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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1254353
42 INVEST in BC 2 0 2 0 Official Publication of the BC Economic Development Association. In special partnership with BCBusiness. CARIBOO ▷ 100 Mile House ▷ Barkerville ▷ Mackenzie ▷ McBride ▷ Prince George ▷ Quesnel ▷ Valemount ▷ Wells ▷ Williams Lake SHARE OF B.C. POPULATION 4% T he Cariboo, encompassing the forested plateau country at British Columbia's heart, is a region populated by a younger, more working-age demographic than the province as a whole. More than in other regions, its residents are likely to live in rural areas and work in goods-producing industries, from cattle ranching to metal fabrication. The exception to this rule is the region's largest city, Prince George. Located at almost the geographic centre of the province and at the crossroads of major road and rail corridors, Prince George is known as the "Hub City" of northern B.C. That also makes it a service centre as well as the logistical staging area for some massive construction projects underway in neighbouring regions: the Site C hydroelectric dam, the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion, and the LNG Canada terminal and its associated Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline. OUTSTANDING POTENTIAL The Cariboo's capital has been buzzing of late with engineers, building contractors and all manner of suppliers for the sizable crews at work in these typically remote work sites. In 2019, for the second year in a row, the city smashed its previous record for the number and value of building permits—a total of 611 projects collectively worth $223 million. "Council is extremely pleased to see these important economic indicators for Prince George are continuing to trend upward," Mayor Lyn Hall said in announcing the year-end numbers. "We are also very pleased that investors, businesses and developers are recognizing the outstanding potential of our city." But Prince George, which has known its share of booms and busts, is taking it all in stride. Its At the Centre of Things The hard-working heart of B.C. is helping make huge capital projects happen TOP: UNIVERSIT Y OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA; RIGHT: TOURISM PRINCE GEORGE NORTHERN CROSSROADS: (top to bottom) University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George; pulp and paper exports have helped offset poor lumber markets; Taseko Mines' Gibraltar copper/molybdenum mine; downtown Prince George; (opposite page) the historic Prince George Railway Bridge