and the region. shopping opportunity, he added.

“Highlights over the past few years “And thanks to the Venue Coalition, include the Canadian Tenors,” said Glen shows like the Blue Man Group have Mikkelsen, Entertainment and Marketing come through Prince George that may not Manager of CN Centre, of the May 24 have if we weren’t part of this coalition,” show featuring the famous quartet of said Mikkelsen.“It’s a really effective classically-trained singers.“That was such tool for us because we’re so far removed a different type of show for a venue that from southern California and New York often has rock concerts or country shows. that through our relationship with these It really demonstrates that there is that people it allows us to have access to type of audience now in Prince George information about what types of shows -- and was that audience here ten or 20 and entertainment might come through years ago? Yes, but certainly with the western Canada and northern B.C.” university and the medical infrastructure Always speculating on what could that’s being built here, there’s a different impact shows coming to Prince George, demographic living in Prince George that Mikkelsen raises a good point about the is willing to support those types of shows. future.

CHRISTINE HINZMANN | Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

S

“Because we’re so remote, I think it might be interesting to see how the price of fuel may impact our shows,” said Mikkelsen.“If the price of gas gets to the point where people are making different choices it could impact how far people will travel to see a show.”

It could be better because Prince George residents may stay home instead of travelling to Vancouver to see shows, he added. Or when CN Centre relies on out-of-towners coming to shows it could make a change, too.

“Because it’s so far to truck up here fuel prices might increase ticket prices,” said Mikkelsen.“I think it might be interesting to see how that plays out.”

In the future, big shows like The Who, ZZ Top, Rolling Stones and other classic rock bands who have played for decades won’t be around to entertain.

“In the music industry it’s certainly common knowledge they’ve had a hard time developing big acts like that for the new generation so when those acts finally retire what type of acts are going to be taking their place,” asked Mikkelsen.

“In some markets electronic music is a very popular form of concert experience right now and that’s a disc jockey playing music, so people in their 20s are going to those shows now. Is that something they still want to do in their 30s or 40s, and if not, what kind of artist will take its place?”

A few decades ago it was radio stations that showcased the popular artists and

today with so many different ways people can now access music. It’s so fragmented and diverse, he added.

“It will be interesting to see if there is a sustainability for artists and what type of live entertainment people will be willing to go to in the future,” said Mikkelsen.“The baby boomers have been the dictators of what artists have been successful in the last few decades and as they retire and age and don’t want to go out to see live entertainment as much, who or what is going to fill that void?”

The CN Centre offers teen dances on a regular basis in an effort to not only entertain now, but prepare for the future.

“It’s important to create an understanding in young people that it’s fun to go out to a large communal live entertainment experience,” Mikkelsen said.

He also wonders with the advancements in technology, what people’s expectations of live entertainment will be in the future.

“The audience is becoming more demanding,” said Mikkelsen.“It’s understandable as society evolves there are things people are going to expect and they just don’t want to see somebody singing with a band behind them. Now it’s a whole multi-sensory experience. So how technology is going to grow with that is quite exciting. I think we’ve already seen it with video walls, the incredible sound and the light shows.”

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

Mining gains new prominence

A new machine that cost over a million dollars purchased

by AJ Forsyth to provide steel needed for the minning industry.

MARK NIELSEN | Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

W

here forestry once flourished, mining now reigns.

Initiatives Prince George economic analyst Tara Bogh estimates that at least 1,100 Prince George workers were employed in the mining sector last year, compared to 900 in local sawmills and logging operations - and she suspects the number on the mining side is actually higher.

The fact that many of the city’s businesses, be they engineering firms, fabricators, trucking companies or construction companies, serve more than one sector makes it difficult to separate out how much of their activity is due to mining.

But there’s no denying the impact.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

in Prince George and region

“Anecdotally, we know that an increasing number of local businesses are engaged in the mining sector and most of them have had above-average growth in employment over the past five years,” Bogh said.

Kevin McCormick, manager of A.J. Forsyth, a steel supplier in Prince George, can attest to that.

“If it wasn’t for mining, our market would be significantly smaller,” said McCormick, who is also a Mining Suppliers Association of B.C. director.“The timing for the comeback of mining couldn’t have been better. It gave us another industry to service that wasn’t there.”

Forsyth is running three shifts a day in two facilities in Prince George and invested $1 million in equipment over the last two years in part because of the growth in mining.

“You only do that if you’re confident,” McCormick said.“You don’t do that if you see don’t see a good future.”

Kevin McCormick, general manager, stands in front of a new machine that cost more than a million dollars purchased by AJ Forsyth to provide steel needed for the minning industry. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP report, for every direct mining job there are at least two jobs supported at goods and services firms supplying mining operations in B.C. There is a move afoot to get more of that action up this way.

Dave Forshaw, chair of the Northern Interior Mining Group, believes too much of the industry is centred in Vancouver.

The Interior mining group was formed in 2008 to promote co-operation among businesses in this region and through that route draw more of those opportunities northwards.

The group has identified about two dozen types of services the region is lacking, from an assaying lab to maintenance for drill equipment.

“We had a company that had some drill problems and they had to pack it all up and ship it all the way to Winnipeg to be repaired,” Forshaw said.“Why not do it right here in Prince George?”

The ambition doesn’t stop there as Forshaw would like to see a copper smelter in this region.

“B.C. puts out a lot of copper to the world but we don’t have any means of smelting it,” Forshaw said. “We just send out the concentrate and don’t really get the true value the mining industry could offer us.”

Forshaw, who lives in Mackenzie, also sees reason to develop a port on Williston Lake as a way to deliver concentrate from the lead and zinc mines, now under various stages of development, to the railhead.

“We have some very hard working people in the North and from what I’ve

seen anything that we can put our minds to, we can make happen,” Forshaw said.

From Williams Lake to the Yukon, there are seven operating mines, while a further nine are at the permitting stage and another four are at the advanced exploration stage.And eight of those projects are along Highway 37 where the Northwest Transmission Line is being constructed to supply the electricity needed to power them.

With the $1.5 billion Thompson Creek Metals has budgeted for the Mount Milligan copper and gold project between Fort St. James and Mackenzie, and the $650 million it will cost for a new mill at its Endako molybdenum mine 175 kilometres west of Prince George, big money is clearly involved.

Moreover, the spending covers a wide range of deposits.

“It seems that we’re so blessed with a wide variety of minerals that it brings more stability to the mining industry. Even if copper prices go very low, very often the lead and zinc prices go higher so just having that real mix of types of deposits is important for us,” Forshaw said.

It adds up to a bright future if the cards are played right.

“We’re a very unexplored area, there is so much more to do,” he said.“All that being said, the different materials will be mined, one way or another, whether we take advantage of the opportunities.That’s what’s important to the Prince George region, to build a truly world class mining industry. It’s the service companies, I think, that will bring the true value to the North, to Prince George.”

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WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Trevor sprague, head coach of the Cariboo Cougars.

Perennial POWERHOUSE

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Cariboo Cougars have been a model franchise in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League JASON PETERS | Citizen staff jpeters@pgcitizen.ca

T

hese are the numbers of success.

Wins, 174. Losses, 94.

Ties, 36.

In eight seasons of play in the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League, the Cariboo Cougars have compiled an enviable record indeed.Throw in a regular-season title, three second-place finishes, five appearances in the playoff final and one playoff championship, and you have an organization that has proven itself as one of the best in the Canadian minor hockey system.

Trevor Sprague, entering his sixth season as head coach of the 15- to 17-yearold Cougars, gives a simple reason for the dominance of the program. In his view, it’s found in the passion northern B.C. residents have for the game.

“The biggest reason is how committed the northern players are and the staff that the Cariboo Cougars have had since 2004,” he said.“We build things better and do things better in the North, and Prince George is part of that development and that success in housing the Cariboo Cougars here and welcoming the kids from other areas of the North into the community.”

In the 11-team Major Midget League, the Cougars have the largest area from which to draw players.The team’s boundaries

stretch from Whitehorse in the North to 100 Mile House in the South to Valemount in the East to Prince Rupert in the West.

But geography can be deceiving because within the aforementioned zone, there is not the high concentration of players that exists in other areas of the province.

The Lower Mainland, for example, is the home base for five of the 11 clubs.Two other teams are located on Vancouver Island and two more are found in the evergrowing Thompson-Okanagan region. In fairness, recruiting 16- and 17-year-olds in those areas can be hampered by the higher number of junior A and junior B organizations that are always on the lookout for talent.

But the fact remains that the Cougars have done things right.They are perennial contenders for championships and that has been especially true in the past three seasons. From 2009-10 to 2011-12, they have been second-place finishers in the regular season and playoffs to the Burnaby-based Vancouver Northwest Giants. During that span, the Cats have posted a regular season mark of 81-28-11.

That’s a .675 winning percentage, even though the roster changes every year.

“The scouting of the guys and the way our staff is prepared every season to rebuild the hockey team is key, because we have so many guys moving on each

year,” Sprague said.“When you’ve got good people surrounding the great talent that we have in the North and in Prince George, it’s tough not to have a successful hockey team.The credit goes to the community on its support of the Cariboo Cougars and the staff that we’ve put in place every year. It’s not just one person, it’s everybody as a team that moves forward.

“We’re probably the best-run major midget team in British Columbia.”

Another factor in the overall success of the Cariboo club is this – because a winning culture has been established, up-and-coming players are more likely to want to be part of the program.

“Definitely,” Sprague said.“That’s a credit also to the players. Our alumni, when they move on, they’re all on winning teams and are leaders within their teams.They work hard – it doesn’t matter if it’s the Western Hockey League or the B.C. Hockey League, our guys are good team guys.That reflects character throughout our program and even our school program with Renzo Berra and PGSS.There’s a standard of professionalism when we hit the ice and also when we’re out in the community.”

The Cariboo club has helped send a large number of players on to the junior A or major-junior hockey ranks. A few graduates -- namely Brandon Manning, Brett Connolly and Brett Bulmer -- even have NHL experience on their resumes.

Manning, a Cariboo blueliner in the 200607 season, is a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization. Connolly, who skated for the Cariboo Cats in 2007-08, now plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bulmer, a Cariboo forward from 2007-08 to 200809, is the all-time leading goal-scorer (48) and point-getter (102) for the midget Cats and started last season with the Minnesota Wild.

For the coming season, Sprague wants to take the extra step required to win a playoff championship. For him, ending up in second place is getting a little old.

“We need home-ice advantage [in the playoffs],” he said with a laugh.“We’ve

been away the last three years and haven’t been able to pull through on it. Grant Williams and his coaching staff [with the 2007-08 Cougars] won the championship on the road. Obviously they beat all odds but it’s something we haven’t been able to do at this point in time. We have to win more games than anybody else in the league this year and be able to get homeice advantage or have the luck go our way and win on the road.”

With the foundation that has been established, the Cougars are in position to be a strong club for years to come.

Sprague does have one concern, however, and that’s the impact junior B leagues could have on the MML. A junior B club popped up in Kamloops in 2006-07, and 100 Mile House was close to getting one last year. With junior A franchises in Williams Lake and Quesnel folding in recent seasons, Sprague wouldn’t be surprised if junior B hockey gains a foothold in those communities.

The potential spread of the junior B game is something he said the provincial governing body, B.C. Hockey, must guard against to protect the MML. “Junior B has its place – it’s an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old league and that’s what it definitely should be,” Sprague said.

“Sixteen and 17-year-olds -- and this is my opinion -- shouldn’t be playing junior B, they should be playing major midget. It’s a development league. If you look at the Hockey Canada model for development into the Western Hockey League and the B.C. Hockey League, junior B isn’t on that scale so why do we have 16- and 17-yearolds playing it?”

If the status quo remains, Sprague anticipates a bright future for the Cariboo Cats.

“Whether I’m there or somebody else is there, I’m sure the model that we’ve been able to establish in the last four to five years, somebody’s going to be able to take that and grow the program and make it better,” he said.“At this point in time, major midget is here to stay and there’s talent in the North.”

Lumber outlook improving MARK NIELSEN | Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca From the mountain pine beetle to the struggling U.S. housing market to the American tariff on Canadian softwood, B.C.’s lumber industry has endured an extended period of pain and suffering.

But there is reason to believe things might just be turning the corner.

Russ Taylor, president of the consulting firm International Wood Markets Group, is mildly optimistic about what lies ahead for lumber producers for the next year.

“The recovery in the U.S. housing market is continuing to improve slowly, very slowly, but steadily, and that’s good news,” Taylor said.“In fact lumber prices right now are the highest they’ve been in about five years.”

As of mid-June, the price for 1,000 board feet of framing lumber has been hovering around $300, even though starts on new homes were sitting at about 700,000 a year, still below the one million starts annually producers like to see out of the U.S. “The U.S. housing sector had very good weather for building so that drained the inventories a little bit quicker than the dealers thought, so they’re now all coming back for more,” Taylor said.“The mills have built up a bit of an order file.”

As a bonus, the high price has pushed the U.S. tariff on B.C.’s softwood lumber to only five per cent.

Taylor is expecting the price will come off in due course, but further along sees a major resurgence that will see prices going literally through the roof by 201415 as the global economy accelerates.

China’s demand is expected to revive, Japan is rebuilding following the March 2011 tsunami, Europe should have sorted out its issued by then and construction in the Middle East is starting to surge.

And on top of that, starts on new homes in the U.S. should double to 1.5 million, sparking a major squeeze in supply that could push the price of lumber well above $400.

Indeed,Taylor would not be surprised to see it strike $475, a level seen only once before in the last 20 years and only as a short-term spot price, as the market conditions converge to spark a squeeze on supply.

“There’s absolutely no way the industry can handle 1.5 million housing starts in the next year or two,” Taylor said.“It’s not just the mills, but it’s the loggers, it’s the truck drivers, it’s the distribution facilities, it’s the retailers – no one has got enough capacity or workers to handle that kind of volume.”

When the price last hit $475, it was the spot price and Taylor said the annual price could be in the $400 range. But he’s hedging his bet.

“We know that something’s going to come along and derail it and impact it and slow it down, but nevertheless, if somebody said we’re going to see prices going up into the $400s, you’re going to see a celebration because they’re celebrating at $300 knowing it’s going to come off pretty quick,” Taylor said.

Regardless, no one in the forestry sector can complain of boredom.

“There’s always something around the corner,” Taylor said in agreement.“There are so many balls in play that it’s just an interesting sector.”

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

Life

downtown A cultural centre that remains lively

CHARELLE EVELYN | Citizen staff cevelyn@pgcitizen.ca

In

some ways, Prince George is like Ottawa.

A government town surrounded by bedroom communities, where a large portion of downtown turns into a ghost town after 6 p.m.

But that’s where the comparisons end.

Because while Ottawa’s business district empties out, there is still a cultural centre that remains lively.

In Prince George, with the exception of restaurants and the occasional open mic night, the downtown area is quiet – and has been for years.

But a tide is turning, or so those in the business of revitalizing the city’s downtown core would like to believe.

“Ten years ago – five years ago even – I think there were a lot of people that just didn’t want to come downtown because there wasn’t anything to offer them,” said Tara Bogh, Manager of Economic Development for Initiatives Prince George.

Having lived in the city for her whole life, Bogh said she remembers a time when there was more people and more life in the city centre. But somewhere along the line that all changed.

Like with many North American cities, urban sprawl meant development was occurring further and further away.

“And there were a lot of land-use decisions that were made that really took development out of the downtown core, which just caused people to really lose sight of the downtown and focus on other areas,” Bogh said.

But with a recent shift of attention, there is momentum building, though still plenty of work to be done to bring the

downtown to a standard to be proud of.

“I think what people don’t realize is there’s more positive things that have happened in the last three years, than probably have happened in the last 20,” said Bogh.

One of the key aspects to turning downtown Prince George around is getting people actually wanting to be there. Since 2010, the RCMP has run a pilot project to combat crime in the core.

In an October 2011 report submitted to city council, Supt. Eric Stubbs described a rather gloomy atmosphere.

“Eighteen months ago, the downtown core was inundated with crime and violence associated to the drug trade.

For the first time in this city’s history, an ‘open air’ drug market had emerged.

George Street had become a smaller version of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside,” the report reads.“Many Prince George residents refused to come downtown due to their fear and as a result many of the businesses downtown felt the economic repercussions.”

The five-person Downtown Enforcement Unit (DEU) was tasked with establishing a presence and making connections with chronic offenders and the appropriate agencies to help them.

Last October, Stubbs reported a 24 per cent overall reduction in crime.

“Overwhelmingly, the feedback I receive from all of these stakeholders [business owners, social agencies and community] is very positive. People feel safe or at least safer in the downtown core,” Stubbs wrote.

And with people less afraid to spend time downtown, now there just has to be a reason to be there.

“We’ve got more than 10 per cent of our working population in Prince George

in the downtown between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. But after five o’clock, the activity dies down. So what we need to do is encourage the types of activities that will keep that life and vibrancy going on in the downtown 24 hours a day – and having people live in the downtown is the number one key to having that,” said Bogh.

The man behind many of the land use decisions in the city agrees that residential development is going to expand over the next decade.“If you look at numerous different things, they’re all aligning together,“ said city manager of real estate services Ian Wells.

He pointed to the townhouse development at Second Avenue and Victoria Street, the Elizabeth Fry affordable housing building for seniors on Sixth Avenue and the ongoing development of the five-block area between Vancouver and Victoria Streets.

Bogh and Wells are both members of the Downtown Partnership – formerly called the Mayor’s Task Force for a Better Downtown – created by former mayor Dan Rogers in 2009.

When struck, the committee was aware of the previous attempts at revitalizing the downtown area that fell short of the often lofty goals.

“A lot of times over the past decades... there was a small contingent of the population that was really focused on the downtown and there were a lot of studies done about things for the downtown,” Bogh said.“Nobody’s really doing studies anymore. We’re just doing the work and I think that’s the difference.”

A new-old idea the group is implementing is to offer a variety of incentives and tax exemption programs.

The Downtown Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw provides a tax break for either all or half of the assessed value of the new construction or upgrades for residential and commercial developments.

There is also an early benefit program where property owners can choose to receive an amount equal to the value of the tax exemption once an occupancy permit has been issued.

This program, approved by city council in August 2011, has had considerable uptake, said Bogh.

“The $40 million hotel announcement was definitely one of them,” she said.

The proposed 188,000-square-foot development will feature a 150-room, 12-storey, full-service hotel and up

to 35 luxury condominiums with 92 underground parking stalls, restaurants, conference space and other amenities.

The complex will occupy a 0.84 acre lot at 1355 10th Ave. and a 1.72 acre city-owned lot on the other side of 10th Avenue, currently used as an RCMP parking lot.

“When you see public sector investment, it helps facilitate private sector investment by saying this is a less risky venture,” Wells said.

As far as hotels go, the downtown area also lost a landmark with the sale and demolition of the Prince George Hotel.

The 97-year-old building was brought down in the fall of 2011 despite protests that the $1 million budgeted for demolition could have been used to restore it for future use.

The city purchased its oldest building – seen as a hub for alcohol and drug offences – from developers for $2.5 million in 2010.

In its place will be the Wood Innovation Design Centre, a provincially backed, multi-use building that proponents are hoping will bring jobs, students and general activity to a still-rebuilding George Street.

But just because the will is there to bring life to the downtown doesn’t always mean it’s going to happen.

Earlier this year, a group set on bringing new nightlife to the core were shot down before getting the chance to make their case to council.

Business partners Ted, Robert, and Nate Coole, Cam Thun and Lorne Larose were seeking to convert the former Cineplex Odeon movie theatre and Good Time’s Bingo hall at the corner of Third Avenue and Vancouver Street into a 370-seat nightclub and live music venue.

Planning staff recommended council deny the proposal because the project had potential to create unacceptable land use impacts and that the size of the establishment would put a strain on police resources at closing hours.

But despite the occasional misstep, Bogh said the ultimate vision for downtown isn’t one that can be specifically defined.

“I tend to think that if you create a plan and try to stick to it too firmly, you may miss opportunities that come up,” she said.“I look at any development that would influence the downtown in a positive way as a good plan, whether or not it’s part of the plan.”

Prince George becoming a transportation hub FRANK PEEBLES | Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

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oads, rails and runways.

Prince George may focus on forestry but it is also finding economic traction in transportation.

Premier Christy Clark sees Prince George as the hub for much of the province’s physical commerce. A lot of the deals are done in Victoria and Vancouver over commodity prices, corporate partnering, government policies and regulations and fiscal planning, but the physical movement of natural resources often happens via Prince George.

“There are two chapters to our infrastructure planning: public safety and the needs of business,” she said.“Both of those chapters are underway.We need to focus on moving people along the highway safely, and there is a big improvement campaign going on in the Prince George area on the Cariboo Connector and Highway 16 to add lanes for safer passing, for example.When you’re a hockey parent in Prince George, you’re travelling at odd hours in the dark to towns well down the road.You don’t want to be white-knuckling it along the way. We are working at fixing those problems because believe me, we know what the Pine Pass is like.”

The government announced earlier this

year that $200 million will be invested over the next five years to four-lane an additional 30 kilometres of Highway 97 between Prince George and Cache Creek, on top of the investments to the Yellowhead (Highway 16), Highway 97 from Prince George to the Peace and various tributary roads.

“Those routes are also the routes on which we move our commodities, the arteries of our economy that keep us alive as a province, and we are making sure bridges and overhead clearances and road widths are appropriate for making sure the equipment we use and the goods we sell can get through,” said Clark.

If transportation isn’t a priority topic

among most citizens of the province, ask anyone in Prince George about potholes, or the state of local roads or the price of fuel and you’ll get a different sense of passion. According to mayor Shari Green, the transportation infrastructure of the city is unmistakably connected to the economic fortunes of the city. City council has identified the Road Rehabilitation Program as a top priority, investing $3.5 million in streets and avenues.

“We know this isn’t nearly enough, but along with 2011 funding it’s the most we’ve ever spent,” said Green.“We are working to find more funds without having to go back to the taxpayer over and over.”

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T Stepping

UP UNBC teams set to take on Canada’s best

JASON PETERS | Citizen staff jpeters@pgcitizen.ca

UNBC athletics director Jason Kerswill.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

CHRISTINE HINZMANN | Citizen staff chinzmann@pgcitizen.ca

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elebrating 100 years, the Prince George Exhibition will cap off its centennial and then forevermore be known as the British Columbia Northern Exhibition or the BCNE. In the meantime, there’s a celebration that’s taking place in August that will be the biggest fair yet, said Terri McConnachie, PGX general manager.

Every year the PGX is presented by the Prince George Agricultural & Historical Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing agriculture and community roots.

“The exhibition runs primarily on its own steam,” said McConnachie.“We’re pretty quiet and unassuming, very much in the background and the fair happens every year because we make it so.”

The value of volunteer labour and sponsorship by cash and in-kind donations is what keeps the fair running, she added.

Core community support is demonstrated every year and when it comes to sustainability, it speaks for itself.

“We’re still here and celebrating 100 years,” McConnachie said.“At

he University of Northern British Columbia wouldn’t take no for an answer.Thanks to years of perseverance, UNBC’s basketball and soccer teams are on the cusp of competing at the highest level.

This fall, the Northern Timberwolves men’s and women’s teams will start play in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, part of the larger Canadian Interuniversity Sport league.The CIS is a breeding ground for future Olympians and professionals. For UNBC athletics, being part of the CIS represents a mammoth leap from the midand late-1990s, when the basketball and soccer teams played in local recreational leagues and were trying to gain entrance into the B.C. Colleges Athletic Association.

“When we’ve got the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Alberta and UBC all coming to play here, those are going to be bigdraw evenings for athletics in Prince George,” said UNBC athletics director Jason Kerswill.“You’re looking at probably the strongest association within CIS too, so you’re getting the best of the best. I can’t emphasize that enough.To have the Huskies or Golden Bears or Thunderbirds here is a fantastic step forward for our community. I certainly hope [UNBC athletics] becomes the hottest sports ticket in town.”

After playing exhibition seasons in the college association in 1998-99, the UNBC basketball teams became full league members in 1999-2000. In the early stages of that inaugural season, there was already talk of one day moving into the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union, the forerunner to the CIS. “I don’t want to give the impression that the BCCAA is an interim step, because it’s a very fine league that we’re delighted to be a part of,” former UNBC president Charles Jago told The Citizen in 2000.“But the people involved in athletics here would like to see us in the CIAU eventually. I don’t know when that will be. We do regard ourselves as a university with a national reputation of operating at a national level in every other respect, so it would stand to reason that in time our sports program would reflect that.”

The UNBC basketball teams went on to play 13 seasons at the college level, which became the PACWEST Athletic Association in 2011-12. Each club won a pair of provincial championships, the women in 2007-08 and 2011-12 and the men in 2009-10 and 2011-12.The male T-wolves also rose to the top of Canada in March of 2010 when they claimed national gold in Calgary.

The UNBC soccer program, meanwhile, gained junior varsity status at the school in 1999 and the players at the time expressed interest in playing college exhibition seasons in 2000.That didn’t happen until 2003 and then the league, because of travel and financial concerns, rejected UNBC’s bid for full membership status for 2004.

By 2006, the provincial college soccer league was down to seven men’s teams and seven women’s teams because the University College of the Fraser Valley moved its clubs up to Canada West. UNBC was suddenly back in the picture and its squads were on the pitch for exhibition seasons that year. For the start of the 2007 schedule, they were full members.

In their five years in the league, the UNBC women failed to qualify for the playoffs but the men were more successful, advancing to the postseason in 2009-10.The next year, the T-wolves returned to the playoffs and shocked all observers by winning a silver medal, upsetting the Douglas College Royals -- the top-ranked team in the country -- 2-1 in the semis.

UNBC first publicly announced its intentions to pursue membership in the Canada West conference of the CIS in December of 2004.

UNBC finally applied for membership in basketball in 2008 and made a presentation to the full Canada West membership in early 2009.

That spring, Canada West delayed a decision on all new applications for one year.Then, when a vote was held in May of 2010, UNBC’s bid was rejected when it didn’t receive at least 75 per cent support from the existing membership. No clear reason was given for the no vote, but CWUAA president Sandy Slavin said the lack of an athletics director

(Len McNamara had been relieved of his duties in September of 2009 and had not yet been replaced

by Kerswill, who was hired in July of 2010) was concerning to some members.

The school was permitted to re-apply in December of 2010 and added soccer to its proposal, only to be turned down again in June of 2011 by the narrowest of margins.

“We understood that through the addition of a director of athletics and a second sport, we would be in a more favourable position than last year,” UNBC president George Iwama said in reaction to the unwelcome news.“Unfortunately, this was not enough to change the outcome of the vote.”

In early September of 2011, a special meeting was held to re-visit UNBC’s latest application.

Finally, the result was positive, with 84 per cent of the Canada West membership in favour of UNBC’s inclusion.

When the UNBC basketball and soccer teams begin competition in Canada West this fall, they’ll be in a league that features respected universities from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The basketball teams will play 12 home games and 10 on the road, while the soccer clubs will have four home weekends and four away weekends.

Kerswill, a former basketball player who helped St. Francis Xavier of Nova Scotia win CIS national championships in 2000 and 2001, said the UNBC hoops program is extremely well-positioned to make the transition to Canada West this coming season. Looking five years down the road, he envisions the teams being strong members of the league.

“We’ve seen the program grow and become successful at the CCAA level and I truly believe within five years we’re going to see that at the CIS level,” he said.“The ability to attract students over the next few years and retain them is going to be key.

“You look at Fraser Valley, which took about six years to become very competitive within Canada West, you take a look at Trinity Western which followed almost the same formula and it took them 10 years to get to the national final, I look at us following that same type of path.”

In soccer, because the UNBC program has a shorter history at the college level, extra time will likely be needed for the clubs to find their footing and become perennial contenders.

“I think it’s going to take two or three years to really build the program and become competitive and challenge for those playoff spots,” Kerswill said.“But, we’re in a good spot because the coaches that we’re bringing in [Alan Alderson for the men, Andy Cameron for the women] are full-time soccer coaches and without the other responsibilities that some of the other head coaches have within Canada West, they will have a good amount of time to really build this program up. It’s going to take work, but they’ll have my support and they’ll have the support of the institution to make that happen.”

In terms of adding other sports to its Canada West lineup, UNBC won’t be permitted to do that until a probationary period ends in 2014.

“The window for adding additional sports will come in 2014, 15, 16, somewhere in there,” Kerswill said.“To be honest, we want to make sure that we spend the majority of our energy on the programs that we have and develop them to a competitive level and then look to expand beyond that.”

However, in Kerswill’s view, one sport that would jump to the forefront of expansion efforts would be volleyball, an idea that has also received support from Iwama.

“I believe volleyball would be a fantastic fit within the community,” Kerswill said.“There’s such a strong grassroots movement here in Prince George.The high school volleyball is very strong and the club volleyball is very strong.”

And, with the 2015 Canada Winter Games being held in Prince George, UNBC could be in position to benefit when it comes to recruiting.

“We will have the best and brightest young winter-sport athletes here in Prince George so if there’s a way to capitalize on that and add some more winter sports, that would be an excellent opportunity,” Kerswill said.

Exhibition celebrates 100 years its inception the fair highlighted agriculture, attracted settlement and a natural by-product was that it brought together the community. It was the social highlight of the year and now, of course, it’s grown and society is changing, which is one of our biggest challenges – people want the old and the traditional, but they want the new and jazzy at the same time. Because this event is not limited to one sector of the population it is one of our core mandates to keep it open and accessible

to everyone. How many events are left that can do that?”

The rural communities are showing their stuff at the fair and they’re highlighting what they can do, McConnachie added.

The 4H clubs are onsite where children can show off their projects before the auction of livestock.The whole agricultural aspect of the fair teaches people where their food comes from and the importance of supporting local agriculture.

“We don’t want people to lose touch with what they’re eating -- don’t be dazzled by what dances on television,” laughed McConnachie.“There’s joy and knowledge that’s lost because we’re not growing our own food.“ The PGX offers visitors a glimpse into the world of agriculture.

The fair also features handmade items in the home arts area.

“These are things our grandmothers used to teach us and it seems that it’s disappearing, so it’s really great to be a venue that brings in the quilters, weavers, spinners and potters,” McConnachie said.

There are many artisans showing their wares at the fair as well, in partnership with the Prince George & District Community Arts Council, an umbrella organization that supports and promotes local artisans.

“The artists can promote themselves, sell their wares if they wish and our only goal is to give them an opportunity to showcase that without costing them any money and they don’t have to pay a percentage of their sales. We are just really happy that we have the space for them,” said McConnachie.“And, of course, it’s something fairgoers will really enjoy.”

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

Rob van Adrichem, vice-president of external relations for UNBC. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

UNBC offering opportunity to the region

TED CLARKE | Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

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imon Rose grew up in Prince George, finished high school at PGSS, and came back to the city to study medicine at UNBC. Now a Northern Medical Program graduate on his way to becoming an anesthesiologist, Rose has every intention of returning to work in his hometown hospital once he completes a five-year residency program in Edmonton.

None of that likely would have happened for Rose if not for UNBC. Not only did it give him a chance to study medicine close to home, but on a larger scale he figures it’s spurred enough economic diversity to help a forestry-dependent city weather two decades of troubling times.

“When UNBC opened [in 1994], in my mind that honestly saved the town,” said Rose, 31.“I think Prince George ran the risk of becoming an obsolete big industrial town that just wasn’t going to grow anymore intellectually.

“Getting the university here diversified and stabilized the city, and getting a medical school was another step in that direction. It keeps artistic, creative people in the town as well, which is enormous for culture. Industry still fuels this town, but without all the things a university offers, I think Prince George would have plateaued.”

You won’t get an argument out of Rob van Adrichem on that topic.The 41-yearold Prince George native has been the face of UNBC since the first sod-turning on the Cranbrook Hill campus in April 1992. First in communications and now as UNBC’s vice-president of external relations, van Adrichem has a great perspective on what it means to live in a university town and what it was like before academics started congregating in Prince George.

An economic impact study shows UNBC operated on a budget of $66.3 million in 2009-10 and took in $115.8 million in revenue while spending $102.8 million, much of which goes back to the community.The 173 full-time faculty staff, 227 part-time faculty members and 425 non-academic staff spend a bulk of their

salaries in Prince George and UNBC also buys local products and services.

For van Adrichem, the real impact of what UNBC has done for the economy hits home when he walks into Nancy O’s downtown restaurant, owned by UNBC graduates Garret Fedorkiw and Eoin Foley, when he meets with Northern Health CEO and UNBC alumni Kathy Ulrich or when he scans the list of UNBC grads now in management positions at Dunkley Lumber.

“Tom Steadman, Murray Sadler, and Roy Stewart and all those people didn’t advocate for a university for the economic impact of the school, they advocated for it because people wanted to train people here who would stay here and apply their skills because we had such a hard time recruiting and keeping educated people here,” said van Adrichem.

“There are almost 10,000 grads of UNBC in 19 years and we know that between half and two-thirds of the grads live in the North.They’re teachers, doctors, nurses, they’re computer technicians, we have an MLA and two mayors who are grads.

UNBC is having an effect and I think the real effect is yet to be known.”

In 2015, the year the city plays host to the Canada Winter Games, Prince George will celebrate its 100th anniversary.That will also mark the 25th year since the province agreed to build UNBC. In a city challenged by its geographic isolation, a day’s drive away from any major city, van Adrichem says the two-week Winter Games and the 2,700 national-level athletes it will attract present a great opportunity for UNBC to showcase the city and its facilities and maybe convince some of those athletes to return to put down roots.

“I’ve always said our number one advantage is our location and our number one disadvantage is our location,” van Adrichem said.“We have great amenities and with what we can do with First Nations, resource management and rural health, we have a world-class university because of our location. At the same time, our location made us very out-of-sight, out-of-mind for a lot of potential students and potential employees.”

UNBC enrollment has been flat for the

■ Exhibition celebrates Cont’d from page 12 More homegrown offerings are showcased on the community stage as local talent entertains audiences.

With such a long history in the community comes a substantial heritage lane at the fair, a living example of what’s come before us.

“The PGX was awarded with a heritage citation by the City of Prince George Heritage Commission,” said McConnachie.“It was presented last summer so that we could enjoy it in our centennial year.”

The fair has been a reflection of the growth of the city from its roots as the Prince George Fall Fair to the Prince George Exhibition and now moving forward as the BCNE. “As Prince George is at the centre of northern B.C. it plays a huge role for all northern communities and so we feel we need to reflect that as well,” said McConnachie of the name change.

The fair draws people from all over BC and some from Alberta as it

offers big contests in bull riding, team penning and barrel racing that brings hundreds of competitors to Prince George. Along with the contests is the strong lineup of entertainment this year including 54-40, the Powder Blues, Julian Austin, The Stampeders and Krome taking to the fair stage.

All this and more draws about 40,000 people through the fair gates each year. Best estimates are about $3 million in economic activity is a direct result of the fair and the ripple effects.

“What we do absolutely know with no conservative estimates is that we are the highlight of the summer, we are the longest running event in northern B.C. We boast the highest number of volunteers and the most volunteer hours,” said McConnachie.

“We’re hoping this edition of the exhibition we’re hosting for the centennial will be the platform for every exhibition thereafter,” she said.“For rural communities and 4H families the fair is a tradition never to be missed and it’s been a tradition for generations.”

past decade, totaling 4,213 students in 2011-12. Seventy per cent of last year’s student body came from northern B.C., 16 per cent were from the southern half of the province, and 14 per cent were from other areas. The number of Canadian-born undergraduates at UNBC is dropping, while the number of graduate degree, foreign and aboriginal students is on the rise.

Since UNBC opened in 1994, the province has opened new university campuses in Kelowna, Kamloops, Abbotsford, Surrey, Vancouver, North Vancouver and Squamish.Those schools are all competing with the three major universities in the province for a dwindling supply of homegrown students, and demographics are not in their favour.

“We’re not really growing, the loss of youth is an issue for us and look at the school board with the numbers of school that have closed down,” said van Adrichem.“We don’t talk about that in Prince George. We talk about revitalizing down-

town and building pipelines, we don’t talk about youth.UNBC is in a region that by all accounts is an economic powerhouse for the nation, and we’re struggling to grow because of all this competition and demographic change. It’s very challenging.”

Bringing an engineering program to Prince George is a top priority for UNBC, with a growing need for engineers and technologists being driven by mining sector expansion and oil and gas development. UNBC will continue to push for expansion of its health programs and bioenergy projects.Training people in the North, says van Adrichem, is the key to retaining them.

“Engineers create, and it’s important for our region and for the future of Prince George to produce creators and innovators on a regular basis,” said van Adrichem.

“I want UNBC to graduate people who are going to create new opportunities for the people of the region.“

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WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA | SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

Kings road to castle ripe with challenges to to thrive thr hriv i e every ever ev er y year year and ye and n succeed succc and continue co ont n iin nue tto o hav have ve ssuccess, ucccesss ss w ss, where h as there are other otthe her teams tteeam eam ms in n our ou ur league ur leeagu ue that kind off falter fal altteer every ever e y year yyeear e - the the fan base b goes here he ere was wass a royal royal oyyal a revival rev evivval in down do d own wn and an nd d there’s th heere re’’s ’s always allw wayss a th threat h of them Prince P rin in ince ncee G George eo org rge in rg n 2011 making g moving,” mo ovviing ng,,”” said sai aid d Hawes.

Hawes..

Ha iitt ccool oo to sportt a SSpruce ool oo prruc p u e Ki K Kings’ ing ngs’ s s’ Since S nc Si nce the tth he 2005-06 20 005-0 06 season season when w Hawes jersey je ers r ey again. began bega beg be gan his gan hiis tenure tteenu nure w with ith h tthe he K Kings i as an The British Britis ish Columbia Co olu lumbia Hockey Leag League’s ague ag u ’ss assistant assi as sist stan an nt coach cco oaacch ch the thee BCHL, th BC B CHL, he has watched only northern teams Chilliwack) or ortherrn franchise returned retu re turn rned ed to to the the th team te amss fold fold ld (Williams (Wiill llia liiaaam ms Lake, C h junior A post-season party move par arty ty in in 2011-12 2011 20 11-12 12 move (Quesnel (Qu Quesnel to Chilliwack, Chilliwac ack Burnaby to after being three bein ing g shut shut out out of of the the dance danc da ncee for for th thre reee Coquitlam).

Coqu Co quit itla lam) m).. seasons. With a 33-21-2-4 record the Kings’ The departure of the Millionaires created a buzz around town that wasn’t from Quesnel in 2011 left the Kings as felt since they hosted the 2007 Royal the only northern-based BCHL team.

Bank Cup, capturing the silver medal.

Geographically this creates difficulties “The community has done a good for the Kings due to the travel and means job of embracing the organization and a lot of back-to-back games against the supporting them through coming to the same opponent. It also makes recruiting games and also through the show home harder as some players prefer to play in and all the other fundraising that we larger centres that aren’t so remote. need to do as a community-based team to “We’ve always had success in getting survive,” said Hawes. some good players out of the North and then in getting players from other parts of For 30 years, the Kings largest North America,” said Hawes.“That’s getting fundraising project, the show home even better and better as we move along lottery, has provided the hockey club with enough revenue in order to offer here in the years. My first years in Prince the lowest ticket prices in the BCHL.The George that’s the first thing I noticed, the loyalty of the fans is imperative for the challenges that you face trying to run a Kings’ survival in a market where they junior team. face numerous challenges.

“We’ve come a long way and made huge strides in that area,” he added.“We “They’ve been very good to us and do a really good job at our recruiting now that’s the reason why we’ve been able SHERI LAMB | Citizen staff slamb@pgcitizen.ca

T

and it’s making a huge difference for us.”

The Kings have secured commitments from several U.S. players for the 201213 season, including Bryant Christian (Moorhead, Minn.), Jeremiah Luedtke (Lynwood, Wash.) and Chad Staley (Kennewick, Wash.).

Another challenge for the Kings in the coming season is a move to the Lower Mainland Division in the Coastal Conference, losing the traditional rivalries with the Merritt Centennials, Vernon Vipers and Penticton Vees.

“We had built some good rivalries in the Interior and not playing the Pentictons, Vernons and Merritts anymore is not really what I had in mind,” said Hawes.

“But we’re going to build some new rivalries with Chilliwack, Surrey, Langley and Coquitlam down there and see where it takes us.”

The experiment is only for one season and the Kings will have the opportunity to realign in the Interior Conference if the change doesn’t suit them. But the move could be a cost-saver in the long run. “[The travel’s] not going to be any more costly for us and it might even end up being a little bit less because the communities down there are a lot closer together than what they are in the Okanagan,” said Hawes.“For us it might be to our advantage, but you never know what to expect.”

Hawes joined the Kings’ organization during the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach and has also served as assistant general manager. He was behind the bench in 2007 when the RBC Royal Bank Cup was held in Prince George.

“It was a tremendous tournament that was put on by the community,” said

Hawes.“Prince George always does a great job with those types of events.

They did a great job there and it was an incredible experience, something I’ll never forget for sure.”

After losing in the first round of the BCHL playoffs to Salmon Arm the Kings had 40 days off before the start of the RBC Cup, but surprised many people when they made it all the way to the final.

The highlight for players, coaches and fans alike was the five-overtime marathon semifinal game versus the Pacific Region champion Camrose Kodiaks which saw the Kings post a 1-0 win.

Despite the adrenaline rush on the bench, Hawes said he prefers building a junior team as opposed to coaching in the best regarded junior A league in Canada, which is the destination of choice for many players with scholastic ambitions.

“GMs, myself included, are continually getting calls from players from all over that want to come here,” said Hawes.

“That’s a good thing. The league’s really, really evolving in the last few years.”

The Kings’ clout among new recruits became even greater after the 2012 NHL Entry Draft where Kings left winger Jujhar Khaira went in the third round to the Edmonton Oilers.

Hawes said he anticipates a bright future for the Kings in Prince George.

“We just finished our 40th anniversary season and they’re going to be here for at least another 40,” said Hawes.“We definitely rely on the support of the community in many, many ways. We’re very solidly based in Prince George and we’re proud of that. All of that is due to how fond the community is of our organization.”

All signs pointing to a healthy housing market TED CLARKE| Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca

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llen Creuzot has been monitoring the pulse of the city’s housing market for decades.

As a homebuilder, he tracks the number of building permits issued annually for single-family dwellings.

The bar graph he keeps shows in dramatic detail the crash of the real estate market in 1982, when interest rates

peaked at 22.75 per cent and housing starts in Prince George dropped in one year from 588 to 61. It also plots the miniboom in the early 1990s, when UNBC was being built; the downturn in the forestry industry of the early 2000s; and the global economic disaster of 2008-09.

Creuzot, past-president of the Prince George Homebuilders Association, knows the city’s history as a boom-or-bust kind of town and he’s strapped himself in, prepared for takeoff.

“It’s been a slow steady pace, but not near the increases builders would like to

see,” said Creuzot.“We’ve seen a lot of outof-town buyers and we’re starting to get calls for more.

“University Heights is going to be a huge move-up market and and people are also moving in from out of town for all these executive jobs in other industries that are coming, like mining and oil and gas. I know we’ve been hearing this for a long time, and like downtown revitalization, people are getting sick about hearing it. They want to see it. I really think the pieces of the puzzle are all in place and now we’re just putting them together.”

Creuzot knows medical specialists are coming to staff the new B.C. Cancer Centre of the North when it opens later this year. He’s also been in on discussions with industry leaders who have picked Prince George as a home base for management employees to orchestrate megaprojects like the Mount Milligan mine.

He’s also aware of projects underway like the Red Criss mine near Dease Lake; expansions of the Ridley Island coal terminal and Fairview container port at Prince Rupert; the Rio Tinto smelter rebuilding and Shell’s LNG natural gas liquefaction and expert terminal in Kitimat; and the Apache pipeline project from Summit Lake to Kitimat.Those developments are creating a high level of optimism in Prince George for the spin-off effects likely to come.

“No offence to anywhere else, but if you lived in Vancouver or Toronto and your company is moving you and you have the opportunity to move up, and they say you’ve got Prince George, Fort St. James or Mackenzie to move to, most people will probably want to be in Prince George,” said Creuzot, president of Creuzot Homes & Construction Ltd.“People from the bigger corporate centres are going to want to be moving to a bigger place.You just have more options.They are going to need a huge workforce that will come out of those smaller communities, but that’s only a drop in the hat for what’s going to be needed, and that’s good for everybody.”

The city will host the 2015 Canada Winter Games and Creuzot said that could be an ideal opportunity for Prince George to convince more people to move here, similar to the mini-boom Vancouver experienced after Expo ‘86.

Right now, used homebuyers are getting great deals, Creuzot said, but with only about 400 listings on the market, about 300 less than what Realtors would like to see, finding what you want might take some time.

“In my opinion, our used housing prices are way too low,” said Creuzot.“Take the average house in College Heights that people bought new for $16,000 to $20,000. Now they’re getting $250,000 for it and they’ve made pretty good money.

But if you take a look at what the costs of new houses are, the used housing stock should be way more. We’re doing houses that are between $380,000 and $410,000, land included. Land costs are huge.That house in College Heights, the land probably cost them $4,000 to $6,000.

Now it’s costing you $100,000 and it’s a smaller lot.”

Considering all the city’s amenities,

potholed roads notwithstanding, there’s plenty of reasons for newcomers to settle here, and people are snapping up houses.

Joni Brown, president of the B.C. Northern Real Estate Board, says sales have been brisk this spring.

“The activity has turned it a bit more into a seller’s market and I don’t know if it’s a total turnaround in the market. We don’t know what is fuelling it or how long it’s going to go,” said Brown.“The commercial sector has been really busy, which is a good indicator because that creates more jobs and hopefully more demand.

“We live in one of the most affordable regions, with an enormous amount of amenities. It’s a great place to raise a family. There’s nicer weather in other regions but we have a good amount of jobs, affordable real estate, a university, college, hospital and pools. Prince George affords a very good quality of life.”

Rod McLeod is bullish of building housing in Prince George, the kind of which the city has never seen. In April, McLeod announced plans for a $40 million four-star hotel and luxury condominium complex adjacent to the Prince George Library at 1355 10th Ave. The proposed 12-storey 188,000 squarefoot development will have 152 hotel rooms on the lower seven floors, topped by five floors of luxury condominiums.

The condos will range in size from 1,185 sq. ft to 2,366 sq. ft. Prices will range from $325,000 to $800,000.The three larger units will be on the top three floors and McLeod said those are tentatively sold.

“I’m not at all surprised,” said McLeod, owner of Royal LePage Prince George.

“That’s a big unit and you have to consider it’s a concrete and steel frame construction, it’s not a wood frame, it will last forever. It’s lifestyle you’re buying.The people that will be buying these units are retired and their kids are here, and they also want to spend some time in Arizona or Palm Springs.

“I think we’re in a market here that is a little unique.You have a number of people who want size. In Vancouver you’re paying $1,000 a square foot, here you’re paying $300 or $350 a square foot, depending on what floor you’re on.”

All condo owners will have access to underground parking, a private entrance and elevators, and full use of the hotel pool, gym, restaurants and room service.

Construction of the 15-month project is slated to begin in September.

“I think the downtown has improved so much and when you take a walk and see what people have invested in Second, Third and Fourth Avenues, how nice that is in there,“ said McLeod.“I think the hotel will help provide much more of that to revitalize downtown.”

McLeod said there is a real demand in the city for gated communities and bigger homes are selling in established neighbourhoods like the North Nechako area for $900,000 or $1,000,000. He said with construction costs continuing to rise, the replacement costs of those homes would be closer to $1.5 million.

“People need the confidence to do things here and that’s starting to happen,” said McLeod.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA

MARK NIELSEN | Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

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on’t forget pulp and paper.

It may have lacked the drama and excitement associated with lumber production over the past several years, but there is no denying the sector’s importance to the Prince George economy.

That Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership employs 1,150 people and its three-mill complex adds up to the fourth largest producer of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp in North America is testimony.

In contrast to many sawmills across the province, Canfor Pulp has been a consistent profit maker over the past year-and-a-half since it was converted into a corporation from an income fund in January 2011.

Sean Curran, vice-president of marketing and sales, said the outlook for NBSK is favourable although the current reigning price for Canfor Pulp’s products is not very good.

“We’re in a cycle where the pricing has come to its bottom and our forecast is that it’s going to stay at the bottom for a little bit and then start to trend back up again,” Curran said.

Demand for the product is growing at a moderate pace of two to three per cent a year while supply remains very flat,

130,000 tonnes of specialty kraft paper used for high-end shopping bags and cement bags among other things.

“When you look at boxes where you have a white finish on the top of it, and then there is a corrugated piece underneath, we would be that white top liner,” Curran added.

Maintaining the mills takes big money.

Up until two years ago, an average $30 million per year was reinvested into the three facilities over a 10 year period.

That jumped to $155 million over the last two years thanks to what can only be described as an unintended consequence.

Midway through 2009, the federal government introduced a $1-billion package to counter the a U.S. subsidy for using alternative energy. Originally meant to promote biofuels on highway vehicles, pulp mills in the U.S. were able to qualify for a share of the $7-billion program by adding diesel to the so-called black liquor they burn in fuel boilers.

Canfor Pulp cashed in to the tune of $122 million from Ottawa and put in a

further $33 million of its own money for four projects. If the mills were out of date before the work, they’re definitely not now.

“Our mills that were established in the late - ‘60s,‘65,‘67, they’re really world class mills, operating like they were built not too long ago,” Curran said and added they’re now among the lowest-cost producers of NBSK in the world.

“We’re well-positioned to take advantage of what’s going to happen going forward, where you have moderate growth in demand,” Curran said.

After this year ends, reinvestment will drop back to $20 to $30 million annually.

“That keeps you ahead of the rate of inflation,” Curran said.“Over the last 10 to 15 years, the average rate of inflation has been just over two per cent. What that does is allow you to not stay complacent because if you are and you don’t reinvest, inflation eventually will overtake you.

“Your cost will creep up two per cent each year and at one point you’ll find yourself at a disadvantage to the competition.”

Canfor Pulp relies on chips supplied by sister company Canfor Forest Products and Curran predicts that as the U.S. housing market comes around, demand for lumber will rise and with it the availability of chips for the pulp mills.

“We see lumber and pulp coalescing quite well over the next three to five years,” Curran said.

for China.There are direct Prince George forestry benefits to this expansion.

“This will increase lumber transload capacity at our Prince George Distribution Centre to more than 30,000 containers annually,” said Hamer.

Premier Clark said the Port of Prince Rupert has doubled its exports and grown its employment spinoff by 70 per cent in the past two years alone. It is happening because municipalities and the private sector are repeatedly travelling to China on trade missions and government is setting the proper table.

“We are investing in economic infrastructure – roads, railways, airports while the U.S. and other parts of the world are letting that crumble,” Clark said.“They [Asian investors] get it.They know that the infrastructure in the United States is falling apart, and that the U.S. has been debt-financing for so long they are in a

real pickle.That scares investors.They can’t fix things up, so they can’t attract new investment, so they can’t fix things up.We have a different recipe in B.C. and we are seeing it working.They see B.C. as a foothold in North America that is economically safe for them. But if we don’t stay disciplined about infrastructure upkeep and prudent economic management, it will come to a dead stop.”

The secondary benefit to putting government money into roads and bridges and other structures that allow trade to flow is, most of that money goes into the pockets of B.C. workers.The materials, labour and services provided to each project are mostly obtained within the province, so the taxpayers get the benefit of true economic cycling while at the same time attracting new money into the province from other countries. Prince George is at the geographic and economic centre of that.

Bright outlook predicted for pulp and paper Curran said, and consequently, producers will be running at full capacity.

Curran remains in an upbeat mood.

“We’re surrounded by some of the strongest fibre in the world for publication papers, magazines, for specialty end-use products like labels or fibre cement,“ Curran said.“Also, the high tensile strength is very good for premium tissue and towel.”

Demand for newsprint is continuing to decline and the pulp and paper industry is feeling the effect, but Curran said the product Canfor Pulp provides remains popular for magazines, which require strong fibre to run their paper over the presses.

The decline in newsprint is being offset by the global rise in demand for tissue, which is growing at about one million tonnes per year, Curran said, thanks to Europe, North America and China.

“And we are very well positioned for all three of those markets,” Curran said.

Canfor Pulp produces about 1.1 million tonnes of NBSK each year and in addition

■ Transportation year, much of it through Prince George.

The company will both benefit from and In addition to the investments in new contribute, to the evolution of YXS, and the pavement, city crews also have an extensive Boundary Road project. CN is banking on pothole patching program, Green added. handling much of the cargo expected to be The most ambitious single project is in its trucked or flown between North America latter stages.The construction on Boundary and Asia by local routes.

Road – a 6.8 kilometre connector between “Manufacturers in developing markets Highway 16 and Highway 97 South via the such as China have significantly increased Prince George Airport – began in June 2011 imports of raw materials, primarily wood and is slated to be complete by November. pulp and recycled paper from North That road is a strategic linkage between America,” said Emily Hamer, CN’s regional all the city’s highways, rail lines and air manager of public and government affairs. services.

“Lumber exports to China now account “The investments in the Prince George for close to 25 per cent of the western Airport have been significant – about $34 Canadian total and are expected to continue million so far – but there is a lot of meaning to increase in the years to come.” in that, for the whole provincial economy,” The B.C. north’s most famous civil said Clark.“That was something I was servant, the Honorable Iona Campagnolo, pitching, specifically, in Asia because they the only B.C. woman to ever serve as Lieut. have an air shipping program developing Governor, sees her hometown of Prince over there and it is burgeoning like crazy.

Rupert as an economic gift provided by When those Asian shippers develop their nature. It just took vision and investment to export plans, they will know that here in bring it to life.

Prince George you have this long runway – “There is no way to diminish the 802 the third longest in Canada – that can take fewer miles on that shipping route to any plane they want to use, it isn’t a busy Asia,“ Campagnolo said.“That’s a whole airport for international traffic but it has the day’s shipping, or more, and everything customs and security features they need, it transitions right there from the ocean to is right on those road and rail lines to the the interior arteries. It is a much faster and rest of the North American market, so it is easier option for trade.” perfect for them.”

Because those arteries are interconnected The Prince George Airport Authority in Prince George, that is where a lot of also has to fit in some of its own pieces of handling activity happens, which means the puzzle. Airport spokeswoman Lindsay jobs and commerce.That is why, Hamer said, Cotter said this was a big year for YXS’s more than $20 million was pumped into preparations to woo those Asian shipping Prince George’s CN Rail yards in 2007 to companies. build an intermodal rail terminal and rail/ “We will be completing the new fuel marine transload operations centre. It was a storage facility this summer and by direct response to the activities going on at December the cargo warehouse will be the Port of Prince Rupert. ready for occupancy,” she said.“At that time “Northern British Columbia’s trade we will have all the key elements in place to corridor is strategically positioned to compete internationally for large wide-body sustain economic growth generated from freighters.We can handle and refuel large containerized traffic to and from the Port aircraft.We will be in a position to handle all of Prince Rupert,” she said.“Our facility in the out-sized air cargo that will be used to Prince George ensures that manufacturing supply the mining, forest, transmission and businesses have access to containers, pipeline industries. Shipping items via YXS and have a cost-competitive, high-service will save time and money for central B.C. transportation option for exports to Asia businesses.” and other international markets.”

One business heavily involved in In August 2011, CN announced a further northern B.C. is CN Rail, hauling billions of investment in the intermodal facility to dollars of freight across the province each address growing container volumes bound Cont’d from page 11

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