Why PG 2015 by Prince George Citizen

WHY

2015

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DISCOVER WHY

THESE SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES CHOOSE TO

LIVE, WORK CITIZEN & PLAY IN OUR CITIZEN COMMUNITY THE PRINCE GEORGE

THE

PRINCE GEORGE

Cover Photo Credit: Angie Joiner

THE

PRINCE GEORGE

CITIZEN

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Why not PG? You can’t do that in Prince George.You have to go to Kelowna. You can’t get that in Prince George.You have to go to Vancouver. There are ruder words to say in response but let’s just go with hogwash. The single message behind each of the following stories in Why P.G. is this: Prince George boasts the top-notch people, businesses and services you’ll find anywhere.The list of things you can’t do or get in Prince George is a short one and every day there are new entrepreneurs passionately working to make that list even shorter. The stories inside this magazine feature bright, talented individuals who believe Prince George is the place that gives them the best possible combination of affordable living, business and customer support, career development, civic pride and community engagement.These are people who could have been successful anywhere but they’ve chosen to be successful here. With their presence, their enthusiasm and their dollars, they believe Prince George is a great place to live and work, not just for themselves but for anyone eager to work hard, live fully and make a difference.They set an example for the rest of us to admire and follow.

Colleen Sparrow Citizen publisher

Neil Godbout Citizen Managing editor

But don’t take my word for it. Let the following voices, representing leaders in their professions and in the community, convince you what Prince George has to offer.

In Prince George, we are in the midst of an incredible time. In the past month, we’ve successfully hosted the 2015 Canada Winter Games and marked the 100th Anniversary of the incorporation of our city. Now, we are looking forward to again enjoying the role of host as Prince George holds the North Central Local Government Association AGM in May and the Local Government Management Association of BC conference in June, to name but a few major upcoming events. We are also inviting the country back to Prince George this summer for all of the festivities we have planned to celebrate our Centennial and the 25th anniversary of UNBC. What an exciting time to call Prince George home. – Lyn Hall, Mayor

Lyn Hall Mayor or Prince George

- Managing editor Neil Godbout

Forget everything you’ve ever heard from the politicians, Initiatives Prince George,Tourism Prince George, UNBC, CNC or your local newspaper about what a great city Prince George is to live, to learn, to work and to raise a family. Don’t believe a word of it. But also don’t believe a word of the people who never seem to get tired of building themselves up by running this city down, the ones who believe they are showing off how smart they are by calling others stupid and the ones who see plenty of problems in the community but offer no solutions. Instead, imagine Prince George from the perspective of an outsider, from the view of someone who has no reason to know anything about Prince George. What would they see if they showed up? They would see a small city of about 80,000 people that is connected to the world.They would see an international airport and one of the longest runways in Canada.They would see a north-south

highway that ends in Northern California and an east-west highway that runs across Western Canada.They would see a busy industrial and retail sector.They would see a university with a medical school and a college with a trades program.They would see a teaching hospital with a cancer centre. They would see a racially and culturally mixed group of people living together in a valley made by two rivers and surrounded by beautiful forests, lakes and mountains.They would see how active these people are in sports and the arts. They would see residents who express their pride in their city by what they do to make the city a better place to live. They would understand why the residents of Prince George live here. They would understand why major companies choose to do business here. They would understand why Prince George was chosen over Kelowna and Kamloops to host the 2015 Canada Winter Games. That’s the whole point of WhyPG.

Why live here and work here and raise kids here and retire here? Why host important provincial and national sports events and conferences here? As soon as you ask those questions, you cut through the negativity and get to the answers that are important - the people are great, there are good jobs available, there are good schools, good shopping, good venues, an excellent airport with lots of flights, and there’s lot of fun stuff to do, in the winter and the summer. Once those honest answers are out, it’s easy to feel pride about our wonderful city. And it makes us ask one more question. Why not PG? Once we think of ourselves and our city like that, the sky’s the limit. The individuals and businesses featured on the following pages see themselves and their operations in that light.Their success is a sure sign that their optimism in Prince George is not misplaced. - Citizen publisher Colleen Sparrow

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Citizen has Canada’s best front page

Citizen file images

Front pages from The Citizen, the Scene PG magazine and an ad for local company Echo Esthetics all took first place in their categories for the 2015 Canadian Community Newspaper awards.

he Prince George Citizen was awarded several national awards Friday by Newspapers Canada. In the general excellence category for the 2015 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, the Citizen was declared the winner for the best front page for newspapers in its

circulation category.The Alaska Highway News in Fort St. John, also owned by Glacier Media, took second place. In the Great Ideas Awards for marketing and promotion, the Citizen took first in the Magazine – Daily Newspaper – Small Market – for the second year in a row for the Scene PG magazine.The Citizen also took the top prize in the Advertising – Print – Daily Newspaper – Small Market – category for an ad called

Taking the Years Off for the local company Echo Esthetics. In the Promotional Campaign – Daily Newspaper – Small Market,The Citizen took second and third place for the Outdoor Adventure Show and the Northern Taste Market, and finished third in the Special Section – Daily Newspaper – Small Market category for Northern Hardware 95th Anniversary publication.

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The Citizen will celebrate 100 years in 2016

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We hope you can solve The Mystery of the Missing First Edition

The longest continually operating business in the Prince George area is the Hudson Bay Company, going back to 1809. The second longest continually operating business in Prince George, longer than McInnis Lighting, longer than Northern Hardware, is the Prince George Citizen. The Citizen celebrates its own centennial in 2016, right behind the incorporation of the City of Prince George. The problem is The Citizen’s exact birthday has been lost in the sands of time.There is currently no saved copy of the first edition of The Citizen in existence. It is believed to have been published on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 1916, but we honestly don’t know for sure.That’s where you come in, dear reader. We hope you can solve The Mystery of the Missing First Edition. We are hoping there is a fully-intact copy of The Citizen’s first edition somewhere, stored in the bottom of a trunk in someone’s attic or inside a scrapbook.To the person who can bring in that first edition, so it can be historically preserved and made available online for researchers and history buffs, we offer in return a free lifetime subscription to this newspaper, a bundle of other goodies and a front-page story and photo about you and how you solved The Mystery of the Missing First Edition. Through 2015, the city’s centennial year, and 2016, the Citizen’s centennial year, we’ll be telling many stories about the city’s history, the Citizen’s history and the individuals who made up both. Here’s just a few of the stories we’ll be delivering to you over the next year or so: • The City of Prince George stretched

its geographical borders and increased its population from 42,000 to 64,000 when it amalgamated the Hart, College Heights, Pineview and South Fort George.Through a series of stories, reporter Charelle Evelyn will look back at how amalgamation changed Prince George. • As part of the city’s 100th anniversary celebrations in July, we’ll be featuring some of the most notable citizens of the past century and their contribution to Prince George life. We’ll be also be asking for your input in naming a Citizen of the Century for Prince George. • We’ll be sharing stories about longtime Citizen employees who were instrumental in the newspaper’s success. • We’ll be featuring some of the most newsworthy moments in both the city and the Citizen’s history and recollections from longtime residents. • There was once a time when delivering newspapers was a rite of passage for young children, especially boys, growing up. We’ll be sharing those recollections from seniors and we’ll be asking for your help to identify the individuals in some historic photos of Citizen carriers from days gone by and where they might be today. We’ll also be featuring some of the best photographs taken over the years by Citizen photographers and we’ll be introduced a special Citizen 100 years masthead this fall. We’re proud to have told Prince George’s history for the past 100 years and we’re proud to share some of that history with you in the coming months. – Managing editor Neil Godbout

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The Winter Games a great experience

Citizen staff

thletes from Prince George and across the country, as well as visiting parents and coaches, heaped compliments on the city and its residents for the great job playing host to the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d on page16

2015 Canada Games Chair Anthony Everett congratulates Jennifer Pighin at the unveiling of the medals. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

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The winter games a great experience Cont’d from page 12 For Emily Dickson, who won a medal of every colour, including two gold, it was an unbelievable experience.. The Team B.C. 17-year-old Caledonia Nordic Ski Club biathlete from Prince George was a major contender in all four of her races at Otway in week one of the Games. As the week went on, she kept moving up a step on the podium. She won bronze in the 12.5-kilometre individual race on Feb. 15, followed that up with silver in the 7.5km sprint on Feb. 17, and gold in the 10km pursuit on Feb. 18 and gold in the 3 x 6 women’s team relay on Friday. “It still hasn’t totally set in yet,” said Dickson.“The week flew past. Looking back, there are so many great memories and experiences. I don’t think the Games could have gone any better for me.” Her fellow Prince George teammate, speed skater Lina Hiller of the PG Blizzard also won a handful of medals on the long track. She won three silver medals in the mass start, team pursuit and 1,000m for Team B.C. She posted personal bests in those races, as well as the 500m and 1,500m where she finished fifth in both

of them. After only one day of racing on the outdoor oval in Prince George on Feb. 15, the majority of the long track competition shifted to the indoor ice at the Pomeroy Centre in Fort St. John. “The whole experience was so amazing, it was great to get some the races in for one day and have them (everyone) see all the hard work that went into the oval,” said Hiller.“(In Fort St. John) I had to be mentally prepared and looked past that. I was there to race and do my best. It was really awesome to go to Fort St. John – the volunteers and venue were awesome.” Hiller’s twin brother, long track speed skater Nico, was fifth in the 5,000-metres, sixth in the 3,000m, and seventh in the 1,500m. “I was just happy to have the opportunity, that there was a back-up plan in Fort St. John,” he said.“That we were able to skate. I was pretty happy with my times and I can take a lot of good things away from them.” Even though he was only in his hometown for the first five days of the Games, Hiller also couldn’t believe the transformation that occurred around Prince George prior to the start of the Games.

“It was a really good experience, I was really expecting this,” he said.“The whole set-up – I had no clue what everything would like like, seeing all the signs. It was amazing.The library, the cafeteria at the Civic Centre. It was a positive experience and I was able to rekindle a lot of old friendships.” B.C.’s ringette squad was selected last March and had been together on and off since then leading up to last week. It skated to a sixth-place finish at the Coliseum where crowds were raucous for every game, no matter who was playing. For Sydney Irving, an 18-year-old Prince George forward on the team, it was an experience like no other competing in her hometown. “Overall, it was a positive experience, I learned a lot from the coaches and living with 20 other people who are like a family and did a lot together,” she said. “There were tons of people there (at the Coliseum) and the feedback from friends and family who hadn’t seen that high level before was they were hooked, they loved watching it. “I just want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who put me through this program (PG Ringette, B.C. Ringette) all the way.”

For Avril Harris, captain of B.C.’s wheelchair basketball team that finished seventh, it’ll be the memories of playing in his hometown for the first time in three Games appearances. “The crowds gave us a boost, even though we were there to play basketball,” he said.“The team came together quite well and we stuck together. We gave it the best we had. We were like a big family.” As for Madelyn Drover, she had visited B.C. before, but never to Prince George. The 15-year-old athlete from Portugal Cove – St. Philips, Nfld. competed in the squash tournament at the Northern Sport Centre. “One of my favourite memories was staying in the athletes’ hotel with all the other squash athletes and seeing my teammates play,” said Drover, who’s only played squash for two years.“The food was awesome and I’m pretty sad to leave.” Aidan Rafuse spent most his week over at CN Centre and the Kin arenas behind the bench as the trainer for Nova Scotia’s men’s hockey team. “It was a great experience this week, I had a great time.” Cont’d on page 24

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The winter games a great experience

Cont’d from page 16 Ontario’s Megan Smith, who skipped her team to women’s curling gold Saturday night with an extra-end victory over Nova Scotia, said competing in the multi-sport Games was a unique experience. “It’s so incredible because you have all these different sports and everyone is cheering you on and you’re part of a bigger Team Ontario,” the 17-year-old from Sudbury said.“It’s just something I’ve never experienced before and I probably won’t for a really long time, so it’s pretty cool.” Even though Nova Scotia’s curling team was disappointed in to not win gold, the rink was thrilled by the week they spent in northern B.C. “It’s been amazing, we’ve had so much support from back home,” said skip Mary Fay.“The volunteers here have been great. We’ve really enjoyed our experience.” Tom Quinn, chairman of the Canada Games Council, encouraged the athletes to hold on to their Prince George experience and let it inspire them going forward. “Athletes, celebrate your moment,

but also set your sights on the next steps, dream big,” said Quinn during the nationally-televised closing ceremonies at UNBC.“It all starts with a plan, a vision and a commitment.You are now very good, and you have the opportunity and potential to be great.” He praised Prince George, the volunteers and the athletes, who came from more than 800 communities across Canada. “Emerging stars have been recognized and records have fallen.” Kevin and Sara Tod had no idea what they were in for when they drove in from Calgary to watch their daughter Ali play ringette for Team Alberta in the Canada Winter Games. “People were so friendly, the venues were so well-organized and the volunteers were there every time you had a question,” said Kevin. Not knowing anything about Prince George before they she arrived, Sara, a nurse, left with a similar impression of the Games. “It was the best-organized event – for a small city they’ve done so much stuff and they’re so proud of the work they’ve done,” Sara said. Cont’d on page 26

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The winter games a great experience Cont’d from page 24 The Tods took advantage of a special offer at the YMCA of Northern B.C. and bought a two-week membership for $26. They were impressed with the facilities and got to know a few of the regulars during their morning workouts. They didn’t miss the traffic of Calgary and liked the fact all Games venues are close together. The ringette players walked from their hotels to their games at the Coliseum and they were able to leave their equipment overnight in the rink to dry. “We were 10 minutes to anywhere at any time of day and that was such a treat,” Kevin said. “The only lineup we were in was in the Canfor building for one of those lumberjack hats,” added Sara. They were impressed with the variety and quality of the city’s restaurants and felt welcome wherever they went to eat, especially on Friday when the White Goose Bistro downtown extended its normal lunch hours to accommodate their group of 10 hungry ringette parents. “Certainly, when people ask me about Prince George I’ll be talking about the hospitality of everybody up here,”

said Kevin. “We talked to people from Vancouver who have moved to the area and they love the friendliness of the people, the different outdoor activities and the pace of life.” “There are so many options,” said Sara. “You can see why Prince Georgians love their city. We’ve told everyone how great it’s been, and everyone wants to know as well, all the Prince George people were asking what we thought. “We feel very lucky to have come and we’ll spread the word.” Anthony Everett, chair of the Canada Winter Games, echoed the gratitude for what his organization said has been more than 4,000 volunteers for the two-week event. “I’ve never been more proud to come from this community and be a Canadian and the green jackets exemplify that,” said Everett in reference to the colour of coat worn by the volunteers. “The experience has illuminated our community, region and province as we have shared our pride and our passion.” Mayor Lyn Hall passed the Games flag to Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman, who was dressed in the trademark Team Toba fluorescent yellow jackets. The city will host the Summer Winter Games in 2017.

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City

celebrating

100 years Citizen staff

he City of Prince George has numerous events planned during 2015 to celebrate the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centennial.

Ian Hoag with the City of Prince George hangs up Prince George 2015 banners celebrating the 100th anniversary of Prince George along the by-pass Thursday afternoon. The banners will be found on light standards all over town. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

Contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d to page 30

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City celebrating 100 years Cont’d from page 27 For the past three years, Coun. Murry Krause has headed the committee laying the groundwork for the festivities. “One of the things we started out with was needing to let the community even know that it was going to happen - that’s not really on people’s radar,” said Krause. Members of the 100th anniversary committee fanned out across the city, speaking at public gatherings, to service clubs, community groups and gathering feedback. A 2013 public input process gathered upwards of 350 suggestions, many of which have been incorporated in some way into the year’s plans, said Krause. Out of those recommendations, two main themes emerged: to celebrate the city’s history and, more importantly, to simply celebrate. “There are some wonderful things that came our way,” said Krause.“Instilled in the work of the committee was the real desire to create more community pride. We have come a long ways. And one of things we’ve talked about a lot, in many circles as we’ve talked about the celebration, was encouraging people not to be so self denigrating - that we really are an incredible community. Cont’d on page 31

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Rather than create a homecoming, we decided that we would try to put on a significant celebration between July 10-19, thinking that would be the time people might be coming home for a visit.

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City celebrating 100 years Cont’d from page 30 We’re hoping, of course, that just coming off the Games, people will have that sense of pride.” The committee, which received a budget of $100,000 from the city and an additional $72,700 in federal funds, was able to provide $25,000 in micro grants to community groups to help fund 27 centennial initiatives and activities. The birthday party kicked off on March 6 but will stretch through the entire year. “Lots of communities, when they have their anniversary, is they try and create a homecoming,” said Krause.“So rather than create a homecoming, we decided that we would try to put on a significant celebration between July 10-19, thinking that would be the time people might be coming home for a visit.” Those 10 days will include this year’s edition of Summerfest (typically held in August), KidzArtDayz at Two Rivers Gallery, the unveiling of a mural, an oldfashioned soap box derby, daily music performance and more. There will also be a focus on First Nations woven throughout the anniversary. “One of things we had significant

conversations about was to really acknowledge that the first people were here first and the Lheidli T’enneh were here first,” said Krause, adding the committee is looking to assist with National Aboriginal Day celebrations June 21. The summer will also provide another opportunity to look backwards when the 75th anniversary time capsule is unearthed. City community co-ordinator Doug Hofstede said the committee has already been in touch with some of the 75 people who were school-aged children that contributed items to the capsule back in 1990. “The idea was that they would come back and participate,” Hofstede said of the 25-year turnaround. The contents of the time capsule will be put on display before they are reburied along with new items marking the 100th anniversary. “The threads are all still coming together and we’re encouraging people to be creative,” said Krause about the centennial.“We’re willing to support and assist in any way other celebrations that evolve during the year.” To keep up with the latest, visit www. pg100.ca or follow Prince George’s 100th Anniversary on Facebook.

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Prince George hosts Rogers Hometown Hockey Citizen photos by Chuck Nisbett

Broadcaster Ron MacLean poses for a picture with Mike Penner and his father Peter outside the SporstsNet Mobile Studio at CN Centre after signing autographs for the pair.

Tara Slone interviews Kirk McLean while dressed in a Prince George Cougars onesy and accompanied by the Cougars for the pre-game show.

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Prince George hosts Rogers Hometown Hockey

Geoff Courtnall poses with Chloe Verstraete, 9, after signing her jersey during Hometown Hockey festivities at CN Centre.

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Prince George hosts Rogers Hometown Hockey David Castley takes a picture of his son Ethan, 7, as he “becomes” Henrik Sedin at the Rogers Hometown Hockey Tour at CN Centre.

Troy and Kathy Gillespie with kids Tucker (left), 9, Kinnidy, 10, and Ty, 15, stand with the XBox they won in the Hometown Hockey XBox Giveaway.

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