New video  celebrates  development in P.G. (video courtesy City of Prince George)

Prince George, B.C.-  Hot off the  news that private investment  for building permit values hit an all time  high  in Prince George for 2016,  the city has released a video  that  is now posted to its YouTube channel.

“The main  purpose ( of the video) is for  business attraction” says Manager of Economic Development Melissa Barcellos.”Seeing the  confidence other investors have in the local economy, helps them make their decision on where they want to go and where they want to spend their dollars.”

Last year,   private sector permit values hit $122.5 million dollars, which , according to  digital records dating back  16 years,  is  a new record.

The investments  send a strong  message says  Barcellos,  “The fact that private sector dollars are driving the development of Prince George reflects the confidence that business owners and investors have in the current economy and their expectations for the future.”

For the  full year,  there were 455 building permits  worth $127,850,777 issued and  nearly all were  for private sector development:

 Residential $72,553,262
 Commercial $46,353,836
 Industrial $3,617,866
 Institutional $5,225,813
 143 new single family residences
 15 new commercial developments
 173 new multi-family units
 14 new duplexes
 39 new single family secondary suites

There were  446 new businesses  registered in the City,  and  17 downtown businesses  made  improvements to their facade during 2016.

The activity  echoes  a recent Conference Board of Canada report which  stated Prince George’s economy  had the strongest  outlook  among seven  similar sized communities in Canada.

“As many developers have stated recently, ‘Prince George is open for business’” says Mayor Lyn Hall