Terasen Gas to Establish Call Centre in P.G.

Monday, December 21, 2009 11:26 AM

Prince George, B.C.- Prince George has been slected as home for one of two Terasen Gas company-owned call centres to be established in the Province. The establishment of the call centre will depend on approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC). This announcement follows the application the company made in June to establish an in-house customer care department and customer information system. If the application is approved by the BCUC, the new call centres and services are expected to be in place by January 2012.

Terasen has purchased the ACS building on 2nd Avenue. That building has been home to two previous call centres, LiveBridge, and ACS which closed it's doors last spring. Mayor Dan Rogers says he's happy to see that the jobs that were lost when ACS closed, will be coming back to Prince George. He says the location will go a long way to help rejuvenate downtown “This is great news for our city and the downtown core. By acquiring this building for their expanded operations, Terasen Gas has demonstrated a commitment to invest in, and grow upon, opportunities available in our city’s downtown,” said Dan Rogers, City of Prince George Mayor. “Throughout the years, we have developed a strong relationship with Terasen Gas in our community and we look forward to building upon that. On behalf of my colleagues on Council, it is a great privilege to welcome Terasen Gas to our downtown.” The City has already written a letter to the BCUC supporting the project.

“This first of two new B.C.-based call centres would not only create over 100 new jobs in Prince George, but also provide the local community with future economic benefits,” said Doug Stout, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Terasen Gas. “If our application is approved, an in-house customer care department utilizing a new information technology platform and related processes would help us ensure we are able to deliver the types of services our customers require – now, and in the long-term.”

A second centre, planned for the Lower Mainland, will support an additional 200 jobs required to support both call centre and billing operations.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Terasen Gas has selected Prince George for growing its business operations in British Columbia. Their choice is based on sound assessment of the competitive advantages we promote every day, including our skilled workforce and affordable business costs,” said Tim McEwan, President and CEO of Initiatives Prince George. “We are also very pleased that the site they have selected can remain a call centre consistent with the previous use, contributing to over 100 jobs in the city's downtown. This is a big win for Initiatives Prince George and the City of Prince George.”

Terasen Gas is requesting a decision on its application early next year, in order to implement the changes by January 2012.

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Posted on Monday, December 21, 2009 11:26 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: MrPG on December 21 2009 11:40 AM

"Their choice is based on sound assessment of the competitive advantages we promote every day, including our skilled workforce and affordable business costs,” said Tim McEwan, President and CEO of Initiatives Prince George."

Way to take the credit Tim. I'm sure Terasen would have figured this out on their own.

Posted by: Palopu on December 21 2009 11:52 AM

The questions are.

(a) Is Teresan going to buy this building or are they going to lease it.

(b) Will the lease start in January 2012, so in effect this building will remain empty for the next two years.

(3) How much of a hit (or loss) have we taken on this building to date, through Livebridge, and ACS??

(4) If the building is leased, is it a long term lease, or is it year to year, which enables them to leave when ever they wish.

Lastly if the work force that works for these call centres are ***skilled*** why do they only get paid approx $10.00 per hour. I doubt that Terasen will pay them more than any other call centres

At the end of the day a hundred jobs is a hundred jobs, but it would be interesting to see how much these jobs are actually costing us.

Have a nice day.

Posted by: Mr. PG on December 21 2009 12:06 PM

Great news

Posted by: Junco on December 21 2009 12:43 PM

Anyone know approx how much they would pay?
I think more than $10 an hour. When hydro contracted out their back office operations to Accenture, they paid $12 an hour or a bit more. I would hope that with working directly for Terasen they'd pay a decent wage. Telus call center wages start out at $18 an hour with increases, would be nice to see something in that range.

Posted by: MrPG on December 21 2009 1:13 PM

"(a) Is Teresan going to buy this building or are they going to lease it."

I just heard on the radio that Terasen plans to purchase the building, subject to regulatory approval.

Posted by: commoner on December 21 2009 1:45 PM

Palopu and MrPG wrote:"(a) Is Teresan going to buy this building or are they going to lease it."

I just heard on the radio that Terasen plans to purchase the building, subject to regulatory approval."

From the article: "Terasen has purchased the ACS building on 2nd Avenue."

***
Junco wrote:"Anyone know approx how much they would pay? I think more than $10 an hour. When hydro contracted out their back office operations to Accenture, they paid $12 an hour or a bit more. I would hope that with working directly for Terasen they'd pay a decent wage. Telus call center wages start out at $18 an hour with increases, would be nice to see something in that range."

Those are union wages. The two call centers that were here previously were non-union jobs. One company capped wages around $11/hour, the other was in that range as well. Entry level paid $8/hr and the hours were part-time. An employee was lucky to work more than 30 hours per week at one of the centers.
The Terasen center is still 2 years away. Lots can happen in two years...

Posted by: Pylot Project on December 21 2009 1:59 PM

" Lots can happen in two years..."

You're not kidding. I remember Telus saying they were going to open up a big centre here few years ago. Did that ever actually materialize? Usually we get flooded with political photo ops when they open the doors.

Posted by: hammmy on December 21 2009 2:44 PM

I know I'll be applying 10 dollars an hour is better than 8 dollars an hour.

Posted by: Junco on December 21 2009 3:45 PM

Yes Pylot, the Telus call center expansion did materialize. They hired in excess of 75 people.

Posted by: Palopu on December 21 2009 4:39 PM

Thanks Commoner. I missed the fact that Terasen purchased the building. That is a good thing.

Now the question is. How much did Terasen pay for the building, in comparison to what the City paid for it a few years ago. Remember that the City invested huge dollars in this building for wiring for computers etc; Are we getting our money back, or are we taking a bath.???

Posted by: Junco on December 21 2009 6:02 PM

Terasen is union as well. COPE if I am not mistaken. Hopefully the wages will be union wages. We have enough Mcjobs as it is. And yes, a lot can happen in two years. Hope it all pans out for everyone.