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Prince George, British Columbia is a vibrant city serving a region of over 250,000. With a knowledge-based resource economy connected to the world, we welcome investment, promote growth and host a competitive business climate in the heart of beautiful British Columbia, Canada - home of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The world’s emerging transportation routes are shifting focus to Prince George. Situated on the newest, shortest and most uncongested trade routes connecting the Asia-Pacific to North America, Prince George is a growing multimodal transportation hub and has seen over $200 million in private and public investment the past two years to support this growth. CN Worldwide operates the closest intermodal point to the newest and fastest growing container port in North America in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Prince George Airport has the third longest runway in Canada to service transpacific air cargo markets.
Prince George is a supply and service centre for resource development in the region (forestry, mining, green bioenergy). The largest employment sectors are in trades, manufacturing, health care, tourism, construction, education, transportation and warehousing.
The University of Northern British Columbia and College of New Caledonia make Prince George a strong and growing center of research and teaching, driving competitive resource based industries in the region, and supporting a strong quality of life for the population.
Target sectors for Investment Attraction and Trade Development:
Transportation and Logistics – Prince George Global Logistics Park
Prince George is strategically located on North America’s fastest growing trade corridors connecting Asian and North American markets through the Port of Prince Rupert and the Prince George Airport (YXS). The Prince George Airport provides an 11,451 foot runway and fueling apron to service transpacific cargo traffic as a cost-effective alternative to Anchorage with rail and road intermodal opportunities.
The Prince George Global Logistics Park is a new light industrial park ready for development of on-airport and off-airport warehousing, manufacturing, assembly and packaging operations. The land will build on the economic opportunities provided by the runway expansion and transshipment operations at YXS.
Key infrastructure investment since 2007:
- 11,451 foot runway giving YXS the third longest commercial runway in Canada ($36m)
- CN Worldwide Intermodal and Distribution centre serving forest product export demand to Asia and Europe, providing North America’s fastest container service ($20m)
- Highway and road upgrades in Prince George and region to service Prince George as a transportation hub ($200m +)
- Global Logistics Park (3000 acres) is the largest tract of air-serviced industrial land to come to market over the past 20 years. This includes the newly announced Boundary Road and represents over $100m of investment to date.
Forest Products and Green Renewable Energy
Attractive opportunities for investment and trade abound in Prince George given the healthy long-term prognosis for the industry here.
Canada’s lumber, pulp and paper industries are centered in Prince George in Northern British Columbia. The largest companies in solid wood include Canfor, Carrier Lumber, Conifex, Sinclar Mills, Winton Global, and West Fraser. In pulp and paper - Canfor Pulp Limited Partnership is the largest mill in Prince George and is also invested in co-generation for energy production.
With two-thirds of Canada’s fibre resources and now abundant ‘pine beetle wood’ the amount of fibre in Northern British Columbia is increasing and driving expansion of the forest industry into energy production. Canada’s pellet manufacturing industry is focused in the Prince George region, the largest companies include Pacific Bioenergy, Premium Pellet and Pinnacle Pellet. In addition to co-generation, other bioenergy products in various levels of pilot and commercial production in Prince George include Alterna Biocarbon, Northwind Ethanol. District and institutional energy systems are also in development with University of Northern BC, City of Prince George, and Baldy Hughes Treatment Centre.
Mining Exploration and Development
British Columbia’s mineral exploration and mining industry is experiencing growth, much of it focused in Northern British Columbia. Prince George is a growing supply and service centre to the industry. There are currently nine operating mines in Northern BC, five mines are under development and seventeen proposals in various stages of review with the provincial and federal governments. A number of advanced exploration projects are completing feasibility studies. Copper, gold, molybdenum, zinc are key minerals in abundance. Terrane Metals’ Mt. Milligan Project located northwest of Prince George has expanded estimated gold reserves to six million ounces, mine construction is expected to begin in 2010.
Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Land Development
Manufacturing employs over 4,500 people in Prince George, over half are employed in non-wood sectors. Fabricated metal products, machinery, transportation equipment are produced in shops that use robotics, CAD/CAM, and CNC technologies. Chemical manufacturing and oil refining operations are also found here presenting opportunities for co-locating new chemical processes to utilize intermediate products.
Attractive greenfield investment development opportunities exist for manufacturing operations to fuel growth in alternative and low carbon industry sectors including solar, wind, biomass. An industrial land strategy provides market ready lands available to meet this demand.
