PG Chamber Looking Forward to 2015
Prince George, B.C. – “2015 will be a year of opportunity for the Prince George Chamber of Commerce” says CEO Christie Ray who notes it all starts with the Canada Winter Games in February.
“Absolutely. I think it’s forecast to generate $90 million of economic impact so it means a huge amount for the community, especially the business community.It’s going to bring in 10,000 people so essentially it’s a temporary market for our businesses. It’s very, very exciting.”
Once the games are over she says there are other areas for growth as well.
“I think 23% of construction firms in the north are located in Prince George. So with all the capital investments that are happening in this region Prince George is bound to benefit from that.”
In addition she feels natural resource development across the north, namely “energy, mining, LNG, and transportation,” will also play a role in helping the 2015 economy.
Ray’s also an enthusiastic supporter of the Facebook page Hell Yeah PG and the positive effect it’s having on civic pride.
“I love it as someone who is proud to be from Prince George and really passionate about moving the business community forward.”
She says the results of a recent advocacy survey identified it’s an issue that needs to be addressed.
“It’s specifically related to the ability to bring new workers into the community. Hell Yeah PG is really, really important for businesses to have that perception changed.”
Another ongoing challenge will be recruiting and retaining skilled workers to the region.
“It will continue to be a key focus of the chamber and the business community to run programs and educate people on options and support programs like Move Up Prince George from Initiatives Prince George.”
Comments
Yes, I’m sure some of the business owners are looking forward to having the proceeds of a taxpayer sponsored sporting even funnelled into their pockets. $90 million of economic activity. Wow, that sounds impressive until you start to think about it. $90 million was the high side of the estimate. I wonder if they used the Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM) or if they just spitballed the number and pulled it out of the air. My guess would be the latter because I’ve never seen any economic assessment issued from the host society.
Even if it did generate $90 million in economic activity here, only an estimated 20% or $18 million will wind up back in government coffers. That set off against the $35 million coming from various levels of government to fund the party leaves us about $17 million short on our investment. The big winners in this scenario are going to be a handful of service providers. We do get a renovated arena out of the deal, but we’re paying handsomely for that. Yipee, 2015 gonna be a fantastic year for some.
I fail to see where the $90 million will hit pg. The hotels and resturaunts will do well. We sure have a lot of dreamers in this city. A lot of businesses will have to lose money because of road being structured. Hopefully a lot of people may come back and invest in PG. We shall see.
Comments for this article are closed.