Here is another great Top 10

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Hi All

This past week I attended the annual “Round Up” conference for the exploration side of the mining industry and what a conference it was. The mood and tone in the industry is exceptional right now and we should see significant growth in mining over the next couple of years. With this week being the conference I thought I would focus this week’s Top 10 on some interesting stats on mining in B.C..

British Columbia is set to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, which kicks off Thursday, along with a variety of Lunar New Year events reflecting the Asia-Pacific influence that has helped build this province over the past 150 years. We encourage everyone to celebrate the instrumental role the Chinese community has played in building and bettering our province, and to enjoy Lunar New Year over the next 15 days. In our region Exploration Place is hosting a Chinese New Year’s Dinner on Feb 5, it’s always a great event. Xai, Xai!

Have a great week!  Pat Bell - http://www.patbellmla.bc.ca/

1.    Mining in B.C. is a $6 billion industry, as estimated for 2010.

2.    Mineral exploration spending rose to more than $322 million in 2010, more than doubling the 2009 figure of $154 million and the 3rd highest year on record!

3.    B.C. has 10 coal mines and 10 metal mines in operation.

4.    There are more than 50 thriving industrial minerals mines in B.C. The total number of aggregate and industrial mineral pits and quarries is over 650.

5.    There were 380 exploration projects active in the province in 2010.

6.    B.C. produces and exports a significant amount of metallurgical coal, copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum and industrial minerals every year.

7.    B.C. is the world’s second-largest exporter of seaborne metallurgical coal.

8.    The B.C. coal industry provides over 3,800 direct jobs.

9.    In 2010, the price of metallurgical coal rose by 70 per cent, copper by 45 per cent, silver by 37 per cent and gold by 25 per cent from 2009.

10. In 2010, more than 28,400 people were employed in the minerals economy in over 50 B.C. communities: approximately 11,400 in mining, 2,700 in exploration and the rest in smelting, refining and downstream mineral processing.

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Dean Birks

Royal LePage Prince George

Marketing Kit Invites Accelerated Investment in Prince George’s City Centre

Initiatives Prince George Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Downtown Partnership today released a City Centre marketing kit aimed at attracting investment in downtown projects. The kit will be a major tool in upcoming marketing events and activities IPG and the City of Prince George will engage in, beginning with the annual International Council of Shopping Centres Conference this coming weekend. As well, realtors and others representing downtown properties can use the marketing kit to support their own efforts.

A feature component of the kit is a 16 page full-colour prospectus highlighting development opportunities in the City Centre of Prince George. Flowing from the ‘Smart Growth on the Ground’ plan completed in 2009, the brochure maps out projects in catalyst districts of the downtown. It also describes current and planned investment, both public and private, including stimulus projects like the $25m RCMP Detachment and $15m Downtown District Energy System that the City of Prince George is moving forward with in its commitment to downtown revitalization.

The development of the marketing kit is one of a series of action items identified in the Downtown Partnership’s plan for downtown development.

Mayor Dan Rogers, Chair of the multi-stakeholder Downtown Partnership states, “An effective and targeted marketing program has been recognized as a major component of an integrated downtown development strategy, and I have no doubt that this product will attract the interest of investors.”

The prospectus affirms economic growth stimulus to the city overall stemming from Prince George’s successful bid to host the 2015 Canada Winter Games; expansion of regional resource development and its impact on the city as a supply and services centre; the growth of Prince George as an international transportation hub; Prince George being ranked #1 as having the most cost-competitive business location amongst cities profiled in Pacific US and Canada by KPMG; and dominance as a health and education centre.

Katherine Scouten, Vice President Economic Development for Initiatives Prince George and co-lead on the Downtown Partnership is optimistic about the impact of marketing, “Prince George is experiencing growth after a long period of diversification, and this brings genuine opportunity for investment and re-vitalization in the core of Northern BC’s largest city.” The impact of today’s launch is buoyed by other news this week that BC Stats has estimated Prince George’s population growth this past year at 1.2% following 4 years of consecutive growth of 0.8% annually. Scouten adds, “This confirms the time is right”.

Development sites owned and promoted by the City of Prince George are identified in the Prospectus, along with prospective mixed use, commercial, residential and institutional projects for the City Centre.

Ian Wells, Manager Real Estate for the City and also co-lead with the Downtown Partnership adds, “Revitalization is underway already in our downtown, we look forward to communicating this with developers while discussing specific projects.”

Further marketing activities and events are planned for 2011, and will include more detail on the new Revitalization Tax Exemption by-law that the City of Prince George will advance this year. The new program currently under development includes an ‘early-benefit’ option for developers that would make it unique within British Columbia.

Partners in this project are members of the Downtown Partnership: City of Prince George, Initiatives Prince George, Downtown Prince George, Lheidli T’enneh, RCMP, Prince George Chamber of Commerce, Beyond Homelessness Standing Committee, Prince George Native Friendship Centre, and Northern Health.

Contact Initiatives Prince George at 250-564-0282 for more information about the marketing kit, or visit www.pgcitycentre.ca  the prospectus can be downloaded.

This week’s Top 10 is actually a “Top 12” and a summary of some of the highlights of 2010. It’s always easy to forget a year and a short year in review is always worthwhile.

Have a great week!

Pat Bell - http://www.patbellmla.bc.ca/

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January – Having the Olympic Torch come through Prince George and Mackenzie was certainly a highlight and brought the Olympics closer to us all!

February – We brought the world to B.C when 3.5 billion people from around the world witnessed the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver, the most successful Winter Games ever!

March –Announced $87 million for 51 new provincial highway projects in northern B.C., bringing the value of ongoing highway construction across the region to more than $200 million.

April – “Site C” moves to the next phase and a detailed environmental assessment. This project will create about 35,000 person years of work and will be a real benefit to our economy!

May – Agreements in place make the Northwest Transmission Line a reality, opening up the Northwest to some of the clean energy potential that has been identified in the region and creating jobs with a   $404 million investment through its partners.

June - Early childhood education entered a new era in B.C. thanks to a $144 million investment providing 665 new classrooms needed to accommodate full-day kindergarten in September 2011.

July – Construction gets under way on the $102 million BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North, eliminating the need for northern residents to travel south for treatment – saving them both time and money

August – The Mackenzie pulp mill re-opening represents a triumph for the many partners, the community and the workers and their families benefitting from the 220 direct and 500 indirect jobs.

September – Prince George is awarded the 2015 Canada Winter Games, our time to shine!

October – The Red Rock inspection station opens bringing a state-of-the-art, commercial vehicle inspection station and Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) weigh scale on Highway 97 south of Prince George, allowing trucking companies to save time and money while reducing greenhouse gas emission through reduced idling.

November – The 2010 trade mission to China generated total sales orders five times greater than the mission two years ago. That’s the equivalent of two mills going full-out for a year, with all production going to China. Annual sales to China have now surpassed the production of 10 sawmills!

December – There are more people working in B.C. than ever before! Latest statistics show that B.C. created 4,300 net new jobs in November setting an all-time record for jobs in British Columbia – beating the previous record set prior to the recession in 2008. The steps we’ve taken to strengthen B.C.’s economy and recover from the global downturn are working