IPG Budget Presentation Had It All
Prince George, BC – There was some good news, some bad news, and some pointed questions asked during the Initiatives Prince George presentation at City Council’s 2013 budget deliberation meetings this week…
While still awaiting its final audit, Initiatives Prince George will end the 2012 fiscal year on a high, anticipating a surplus of approximately $67-thousand dollars. That ‘high’ was tempered considerably by news that development permits and values were down significantly in the downtown core.
In presenting IPG’s business plan for 2013, CEO, Heather Oland, noted that development permits in the downtown core dropped from 23 permits valued at $31.1-million dollars in 2011, to 16 permits worth just $3.7-million dollars. "I don’t really have an answer as to why that is," Oland told councillors. "Other than to say that there are several big projects imminent and so those numbers in 2013 will improve." She said part of IPG’s strategic plan for 2013 is to actively pursue the 10 businesses identified in a market attraction analysis completed last year.
Iniatives Prince George’s grant request to council was the same as last year – $1.024-million dollars. Oland said the city’s funds successfully leveraged an additional 20-percent last year, to $1.26-million dollars. This year, she’s anticipating the amount leveraged will be 30-percent or greater, with the vast majority of those funds already secured.
Before giving tentative approval to IPG’s request, Councillor Frank Everitt asked Oland if IPG was politically neutral. When told it was, Everitt said, "In the past it has not been, I understand, and I hope that going forward, it would maintain the neutrality, as an entity that we – as the City fund the majority of – and I’m very pleased to see that you were able to bring your budget in and have a surplus."
Councillor Brian Skakun also queried the organization’s political neutrality, saying it was his understanding that IPG has made some contributions to the governing party. "I think it’s important, as was said, to be neutral and you are, in a sense, a local public body, then I think it’s appropriate."
Speaking with 250 News, Oland said she is not aware of any political contributions made by IPG. "To my knowledge, absolutely not. We sometimes attend political events, but we attend those across political spectrums."
As for what happens to the surplus, Oland says, "That’s a conversation that we need to have with the board (of directors) and with the City."
"Our suggestion is that, like most organizations, you can have an account that you can use to manage infrastructure going forward."
Comments
Shut down IPG.
I am not sure what infrastructure IPG manages. Is this a new venture they wish to undertake? … Centre City Venture?…
If this is something they need money for, why is it not included in the budget … “moving forward” … as they say.
Which of course, begs the question, “are they actually moving forward”?
“In presenting IPG’s business plan for 2013, CEO, Heather Oland, noted that development permits in the downtown core dropped from 23 permits valued at $31.1-million dollars in 2011, to 16 permits worth just $3.7-million dollars. “I don’t really have an answer as to why that is,” Oland told councillors”
Hmmm, gee whiz. Let me take a stab at that one. Could it possibly be because there is low growth in PG and for any development that does occur, PG City Council is actively contributing to an environment where it will be encouraged, pursued and accommodated outside of the downtown core?????
infrastructure is just another way for her to say operating expenses, ie, wages, junkets, expense accounts, etc.
IS IPG really doing that much good except for costing us a million dollars a year…..can we afford it, let’s shut it down and see what happens. Will we really miss it?
Did I miss a name change and it is now Initiatives Downtown Prince George. Is it now just another group with bad case of CBD-OCD? Has regional development disappeared altogether or just put on the back burner?
With IPG acting as a tax funded headhunting firm for Canfor and Bid it is no wonder that they have no time to attract new investment to town. The diminishing returns could be proof that Ms. Oland was not the correct choice to head the organization. The seeds for the 2011 numbers were likely planted during Tim McEwan’s tenure accounting for all the steps before the shovel hits the ground (planning, funding, drawings, permits,etc).
“I don’t really have an answer as to why that is,”
You would think the CEO would have at least an inkling of why investment is a mere fraction of previous year. A shrug is not an answer!
right on “lonesome”! Oland’s response is the big story here.
If a CEO that is paid well over $100,000 of taxpayers money can only come up with “I don’t really have an answer as to why” then we may have a bigger problem.
Raises the question of why did Initiatives PG simply appoint her as CEO rather than have a true “competition” for the highly paid position once McEwan left.
At the very least it would have compared her skill set with others who may have been able to produce a better answer to a question from an elected official than “I don’t really have an answer..”
I think Ms. Oland has an answer as to why investments are down, she doesn’t want to say anything because it may cast a negative light on what IPG is doing.
It’s easier (and safer) to just shrug your shoulders and say things will be better in the future.
They sure have a swell website. No need for rose coloured glasses to read it.
The only infrastructure that IPG Owns that I am aware of is the building that their offices are in on 1st. Avenue. They lease part of the building to Via Rail, some to Tourism BC, some (on the East End top floor) to a private business, and then of course they have their huge offices on the top floor West End of the building. A huge space for the number of people who work there.
So some of their funding must come from these leases.
In any event they should be closed down, they do absolutely nothing for the betterment of Prince George, that wouldnt happen as a natural consequence of doing business here.
ok, do I have this right? About 6 people,
somewheres in PG. Who mostly work for the city, Wanted to build a $6,000,000. Campus
Downtown, Wanted up to 30 yrs tax forgivness. Then would sell it to UNBC
for $12,000.000. Didnt even make their first payment to a certain city place.
So 6 people,no names mentioned, would all make one million dollars. It all blew up when CnC declined their generous offer of sale. Ok, do I have this right?
It is nice to know that it has cost PG $1.024-million dollars for an almost 30% drop in permits and more than 90% drop in permit values.
This level of performance would get any employee terminated, and most any contractors have the contract revoked.
“just saying”
I haven’t forgotten the city of PG has a $111 million dollar debt. Have you?
Hey, didn’t Heather Oland go to China with Green and Company?
Maybe Oland needs to read the HUFF post. It is free on line ….. …
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says the value of building permits issued by municipalities declined 11.2 per cent to $5.7 billion in December, following a 14.5 per cent drop in November.
The agency says the December decrease reflected lower construction intentions in both the residential and non-residential sectors.
Every province except Quebec showed a decline in December, with Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario posting the largest decreases.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/02/07/value-of-building-permits_n_2637695.html
Of course, she probably figures that our micro economic region should be bucking the trend with all that hype of money pouring into this region …. LOL
Almost missed Alberta being with those posting the largest decreases …..
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