bcbusiness.ca december 2014 BCBusiness 57
PriNCe GeOrGe, B.C.
668 km northWest of mayerthorpe
The Prince George Chamber of Commerce is
staffed exclusively by women. It's proof that
Christy Ray, the Chamber's
CEO, is onto some-
thing when she says northern B.C. offers oppor-
tunities that aren't readily available elsewhere.
Ray, 38, is originally from Smithers, though she's lived
all over the country. Despite the movement, she says her
stakes in the Gateway project are personal. "I'm raising my
family here and intend to have a very long history in Prince
George," Ray says. "What I would like to see is new industry
and economic development [come] into the region, balanced
with environmental safety and respect for aboriginal issues.
I think it's a really common attitude."
Prince George sits over the Rocky Mountains from Mayer-
thorpe. It's the largest community on the B.C. side that's close
to the proposed Gateway route. Still, unlike Bruderheim
or Mayerthorpe, the pipe will be relatively far from Prince
George, meaning a spill wouldn't directly affect the town.
Prince George is a key battleground for Enbridge. It's a
resource town filled with people who've moved here from
elsewhere, who are supportive of the project. But it's also
home to a strong contingent of aboriginal groups and envi-
ronmentalists dead set against the pipeline.
Most of B.C. is untreatied territory. As a result, Enbridge
has invested more resources in winning support here—the
Aboriginal Benefits Package offers First Nations 10 per cent
ownership in the project, working out to about a quarter-
million dollars per year per community over 30 years. As
a result of dozens of open houses, Enbridge redesigned
the pipe itself, increasing its wall thickness to respond to
concerns. And recently, the company opened a community
engagement office right downtown.
The efforts are meaningless to Vincent Prince. Prince, 51,
is from the Nak'azdli Band, north of Prince George. He bucks
any potential anti-business aboriginal stereotype. In the late
1990s, after stints as a construction worker and teacher, he
founded the Aboriginal Business and Community Develop-
ment Centre. As director, Prince works with small aboriginal
companies to cash in on the resource development in the
region, helping them register on contractor databases and
incorporate their businesses to become more attractive to
industry.
"I understand the economic component of [Gateway]—
I'm right in the middle of it," Prince says. "I help aboriginal
people start businesses, run businesses, expand businesses.
I do it day in, day out." But, he continues, "I really don't
understand the large support, and even the marginal sup-
port, of the Gateway pipeline. The short-term benefits are
just not worth the risk."
PoPulation
88,000
part of spectra energy's
natural gas gathering system
north of prince George, B.C.
