As was stated somewhere else by Palopu, perhaps in a slightly different fashion, what company selling a product would send in their CEO in order to promote one of their products?

Companies hire qualified professional sales staff for such purposes.

If I wanted to talk about ice time, weather conditions, accommodations, travel costs, the range of facilities including their specifications and contacts to previous professional users as to satisfaction, etc. etc., one does not send in departmental managers and politicians. One commits specific people who are committed for the next few months to familiarize themselves with who is attending, who should be seen, what will it be which will sway them to PG, what questions they will need answered,etc. etc.

In addition, one needs individuals who can check out communities which may have hosted foreign athletes outside of Torino. Start with the obvious - start with the home teams. Where did the various Canuck Olympians train for Torino, when and why. In addition, they would also know where some of the Olympians from other countries trained.

Can anyone see Gerry Offet, Colin Kinsley, Tom Madden, or Rob van Adrichem doing that sort of research?

This is a junket without a doubt. The wrong people are going to the wrong place at the wrong time.

Of course, we already know the short term outcome - "we have made many contacts; people are eager to visit us in PG in the next year to look at our facilities first hand; a great networking opportunity which showed us that the spin-off opportunities are vast and you can rest assured that we will be getting our share."

Oh shoot-now I know I missed my calling.
I should have been a "soothsayer," or something close to that.
Did I not predict just a few days ago that Kinsley would be going with the "TEAM?"
How could he resist.
After all he has had tons of experience lifting weights--?
Damn-maybe glasses don't count???????
Stupid budget coming up, and these trips cost money--so what will happen to that "mill rate" again?
Are we in for another increase???
I can just visualize the impact this group will have as a delegation.
It is a JOKE, but just another one we pay for.
Pay up, you voters-and be ready to divvy up for 3 years- as after all-it was your choice.

Wow...Owl & Gypsy, do you 2 realize just how old, jaded & bitter you sound?

It's always negativity with you two.

Brutal.

I say, lets at least see what comes of this trip and it's price-tag before whining, moaning & complaining. And as far as I'm concerned, Tuppy, Tom, Rob & Colin should all be going. Don't know enough about Gerry to comment on him.

How descriptive, but not true.
I sincerely have nothing to be jaded or bitter about-other than seeing the past history of how this city is operated.
You must be a "babe in the woods."
Unfitting to be name calling of people who have been around awhile.
Shame on you!

You're right on the money The Duke...

Those two bloggers are among the most negative cry-babies I've ever come across.

It's precisely because there are so many other people like them in this town (without access to, or interest in the Internet) that we're perceived as a bunch of Hillbillies.

Wake UP...!

The Olympics are all about money and economics, and have (almost) nothing to do with sport.

If you want a piece of the economic pie, you gotta play the economic game... That means marketing trips, face time, schmoozing...

If you don't understand that, and don't see the potential economic behefits for this community that could accrue from the five person trade junket, you're retarded.

Sorry Jethro, but I fail to see the benifits of this paid holiday to Italy for these five people. using your words, I guess I must be retarded. Is everyone who doesn't agree with your point of view retarded?

It seems that British Columbia-Canada House is a log house built by Sitka in 100 Mile house. It looks like they were on the ball and have a log home on hand in Torino that people can see and purchase if they chose to. It seems the best we can do is use these facilities to promote Prince George.(Thanks 100 Mile) Maybe we should have had some input into the building of BC-Canada house. Where were we?? The Torino Olympics have been in the works for years, however we are coming in at the last couple of months. It seems to me this is a pleasure trip only.

BC-Canada house was built in Torino to promote all of British Columbia, hopefully that includes Prince George. Who knows if the delegation from Prince George can add anything to whats already been done?

I suggest the report back from the delegation will be high on hyperbole and low on facts.

Sorry for the name-calling Camoose. That was out of line.

But I remain extremely frustrated by the chorus of boo-birds that starts up every time the City (us) tries a little creative (and modern) economic development.

This isn't 1975 anymore... Let the perceived wrongs of the past (by previous Councils and Administration) go... please.

Attracting investment and opportunity in the globabilized new economy requires huge effort, including overseas travel for a few, reasonably effective representatives of our city...

Will they come back with signed contracts for athlete training...?

Probably not.

Will they increase the visibility of Prince George as a winter city, ready and waiting to accept those athletes, and the economic benefits they bring with them...?

You bet.

And that end result is impossible to achieve by making random telephone calls around the world, and taking out ads in the Torino Tribune.

>IPG President, Gerry Offet, points out that the City is one of the only communities in B.C. taking the initiative to be on-site in Torino.<

What does that mean? What is an "only community"? I like yo know where the "only communities" are located in British Columbia.

I think we should be sending a team on a trip, perhaps even this team.

But the trip should be to Salt Lake City, not Torino.

We are trying to find out how Prince George can benefit, no? Wouldn't it make sense to ask people who have experienced the games in a similar way we will?

The team should be visiting 50,000 to 100,000 population cities that are 300 to 600 miles away from Salt Lake City. These community leaders could tell us what worked, what didn't, and what they would do if they could do it over again.

Utah has a population density similar to BC when compared to Italy. We have similar time zones, language issues, economics and politics.

The people in Torino will be too busy putting on their show to be able to make heads or tails of what's happening. Only after all the numbers are in and there is time for analysis will anyone in Italy be able to know what worked and what didn't.

Salt Lake City has had the time to do that analysis, and reap all the benefits (and headaches) of the event.

This is the right idea, maybe even the right people, but the wrong place at the wrong time.

Shawn Petriw

One of Meisners 5 rings articules gave you information on how Grande Praire stated they got absolutly nothing from the Olympics in Calgary even though they were only 300 miles away. They did however do a number of things to attract some venue's to their city after the Olympics. These attractions such as Womens Curling, Hockey, etc are ok but they are short lived, and do not have a lasting effect on the economy of a City.

There is a lot of talk about attracting business to the City of Prince George, however this has been going on for years, without any success. In fact a large part of the Industry that was here has been closed down. Upper Fraser, Giscome, Shelly, Netherlands Overseas Mills, to name a few. The Pulp Mills were built in the mid sixties and although they have increased production they have greatly reduced their manpower needs. The population of Prince George in 1996 according to BC Stats was 78,239 in 2005 it is 77,148 that means in 10 years there has been no increase in the Population.

All major industries in Prince George has reduced their manpower needs over the past 15 years. BC Tel, BC Hydro, BC Rail (before it was taken over by CN Rail) BC Gas (Before it was changed to Terasen) CN Rail. All three pulp mills. All major banks (you have two empty banks downtown) Other industries have disapeared altogether. The Post Office was downsized years ago, and the list goes on. These were all high paid full time jobs. The full time jobs at Sears, The Bay;, and all the Grocery Stores have all gone, and been replaced with 8/9 dollar an hour jobs, and limited to 20 hours per week to avoid benefits. This has had a huge impact on the City.
You need 3 part time jobs to replace one high paid full time job.

I dont see anything on the horizen that will change this situation, however if we quit spending our money on crap like a new Cameron St. Bridge, a $800,000.00 replay sign at the CN Centre, building state of the art Police Stations with shooting galleries that cost $120,000.00 or more a year to run. Plus a $2.5 million Kin connector so that we can keep our ass warm when we go for a beer, or any number of other idiotic endeavours, like a cogeneration plant to heat city buildings with hot water. The list goes on.
We have a huge tax base in this City which allows us to spend like drunken sailors, rather than reducing taxes or using it for some other endeavours that might get people to come here, or at least get them to stay.

Most tourists who come to this town are on their way to somewhere else. There is not much here for them, and this is one area where a lot of money could be spent and some long term benefits could by found.

There is nothing attractive about a chunk of cement across a river. Some stinking pulp mills, Refinerys, and sawmills, a downtown that defies discription, some lakes that do not have proper bathroom facilities.

Question; How come the Mayor and Councillors, and a bunch of high spending bleeding hearts from IPG to UNBC can talk about all kinds of growth etc. (While we pay them Huge Dollars in wages) and they cant build a proper toilet facility downtown. Doesnt that tell you something. There is no money in building a toilet. There is no money in repairing the Camerson St Bridge.

Maybe we can talk the Mayor into building a tunnel under the Nechako River this would be unique for a City our size and confirm to the rest of the world we are all nuts.

Anyone who thinks we need 3 bridges (10 Lanes) across the Nechako River within 1 1/2 miles of each other is totally out of touch with reality.

It seems most people think this is a good idea, and therefore there really is not much hope that we can improve things.

$38,000.00 for seven days, and from what I understand that is only for 4 people, and Initiatives Prince George is picking up the tab for the other two. I wonder where I.P.G. gets its money??? I thought it was from we the taxpayers also. I can't see why it will cost $1357.14 per day for each of these people to promote Prince George. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think we will see $57,000.00 worth of business here because of the Olympics. If anyone thinks teams are going to travel 500 miles to train here, and then 500 miles back to the games, I think they had better think again. People, we have been duped again, and have just sprung for another holiday.

READ-AND LEARN JETHRO!!!!
Many residents in Prince George have been around awhile, and are familiar with the waste the taxpayers pick up the tab for which this City Hall is responsible for.
If these people are all dead wrong, then we are in a lot of trouble listening to people with your attitude.
You may have your friends at city Hall, but we are not all sucking up to this crew that is responsible for the decline of this city, and the stupid waste of our tax dollars.
As I said before, I am NOT jaded, or bitter, BUT I wonder what is in store for the younger people raised in this city, and I fear they will leave for greener pastures at first opportunity.
If we were a progressive city, our population would not have decreased in 10 years. Kinsley has been Mayor for 10 years, and we have endured some long term councillors, and the major players holding office at City Hall have remained, so I sincerely feel their "track" record is deplorable.
If you think this makes me jaded, or bitter-you are out in left field, or maybe right out of the ball park.
I am a realist-and I do not wear "rose" colored glasses.
Look at the facts-and read what the knowledgeable people KNOW. They do not have their heads buried in the sand.