BCGEU President Stephanie Smith at opening of new Prince George building. Photos 250 News

Prince George, B.C. – The BCGEU’s new Prince George office building, the Diane L. Wood Union Centre, has officially been opened.

Mayor Lyn Hall and some of his City Council members joined representatives of the government employees union and the labour movement at the Saturday afternoon ceremony at 500 Quebec Street.  Mayor Hall applauded the BCGEU for the structure.  “This is a fantastic building and it adds to what we’ve been trying to do downtown in the last short eight months of trying to change the perception of our downtown, trying to entice people to come down here.”

Mayor Lyn Hall applauds the BCGEU on its new office centre

Mayor Hall told the gathering “on the corner of 6^th and Quebec you’re going to see some construction start in the next two or three weeks that’s going to add to our downtown.”  “People who know me know I like to see things happen very quickly so I’m pleased that as this building was being built, I couldn’t wait for this day to happen to have the opening.  It is an absolute gem in our downtown and it really adds to what we’re trying to do as a council so thanks very, very much for that.”

The mayor congratulated both the union and the building design team for developing a high-quality design project.  He says “it’s about what you do way outside the box and I hate that term but it’s the most appropriate one I can use.  It’s being innovative and it’s putting things together in our community that are different and add to a different design approach and I think this building really does that.”

BCGEU President Stephanie Smith said “we’ve actually been in the building for a little while and we’ve had training and education and local officers’ meetings, but we wanted to have this grand opening as a real acknowledgement of what is basically a three-year accumulation of teamwork, collaboration and working together.”

“This was a real team-building exercise and we were extremely proud for Mayor Hall and the rest of the councilors and the City of Prince George to recognize the BCGEU, not just for design innovation but the accessibility piece of that award.  It is very important for your elected leadership to have buildings that are accessible to all of our members and I think this building is truly reflective of that.”

The 12,000 square foot building rises three storeys and is constructed of steel, brick and glue-lam materials.  It is built to LEED certification standard and has several sustainable features integrated into the design, including automated faucets and low flush toilets, reduced energy use for lighting, high efficiency heat pump system and dedicated areas for recyclable materials.

President Smith says “I think what we’re most proud of is the wood that you’ll see in this building was seeded, planted, grown, cut, milled and finished right here in British Columbia.  And, matching with our philosophy of giving back to community and providing family-sustaining jobs, this building was built with unionized labour and, wherever possible, with local trades people and that is our commitment to every community in which we do a project.”