Ten years ago Kelowna had a populaton of 93000 people to-day it has a population of 110,000. Thats an increase of 17000 people in 10 years.
10 years ago Prince George had a population of 78000 to-day it has a population of 77000 that a decrease of 1000 people. In the last 10 years there has been next to nothing happening in Prince George that would attract tourists. Extending the Airport to try to attract bigger planes and to sell gas is a pipe dream. Planes are being built that carry more passengers and fly further without refueling. There will be little or no money available to extend these runways unless you can significantly increase the number of people flying in and out of this Airport. With the forcasts of Major downsizing in the future because of the Pine Beetle ect; the flat lining of the local population, it is highly unlikely that you will increase air travel much beyond where it is to-day.

This Mike Tretheway guy sounds like he knows what he is talking about. I think he is bang on with his assessment and that we shouldn't listen to the defeatists that look at the glass half empty. If you build it they will come.

The facts are we have significant advantages with a major oil refinery here in town, our transportation links, as well as our geographic proximaty at the center of the worlds largest trading routes. The market is there for our taking if we can get some politicians with a real understanding of the oportunities that this region is missing out on.

I think this kind of thing should have been acted on 20 years ago, so we are already 20 years behind the curve.

Time Will Tell

Charmando. It is not unusual to refer to people as defeatist, or negative, especially in this town if they do not agree with the constant B.S. about how this City is going to grow. There is such a thing a being a realist.

The idea that if you build it they will come is just a bunch of BS about an old movie where a bunch of ballplayers walked out of a cornfield. It was all fiction, much like this Airport idea. You better be sure they will come before you build it, or you will have a lot of empty pavement, that cost you millions of dollars.

Gander NL has been a major International Airport since the end of World War 11, the population of Gander in 1991 was 10,339 people, in 1996 it was 10,364, and in 2001 it was 9,651. Having an International Airport does not necessarily mean Major Growth or Jobs. Prince George Airport was relocated to its present site from Hiway 16 west (Ballfields/Superstore) after the 2nd World War and it remains much the same size now as it was then.

When the Japanese and Taiwanese people started to earn money they travelled all over the World, however I never saw to many in Prince George, I did see them is Jasper, Banff, Vancouver, Victoria, etc; and I would expect the same will happen with the Chinese and people from India. We would have to have some reason for them to come here, and for the life of me I cant think what that might be.

I have talked to and seen thousands of people over the years from Vancouver, Prince George, Alberta, all heading to the Okanagan/Kamloops/Vernon area for holidays. However it is a rare day indeed when you see them coming to Prince George to spend a two week holiday. You will never have to worry about being forced off the sidewalk by tourists in this town.

Prince George is the centre of the Province, however all that means is we are 500 Miles from Vancouver, 500 Miles from Prince Rupert 300/400 Miles from the Okanagan 500 Miles from Edmonton, 700 Miles from Calgary. In other words fairly well isolated.

As far a fueling International Flights here with cheaper gas (assuming you could get them to come) what would stop them from increasing the price of gas as soon as they get the increased business. Also I am not sure that this refinery here actually produces Jet Fuel. I wouldnt be suprised if it was trucked in from Edmonton, or Fort Sask Alta.

If the Federal Government hadnt set up the Airport Authoritys to run these airports and therefore abandon their responsibility while keeping the tax dollars we pay for Airports, and getting additional revenue from the Airport Societys that run the airports (Double Taxation) there would not even be a discussion about increasing the runway at PG Airport.

The mandate for Airport Societys is that all monies earned must be invested into improvements of the Airport and therefore they immediately start looking for projects to spend money on. It does not necessarily follow that the projects they pick makes sense from a practical point of view.

Palopu, you are focused on the negatives. I tend to see the positives. You see PG as severely isolated from a provincial perspective, where as I see PG as the centre of a global trading hub connecting North America’s East Coast with the Pacific Rim tiger economies and beyond.For you anything that involves investment risk is a bunch of BS. I tend to think all great things come from investment risk. On the tourism front you say PG is and always will be a hopeless cause. That IMO is defeatist even if it is true. Hope that doesn’t offend you. PG IMO has an outdoor market that is rivalled by none and marketed by even less. IMO PG eco-tourism has potential to hold a consistent market share of the tourist dollar in Western Canada if we were to market to our strengths and show the potential tourists something they will not see in their own country or elsewhere.Time Will Tell

Palopu, you are focused on the negatives. I tend to see the positives. You see PG as severely isolated from a provincial perspective, where as I see PG as the centre of a global trading hub connecting North America’s East Coast with the Pacific Rim tiger economies and beyond.

For you anything that involves investment risk is a bunch of BS. I tend to think all great things come from investment risk.

On the tourism front you say PG is and always will be a hopeless cause. That IMO is defeatist even if it is true. Hope that doesn’t offend you. PG IMO has an outdoor market that is rivalled by none and marketed by even less. IMO PG eco-tourism has potential to hold a consistent market share of the tourist dollar in Western Canada if we were to market to our strengths and show the potential tourists something they will not see in their own country or elsewhere.

Time Will Tell

Charmando. Time will tell?? How much time do you need. Every City/Town from Prince /Rupert to Hope and North to Dawson Creek has a declining population. Hiway 16 west is a national disgrace as is the Hart Hway and 97 South. We cant seem to get our Governments to do anything for this part of the Country. The streets in the City of Prince George are an embarresment. At best you can come up with 2 Hotels that wouldnt turn tourists off. Our downtown stinks and sucks. with boarded up windows, broken glass, etc; etc; Thats just some of the things that come to mind.

Instead of fixing our roads, or the Camerson St. Bridge we are going to spend $850,000.00 on a replay board at CN Centre so 3000 hockey fans can watch a replay. However we cant spend 724,000.00 to repair the Camerson St. Bridge which is used by 8000 people per day and by being out of commission is costing business on River Road and 1st Avenue hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue and additional costs. This bridge could be repaired and fixed up and would be of interest to tourists, along with the CN Bridge over the Fraser.

Talking about tourism and economic growth is one thing. Actually doing something about it is another.
So far all I hear and see in this town is talk. Take a trip into the bush and look at the devastation being caused by clear cut logging. Go to some of the lakes that are off the beaten track and you will see that the Government took out the Toilet Facilities and Wood, and people are now using the ground for Toilets and chopping the trees down for firewood. Is that eco-tourism. Is this what you want to show to tourists. Give me some of your ideas and I might change my mind.

The only thing that this town can do on a consistant basis is spend taxpayers dollars, however at some point (Probably after the Sports Centre, Co-Gen Plant, Performing Arts Centre, Police Station) they might run out of things to build and then concentrate on some ideas for tourists.