Our Mayor needs to get on with the duties of council and forget the airy fairy ideas of twining cities that are many times larger then ours and really have no common interest.

Our Mayor was dreaming when he told us that we had a similar commercial and industrial base. All we produce is pulp and 2X4's.
Cheers

Considering that our biggest trading partner is the USA, one would think that maybe we should invite some Americans to the City for a **show and tell session**

All this Chinese hype is pure BS. I for one would also like to see the Mayor and Council get to work looking after the day to day business of the City.

Leave the International Trade relations to the Provincial and Federal Governments where it belongs.

Maybe hizzoner should ask the delegates how they fill their pot holes back home thus keeping a lot of people happy.

It looks to me like the present state of city politics in Toronto is very similar to the present state of city politics here in Prince George. The following is taken from an editorial in today's Toronto Sun in which they endorse Rob Ford's candidacy for Mayor of Toronto in their election next week. Hopefully someone who espouses the same views as Rob Ford runs for Mayor of Prince George in our election next fall.

"The current political regime in charge of City Hall needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into a new era where taxpayers come first."

"Property taxpayers are fed up with a council that serves Toronto’s elites and fawns over special interest groups, while putting their concerns last.

It’s time for this council to be accountable to taxpayers.

It’s time to restore sanity to the city’s budget."

"The sea change Ford is promising — putting property taxpayers ahead of politicians, special interests and public sector unions — is enormous."

http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2010/10/15/15709431.html

When I hear about our leaders and the Chinese getting together, why does CSIS always pop up in the back of my mind? Maybe watching TV and reading National newspapers does that.

dont take them downtown, although it may be impossible to avoid after picking them up at the airport. Bet they stay at the casino hotel.

"...maybe we should invite some Americans to the City..."

What for? They are on the brink of an economic/financial/societal meltdown whereas China is still in somewhat of a boom cycle.

We don't need China. We have too much of it in our stores now. Let's keep our jobs here and tell China and Dan Rogers to 'sex and travel'.

"All this Chinese hype is pure BS"
hahahahahahahahah
Thanks for that - go back to complaining about the runway expansion, at least that was tolerable...

Lets figure this out, in order for us to maintain our living standards we need to sell resources and possibly be able to get into value added. The good thing about the chinesse is that their economy is expanding and they got money.

Sure the 'merican are our biggest trading economy. But they are slowly becoming dinosaurs, and they are not going to be the econmic superpower in twenty, thirty years. So we quietly place focus on the economy which will likely be the biggest economic force in the world in twenty or thirty years. We are not going to abandon the 'mericans, we are just trying to double our economy by serving both of them.

I personally think they are doing the right thing, I think we should be getting multi million dollar subsidies from the province and the feds for doin all this, they are going to benefit from the taxes.

The airport expansion, the world of freight moving changes monthly, we do not have it together enough to make it viable for the airlines to consider us. We need a fueling station so that these planes can fuel up, this mean Sands Bulk needs to get that built. The other item is Boundry Roads need to be completed so that we can truck stuff out of there. Where is the warehouse developement, that is only going to happen after there is services such as water, sewer, power and natural gas. It is a few more investments to go. Building the runway was the cheapest part.

the chinese are to blame for the overblown real estate market in the lowermainland. yes they have the money...and to get something they just offer to pay more...it has affected the market in the lower mainland to the effect that it has made it impossible for home ownership there. keep them out of pg or you will be sorry. they bring their own form of gangs also.

If the twining produced legitimate complimentary relationships, then it would have some validity. I can't see how this twinning with Jiangmen China is anything other than political.

Where are PG's strengths for an off continent export market win-win partnership?

2x4's, pulp and paper, wood pellets, industrial and civil technology, investor capital?

What do we need from an off continent market?

Winter holiday retreats, immigrants that share our values, clean fresh produce?

IMO the best fit for a twin city partnership would be a place like the island city of Davao Philippines (4 million people) for all the reasons listed above.

A city about to embark upon a major transformation full of opportunities to use the resources we produce and are endowed with... a city about to build a mass transit system, with residential housing needs, prime agricultural lands, the worlds best holiday resort potential, democratic Christian conservatives that share our values, and a huge need for a biofuel to not only supply their energy grid, but to supply their home cooking needs as they have no access to natural gas and are sensitive to global warming implications.

IMO there is no better fit for PG than Davao for a potential win-win economic relationship anywhere else in the world. IMO there is no better economic opportunity in the next twenty years anywhere else in the world, and we could get in on the ground floor enabling a real win-win relationship that works for both cities, rather than just make political hay with the flavor of the day.

Time will tell how it all works out I guess....

It is unbelievable to think that we can throw a blanket over ourselves and believe that we can leave global economic influences out of Prince George. That is a pretty naive look on what is happening in the world today.

The internet changed everything. Information moves too quickly and we need to come to this realization and capitalize. We sell our lumber too cheaply. The wood that holds up our roof is the most important component in house.... so why is it that it is the cheapest component.

We need to find ways to add value to our wood instead of just giving it away, for a few hours of work per thousand bd ft.

We need to learn to sell, we need to learn to market.

Welcome to Pr Geo and B.C where everything is for sale.

"Thanks for that - go back to complaining about the runway expansion, at least that was tolerable..."

Thanks to the constant whining, bitching and griping about the runway extension it has been decided to shorten it again to its former less offensive length.

Good one charles. Just wjhat the doctor ordered for Prince George.
And Pal go for it. Sounds OK to me.
Cheers