June 2014 BCBusiness 51 university of northern b.c.
b y k r i s t e n h i l d e r m a n
Y
ou could say Prince George has a reputation
problem—partly stemming from the unfortu-
nate title "Most Dangerous City in Canada"
bestowed upon it by Maclean's magazine in
2010, 2011 and 2012. According to Heather
Oland,
CEO of Initiatives Prince George, the city's
economic development corporation, one-sided press
is the plight of those cities many miles from a media
centre; when we read about them at all, it's headlines
about fires, floods and murders. "I think that's really
unfortunate because mid-sized Canadian cities give
people incredible opportunities that they miss out
on in the big cities," says Oland.
In the coming year, though, the press is poised to
change for Prince George. With the city's centennial,
the University of Northern B.C.'s 25-year anniversary
and the arrival of the Canada Winter Games, 2015
provides an undeniable opportunity for the north-
ern B.C. city of 80,000 to capitalize on its growing (if
more quietly trumpeted) reputation for innovation
in the forestry sector, an acclaimed university and
an increasingly diverse economy.
Perhaps nothing embodies the new face of Prince
George more than the $25.1-million Wood Innova-
tion Design Centre. Once complete this fall, the cen-
tre will be North America's tallest contemporary
all-wood building, standing 29 metres high, and
will be a living example of new wood-construction
possibilities; it will be home to office space, plus aca-
demic and research programs from
UNBC that focus
on advanced building systems, including a Master
of Engineering program specializing in wood build-
ing and innovation. Located downtown next to
the recently renovated Ramada hotel, the centre is
expected to contribute to the broader downtown
revitalization project underway in advance of the
Winter Games—which includes improving building
the economic engine of the north will be in the spotlight
in 2015–and not just because of a certain royal baby
The Rebirth of
Prince George
s p e c i a l r e p o r t
Northern B.c.
innovation
north In 2015
UNBC celebrates
its 25th
anniversary.
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