A big thanks to all my past and present clients, friends & family for their support, business and many referrals. Cheers!!

Art and music and dance, oh my! There's more to Prince George than meets the eye. Scratch the surface, and you'll find the city teeming with venues ready to bring you top-shelf arts and culture. Local Realtor Dean Birks highlights, in no particular order, ten locations to see all of arts & culture this city has to offer.

1. Books & Company, and the Artspace, 1685 3rd Avenue

We include these two together because the beloved 3rd Avenue bookstore is a one-two punch of two amazing arts venues in one building. Below, the bookstore and its ensuite Cafe Voltaire play host to regular author meet and greets, spoken word events, and open mic nights with local hosts. Upstairs, the ArtSpace holds regular punk shows, theatre nights, and even a recent art exhibit curated by local tattoo artists. http://www.booksandcompany.ca/

2. Prince George Public Library, 888 Canada Games Way

Not only can you retrieve books and CDs about multiple forms of art here, the library also holds free art events such...

Here is link for full details - Click Here

PRINCE GEORGE — In the next few days, owners of more than 247,500 properties throughout Northern BC can expect to receive their 2019 assessment notices, which reflect market value as of July 1, 2018.

"The majority of residential home owners within the region can expect a moderate increase compared to last year's assessment," says Deputy Assessor Jarret Krantz. "There are some exceptions to this such as Kitimat where owner’s will see increases of 20 per cent or greater. Also, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality where there have been decreases in the range of 20 per cent or more.”

The summaries below provides estimates of average 2018 versus 2019 assessed values of properties throughout the region. The average is represented by the median, or mid point, value which removes the influence of outliers.

These examples demonstrate market trends for single-family residential properties by geographic area:

Here is link to full details http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1126248439379&ca=ae292b26-c26f-4ef7-b1ca-81ade4ad65a6

The BC Northern Real Estate Board (BCNREB) reported the average house sale price (single detached) for October 2018 was $328,678 with 83 units sold in Prince George. For October 2017, the average house sale price was $322,118 with 87 units sold. The average house sale price has increased 2.0% when compared to the same month last year.

Press Here for full report.

Downtown vacancy rates continue downward trend

The total value of building permits issued in Prince George in 2018 has already reached an all-time high of $169.26 Million, easily surpassing the previous high mark of $147.88 Million set in 2007. The value includes a record amount of private sector investment, which at $135.17 Million, represents nearly 80 percent of the total and passes the previous record of $121.6 Million set in 2016. Residential building permit values have also set a new record at $100.31 Million.

“The value of building permits is a key measure of economic progress,” says Lyn Hall, Mayor of Prince George. “This number suggests a great increase in construction activity and related employment, as well as other direct and indirect economic benefits.”

The top 10 projects for 2018 are as follows:

1. New construction of Kelly Road Secondary School: $28,322,950
2. Parkade next to City Hall: $12,927,973
3. Apartment building in College Heights (Building B): $6,700,000...

Strong steady growth appears to be the trend for the City of Prince George.

Link to full details of Economic Development eNewsletter http://bit.ly/2ERTmd0

With respect to our neighbor to the south which promotes itself as the Tournament Capital of Canada, Kamloops has nothing on Prince George when it comes to sports.
Prince George has been crazy about sports from its earliest days. There used to be a wooden ski jumping ramp off Connaught Hill and jumpers would land (hopefully on two feet!) roughly where the library and the civic center are today. Prince George has produced Winter Olympians in speed skating, snowboard cross, biathlon and virtually every form of skiing there is. This past summer, Prince George welcomed home Brett Connolly with the Stanley Cup he won with the Washington Capitals. He’s the third former Prince George Cougar to win the Cup and the second former resident (Turner Stevenson was the first) to bring the Stanley Cup to Prince George. Also, this year Jess Pettis finished 1st in Canada for Motocross Pro 250 class and was picked to represent Canada in the International Motocross even held this year in the USA...

What they found were many rare mosses, many more rare lichens and also some plants that are new to science. A total of 2,400 different species, in fact.

https://ckpgtoday.ca/article/539017/new-plant-species-discovered-unbc

Here is link to larger image: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1126248439379&ca=b271ad04-ef49-4dc7-bc26-c636f2c37c20

Link below to Community Profile:

https://www.princegeorge.ca/Business%20and%20Development/Economic%20Development%20Documents/2017-Prince-George-Community-Profile-Web.pdf

It’s incredible what’s happened in Prince George’s restaurant industry in the last few years.
It’s a tough, competitive business and every customer that walks through the door expects top-notch service and quality. When they don’t get it, they take to social media to tell their friends and the world to avoid that place.

Yet Prince George is obviously hungry for lots of different eating experiences. Just look at the variety of places available. It’s a smorgasbord of options, from family diners, locally owned and operated restaurants and some popular franchises.
If the restaurant business is growing in any city, it’s a sign of a strong local economy and confidence from investors and entrepreneurs that the economy is going to stay strong for the foreseeable future.

The eating experience available just in the downtown alone is as good or better than anything available anywhere else in B.C. For those looking for a fancier and more formal lunch...

Northern Lights Estate Winery took gold, silver and bronze as B.C. dominated the fruit wine sector of the All Canadian Wine Championships.

From the 46 medals offered in the fruit wine category, 23 were awarded to British Columbia wineries with Ontario coming in second with 10 medals.

Rest of the story here is link: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/local-news/winery-takes-home-medals-1.23355655

Here is link to the recent Economic Update from the City of Prince George for May 2018.

Link: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1126248439379&ca=406058e8-3773-43fe-b35a-2fc39e544602

HATS OFF!! to all those involved in the design and development of the new Marriott Courtyard Hotel here in Prince George BC. I had a tour of the property this morning and this is a first class hotel!! Its the first Gen 6 design in Canada. Big congrats. They have a awesome gym with salt water pool and loads of underground parking.

Here's why business people are awesome - they're the most optimistic people you can meet. Period.
Yeah, they worry and even complain about tough things are, about the barriers in their way and how they're underappreciated but their actions speak way louder than their words.
Just follow the money.
Whether it's generous donations to their favourite local charities, like what Prince George Motors just did with an amazing $200,000 gift to eight deserving groups, or their investment in new projects, business people show their optimism. Nobody is successful in the business world unless their believe in themselves, their business, their customers and their community.

The best example of that right now is in Prince George’s accommodation industry. The Courtyard Marriott has opened its doors and it's a fantastic new hotel addition downtown. Combined with the Coast and the Ramada, along with a proposed hotel project at Sixth and Quebec downtown, Prince George will be in a great position to host...

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported the average absorbed single-detached unit price for new housing construction for April 2018 was $581,317 with 11 new units sold in Prince George.

Link to full article http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1126248439379&ca=e5e75ac0-3619-4a33-9354-940c6a8e21c3