BCBusiness

May 2018 The New Money

With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.

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" t he Energetic City," Fort St. John is the province's largest centre north of Prince George. Though many British Columbians have never paid it a visit, the trading hub has thrived in recent years. At a respectable 3.4 percent from 2012 to 2017, Fort St. John's population growth outpaced the B.C. average. The city's slogan is a double entendre: one of B.C.'s biggest producers of oil and natural gas, it also has a decidedly youthful population. The local government's e…orts to draw working people appear to be e…ective, given that as a group, locals are 8.8 years younger than the average British Columbian. The main reason for the population surge is unusu- ally high wages across every industry, from the service and oil and gas sectors to agriculture and forestry. For that reason and others, Fort St. John took the No. 1 spot in this magazine's latest Best Cities for Work in B.C. ranking. Among the metrics that put it on top were average house- hold income under age 35—a whopping $123,744; no other city exceeded $100,000—and "ve-year income growth. Besides collecting a healthy paycheque, what keeps people in Fort St. John? We're guessing it isn't the winters, which can be some of the coldest in the province. Nor is it the wild"res that occasionally threaten evacuation of the town. Rather, it's a community spirit that brings people together no matter the weather. Regularly updated on the city's website, events like the 45-year-old Fort St. John Trade Show are almost always well attended. When winter hits, you can "nd residents huddled up at Whole Wheat Honey Café or at the two hockey arenas (one also serves as the only voting station dur- ing municipal elections). And when summer rolls around, there's a reason Fort St. John was No. 1 in the province for average house- hold spending on recreation in the most recent Best Cities for Work survey. The sun stays out almost all night during the dog days, illuminating the hilly terrain, so make sure you've got thick blinds if you're calling it quits early. Fire"ghters sent to the area (just in case!) often become part of a young community bent on enjoying the Peace River region's many outdoor pursuits. That means hiking, mountain biking and "shing, and lots of it. The many forest trails are packed with wheels and feet most of the year, even in the snow. Fort St. John is worth the trek, it would seem. —N.C. fort St. John opportunity is always knocking in what's often ranked one of B.C.'s best places to work F O R M O R E C I T I E S , S E E BcBUsInEss.cA/BccITYgUIdE S TA R T I N G M AY 1 0 PeoPle populAtion: 28,386 Age DistRibution (<45, 45-64, >64): 56.4%, 32.3%, 11.3% HouseHolD inCoMe: $139,305 AveRAge HouseHolD inCoMe unDeR 45: $134,687 HouSing AveRAge DetACHeD HoMe pRiCe: $419,900 AveRAge ConDoMiniuM pRiCe: $316,000 AveRAge MontHly Rent foR A two-beDRooM ApARtMent: $1,024 Work Key inDustRies: oil and natural gas; forestry; agriculture; hospitality and tourism RegionAl uneMployMent: 4.5% (february) BuSineSS totAl vAlue of builDing peRMits issueD in 2017: $272,679 CHAnge fRoM 2016: –55.3% Cost of A business liCenCe: $125 business pRopeRty tAx RAte: $21 per $1,000 of assessed value AveRAge offiCe leAse RAte peR sQ. ft./yeAR: $18-$20.90 AveRAge RetAil leAse RAte: $19 Quality of life MAjoR ReCReAtionAl AMenities: two skating rinks; curling rink; water park; indoor pool; speed- skating oval; hiking and mountain-biking trails ResiDents wHo wAlK oR biKe to woRK: 5.8% JASOnWOODHEAD23/FLICKR MAy 2018 BCBusiness 57

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