I have very little faith in the future of PG under its current political leadership at all levels.

For the first time home buyers in the last year, the pit they felt in their stomach yesterday upon hearing about the census figures was the thought of vanishing equity and unnecessary debt as a result of all the baseless hype that has fuelled the housing market in this town for the last couple of years. Clearly those who bought in the last couple of years are in for a world of pain and suffering financially when reality sinks in for this town. It never ceased to amaze me the realtors that could spin the hype as if it were insider truth and do it with a straight honest looking face. ‘I just don’t know what they know’ was the often heard come back.

I saw a flier from Dick Harris the other day that said he was working to find solutions to the pine beetle problem. I think we are long past the part of looking for solutions and should be well into the implementation of plans at this point. His flier said nothing of anything he is actually doing right now other than just looking around. That has been a big part of the problem the last few years.

It is now show me the money (plans) time and all the politicians including our local city councillors have come up empty.

This city lost 2100 jobs in its job market last year and yet we are told these are the good time and the potential for bad times is still a decade away. Hype was good to a point, maybe this community was due for some of that, but the fact remains we should balance that with some reality or its the people that plan to call this city home that will be hurt the most.

The city has no leadership and is drifting quickly into a hole it may never climb out of. For example it is highly possible that Grande Prarrie will soon replace PG as the service center for the north. PG will just become another Quesnel, if we are lucky.

Well said Ben, I quite like Prince George the size that it is, it's the friendliest
city in BC and I hope it will remain that way. We lived in Kamloops for 11 years and no one ever said hello to you on the street. One must remember that along with growth comes more crime, it concerns me that the crime level in PG is far too high and I beleive that more effort should be made to get the upper hand on this problem.

Well folks, it is an illusion to believe that PG is a "service center for the North". It has NOT been that since the early '80s; when those so called "trade delegations" from PG alienated every community in the North by DEMANDING that the residents and businesses in those communities HAD to shop in PG. That arrogant reputation is still embarrassing, and explains why so much business bypasses the City.

The City has plenty of qualified leadership, unfortunately it does not understand the image it portrays to its customers, both internal and external.

Prince George needs to take a moment and really look at itself in the mirror and stop pretending that it is something it is NOT. It is time for the City to admit its needs and reinvent itself.

There are mammoth opportunities in PG to attract and keep young, growing families. Enormous, honest fortunes to cultivate and share without greed !

There IS a guaranteed future ... ripe with warm security, exciting prosperity and wonderful experiences for every citizen among those 72,000 who wants to contribute.

We only need a slight course correction to reveal that incredible future. If there has ever been a time to step forward... this is it.

I am on Bens side here. There is a lot of evidence that PG is doing well and has done well for itself over the last 20 years. We have more services, more stores and relatively minor problems. The city is small enough to be friendly ( i was won over by this town in the first month i moved here by just that fact). We have a strong sensse of community in that the people who live here tend to want to stay, regardless of what they may tell their friends. We, as a community have the strength that comes from having survived both good times AND bad.
I would invite chadermando and rrabbit to come up with some viable ideas. Positive ones. It isnt constructive to talk about drifting into holes we may never be able to climb out of or to talk about course coorections and then not say what they are.
I think that if we have the services we need and that if we have enough jobs, then 70 thousand is plenty!

I have had many constructive ideas, but I can't fight the provincial government and their VANOC lawyers and still put forward my plan. I developed an Eco-tourism 2010 plan that would do the following:

•Marketing Co-op for combined marketing activities.
•Booking agent services for all members.
•Travel planner services on-line.
•Industry standards followed by all members.
•Job search services for employers and employees.
•Small start up assistance for prospective businesses to help develop a critical mass to the industry.
•Advocacy for eco-tourism access and infrastructure in place by 2010. (ie parks boat launches, trails ect)
•Remote video monitoring of special wildlife locations for wildlife understanding and protection.

All of which would aid and assist economic diversification in Northern BC at a critical time when it is needed and has the opportunity to be successful. Good ideas that don't come out of the liberal party are just ideas, and will be opposed by the government unless it is done with provincial dollars with political appointments. The city of PG would not want to upset the provincial government and so we get what we deserve. In my case I have a team of provincially funded VANOC lawyers stopping my idea at every turn in the name of the Olympics. The name registries office, the trademark opposition, and the latest is through Revenue Canada.

I believe unless we are allowed to diversify our economy than we are bound to drift into a hole of economic catastrophe for this region as the pine beetle leaves its mark. Maybe a few athletes from China will save us, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't bet on it.

One thing I do agree on is that PG does not have to be bigger than 70,000 to be one of the best places to live in BC, if and only if, we all have jobs 5 years from now.

Time Will Tell

PS Two questions I have:
1.Should VANOC own the year 2010 and any use of the general use term of the year 2010 in the marketing of other events throughout the province with no relation to the Olympics?
2.Should all provincial expenditures for the promotion of tourism in the year 2010 be solely for the benefit of the Lower Mainland Olympics?

I think you have the answers to your questions chadermando, I assume the questions were rhetorical. Most folks around here would agree there is already too little attention paid to the 'heartland' of B.C. you know, the areas beyond Hope. Also known as the area that pays most of the bills, and whose residents have to take a bus to the big smoke to see a doctor. Oh yeah, the Olympics (oops, am I allowed to say Olympic? I know that word is protected and licensed)
metalman.

And still instead of helping the city of PG tries to run even more businesses away.
Great jobs to be had at the peelet plant, or asphault producers, for just 2 examples....yet the city is trying to screw them every chance they get.
No wonder some have left.