LAKELAND MILLS: One worker wonders about assistance A3 Wednesday, October 24, 2012 PG Motors crew goes pink to help firefighers A10
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Victoria Towers bought
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For affordable housing The province has purchased the Victoria Towers building on 20th Avenue and will turn it into affordable housing units. A fire in the building on November 3, 2011 uprooted about 80 residents from the building and the building has been vacant since. The province purchased Victoria Towers, at 1245 20th Ave., for $7.8 million, below the originally listed sale price of $9.6 million. An additional $3.2 million has been allocated for renovations and improvements. With a mix of bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, it is anticipated the prospective tenants will be a mix of low-income individuals and families. The renovations will create 93 new affordable apartments in Prince George. It is estimated that the renovations will be completed by the end of March 2013, with tenants beginning to move in shortly thereafter.
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Eoin Foley of Nancy O’s, winner of the new entrepreneur of the year award at the Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards. More Page A11
Province helps with China trip DeLynda Pilon
newsroom@pgfreepress.com
DeLyn da P I L ON/F ree P ress
MLAs Pat Bell and Shirley Bond along with Mayor Shari Green announce that the province has purchased Victoria Towers.
The province will pay $10,000 towards a trip to China for Mayor Shari Green, acting city manager Kathleen Soltis and councillors Dave Wilbur and Lyn Hall. The trip will allow the new mayor of Jiangmen, Prince George’s proposed sister city, to meet Green and further cement relations between the cities. It is hoped it will also lead to economic benefits for the city. Coun. Cameron Stolz pointed out at the last council meeting that each Chinese student who chooses to study
at CNC or UNBC pays $22,000 for the privilege, and spends about another $22,000 in local businesses during his or her stay. Kamloops has three times the number of foreign students as Prince George. This, he said, is just one small piece of the market in China, he added, saying it takes time and effort to cement a relationship with that country. “I want to thank Shari for taking a trip to China this year,� Prince GeorgeMackenzie MLA Pat Bell said, adding he had been there eight times. But, because this year is an election year, he won’t be able to go.
However, he reiterated the importance of strengthening bonds with that country. “It is incredibly important we continue to have an ongoing presence in that market,� he said. In fact, the province felt it was so important, it will support the trip with $10,000. The trip is expected to cost about $35,000. It was expected to be paid for from money left over in a fund set aside for expenses incurred twinning with the city of Jiangmen as well as through a new fund set up for economic development for the city.
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