Iwama Says Will Exists for Campus Downtown

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 11:27 AM

Prince George, B.C. - University of Northern B.C. President, Dr. George Iwama, told a group of business and civic representatives, he believes there will be a campus of UNBC in the downtown although how it will look or the programs it will offer are not yet clear.

Praising the University for its community connections, “I have always thought a university needs to be part of the community and to help the community meet its needs.”

“There has been a lot of talk about the wood innovation and design centre It is still in its early days, we have yet to put together a treasury board application. We have a site which was gifted to us through the Bank of Montreal and we have services there, but certainly there are other potential sites including the one across the street.” He is referring to the Prince George Hotel which was recently purchased by the City. The City says there are no plans for that site, but the City is anxious to prepare it for possible development.

There will be more discussions next week says Iwama on what kind of programs will be offered at the Wood Innovation Centre. “This is not going to be the satellite campus of UNBC, we need to have a vibrant program here, I share Pat Bell’s vision of having 500 students at this centre” . He says there will need to be transportation direct between the downtown and the main campus.

“The way a wood innovation centre looks in downtown is fuzzy, very fuzzy in fact, but there is a will to have it.” He says he has a great deal of optimism that this centre will happen.

FormerPremier Mike Harcourt advised Iwama that what needs tobe done is topresent a package that is so attractive the Province cannot back away "They should be looking at an offer they can't refuse, and told that this is an investment in the north in which they should feel priviledged to take part."

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Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 11:27 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: He spoke on May 26 2010 2:18 PM

"I have a DREAM" a fuzzy one, but its still a dream

Posted by: Born in BC on May 26 2010 3:15 PM

Downtown Vancouver was rebuilt around BC Place and years later the new library and GM Place.

PG missed a chance at instant downtown revitalization when the Multiplex became a peice of urban sprawl (Im surprised the local politicians arent pushing for the Springfield monorail). A significant downtown camplus would put it back on the right track (although northern communities re built around rinks). Put the MBA program and the school of business in the downtown core. Add a business incubator (or expand, whatever). Businesses will follow the student popluation. Then, maybe, 10 years later, the downtown wouldnt be a total embarassment.

Posted by: gus on May 26 2010 3:52 PM

"Downtown Vancouver was rebuilt around BC Place and years later the new library and GM Place."

That is a very strange notion about what is "downtown" Vancouver and how wherever it is it was rebuilt.

The reasons those centres are there is because the land value was the lowest there. In PG, that would be the dying industrial area to the east of Queensway. The rest got built there because it was virtually the only developable land available. There is still the old bus station next to the QE. That is slated to be the new Art Gallery. It is empty and it is cheap comapred to other alternatives. And yes, because people like to live on the peninsula, they will work and live around that proposed new development.

Go see Kelowna and see what would happen here. And Kelowana is a rapidly growing city, unlike PG.

We could have built the box stores that are at College heights to the east of Queensway. The flood plains can be accommodated if one wants to. Then build the arena at the entrance to College Heights the same as what they did in Ottawa - outside of downtown on a main highway.

Posted by: StreetWise2 on May 26 2010 4:04 PM

The multiplex downtown is one of the most outrageous ideas I have ever hear. 75% of the property that the multiplex currently sits on is parking lot. We don't have the mass public transit system that Vancouver does for moving thousands of people to one spot so parking is always an issue.

If some people had their way there would be two things downtown - the University and the Multiplex - the rest would just be parking lot. Our downtown is too small to accomadate such large buildings and parking lots.

Posted by: metalman on May 26 2010 4:52 PM

Spotted on the streets of Prince George, (keep back 10 metres-considered dangerous) the infamous 20/20 hindsight juggernaut.
metalman.

Posted by: Eagleone on May 26 2010 9:48 PM

Iwama sells out his university for the sake of street cred with the so called 'players' in the region is the result of his in any way giving in on the break up of the university into downtown satellite campuses.

A real leader would not go along with the fuzzy, but rather come out strong with his own competing bid and show clearly why the integrity of the university should remain intact.