Keep a finger on Prince George's economic pulse. Read our quarterly Economic Development eNewsletter to learn about:

Many products get exported from Prince George every day. What about services though?

There are several businesses located in the city that export their expertise to clients all over the country, including CBIG Group, a provider of custom group benefits and group pension services.

Learn about the CBIG Group and how they grew from operating in Prince George to serving clients across the nation.

Pat Bell knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur very early in life. He has taken many steps (and a couple missteps) on his way to building a group of successful companies in Prince George.

Bell started with buying into the Wendy's franchise before building a winery from scratch and buying a local wine and beer brewing business. Being an entrepreneur is truly in the family for Bell, as two of his children operate the Northern Lights Estate Winery and Hobby Brews by Northern Lights.

Find out how doing business in Prince George and his strong family ties have been integral to his success.

Titan's Den is back after a successful launch in 2020. Following the announcement of this years' event, local entrepreneurs jumped at the chance to register, and now all of the spaces are full. Ten entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to five local Titans who have committed to awarding cash to those who they deem worthy.

Last year, five entrepreneurs walked away with nearly $10,000 combined from five local business Titans to fund their start-ups.

The 2021 Downtown Occupancy Study revealed the vacancy rate in buildings located in Prince George's Central Business District (CBD) has increased slightly. The 2021 vacancy rate rose to 15.06 per cent, representing a 2.36 per cent increase from 2020.

The City of Prince George has been conducting annual surveys of vacancy rates in downtown buildings since 1983. This study examines the floor area available, vacant and leasable space, and commercial high-rise vacancy space. This study does not examine factors that cause vacancy rates to rise or fall.

The BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration Pilot has been re-designed to be more effective in attracting new businesses to participating communities, which include Prince George.

As a result, the City of Prince George has selected new NAICS codes that directly fit with the goals of its 2020-2025 Economic Development Strategy in targeting the following key clusters: Manufacturing, Professional Services, Construction, Forestry, and Transportation and Warehousing.

Specific targets include:

Under the program's previous format, the City achieved positive results with eight foreign entrepreneurs being approved to immigrate to Prince George to start up a new business. The individuals and their business plans have been vetted by both the Provincial and Federal governments.

The development of five target industry clusters has been identified as a priority in the City of Prince George Economic Development Division's “Five-Year Economic Development Strategy”. In order to assist in the growth of each cluster, a skilled local workforce must be made readily available by aligning training programs with each industry's unique needs and addressing other workforce opportunities and challenges.

The Economic Development Division is facilitating the development of a quarterly Workforce and Skill Development Pathways Working Group to bring together educators, private-sector hiring managers, recruiters, workforce development practitioners, and business service organizations so that each cluster’s needs can be understood and solutions for providing a skilled workforce can be identified, developed, and executed by members of the Working Group.

If your business falls into the Forestry, Wood Products, and Bioproducts; Transportation, Warehousing, and E-Commerce; Manufacturing (Machinery, Chemical, and Food); Professional Services (Engineering, Environmental Services, and Resource Management); or Construction sectors and you would like to join the Working Group, please email Christina Doll, Workforce Development Officer at Christina.Doll@princegeorge.ca or 250-561-7633.

The City of Prince George was recognized at the recent Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention for leadership in wood design for the new Fire Hall #1. The City was one of five local governments honoured with a 2021 Community Recognition Award for use of wood in their community projects by Wood WORKS, a national industry-led program of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood products and building systems.

The Economic Development Division has compiled a list of resources available to help you navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on your business in a central location on our website. Resources range from Federal and Provincial supports to banking and insurance. If you would like to speak with a member of the Economic Development team, email ecdev@princegeorge.ca or call 250-561-7633.