FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012
IT'S WHAT MATTERS
DOWNTOWN
Reid all about it
Canadian music star returns to CN Centre
A&E 29
Pickton trial hears of drug cleanup
B.C. 7
James sentence to be appealed
CANADA 13
Korean rocket pears ail
WORLD 17
A few tips to save you at the pump
MONEY 23
CLOSE FALL
Ringette squad denied championship bid sports 9
Ramada
Hotel-condo project to be completed by 2013
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
Rod McLeod, left, and Clint Dahl unveil a hotel development in downtown Prince George.
Arthur WILLIAMS Citizen staff awilliams@pgcitizen.ca
Local developer Rod McLeod has confirmed plans to construct a $40 million hotel and luxury condominium complex downtown.
The proposed 188,000 square foot development will feature a 150-room, 12-storey, full-service hotel, up to 35 luxury condominiums, 92 underground parking stalls, restaurants, conference space, spa, pool and other amenities. The project is expected to create 50,000 person-hours of employment during construction and 115 permanent jobs, McLeod said.
“My two business partners and I believe strongly in Prince George,” McLeod said. “It’s a great place to live and a great place to invest.”
McLeod said the four-star hotel will be operated by a “premier hotel
brand,” which he could not disclose.
Construction is schedule to start this summer, with completion set for late 2013, he said.
The project is slated to be located adjacent to the Prince George Public Library and Civic Centre. The complex will occupy a 0.84 acre lot at 1355 10th Ave. and a 1.72 acre city-owned lot on the other side of 10 th Avenue, currently used as an RCMP parking lot.
On Monday city council will consider a bylaw to close the section of 10th Avenue between the lots, to allow the merging of the properties.
The downtown development property tax incentive offered by the City of Prince George was a key factor in the decision to go ahead with the project, McLeod said.
“Without it, I don’t think we’d do it. It made the project viable,” he said. “The city has been incredibly cooperative.”
McLeod thanked Initiatives Prince George and the city for their work to facilitate the development.
Former Initiatives Prince George chairman and commercial realtor Clint Dahl said the project began with a discussion between himself and former IPG president Tim McEwan and vice-president Kathie Scouten. Initiatives Prince George did some initial work developing a business case for a hotel on the location, prior to McLeod coming onboard to develop the project.
“This truly was a team effort,” Dahl said.
Dahl is charged with selling the condominium units, and said interest has already been strong. Pre-sales of the units are expected to begin within a couple weeks, he added.
Project reaction
Mayor Shari Green said the project will bring positive change to the city’s downtown.
“This really has been, for me, a dream come true,” Green said.
— see ‘PEOPLE, page 4
REGION
Telus pledges $100 million-plus in northern B.C. upgrades
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
Telus will spend $103 million over the next three years to bring what’s being called the fastest wireless technology in the world to northern B.C.
The company’s president and CEO, Darren Entwistle, announced the plan to a hotel ballroom full of cheering employees and dignitaries on Thursday morning.
“By the end of this year, we will extend our 4G LTE wireless network to Prince George, empowering citizens here with the fastest and most advanced wireless technology in the world,” Entwistle said.
According to Webopedia, the 4G LTE wireless communications standard can provide up to 10 times the speeds of its 3G predecessor for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks and wireless hotspots.
“Notably, Telus is one of only five per cent of wireless carriers in the world to deploy 4G LTE technology,” Entwistle said.
Of the $103 million, $60 million will be spent in Prince George and, in the process, 70 new employees will be added to the local Telus payroll this year, made up of customer service and operator services employees and service technicians.
That comes on top of the 400 Telus employees now working in Prince George, 150 of them hired as part of the $11-million expansion of its customer care centre last year.
The company also plans to add 3,000 more customers to its Optik TV subscriber base in Prince George, which would raise the total to 28,000.
“I can think of very few other communities so deserving of these investments,” Entwistle said.
“Our team members in Prince George are renowned for their passion as brand ambassadors for our world-leading technology and services.
— see RURAL, page 3
ANNIE'S MAILBOX 33 A&E 29-44 CANADA NEWS 13-16
BRIDGE 33 CLASSIFIEDS 25-27 WORLD NEWS 17-22
HOROSCOPE 2 LETTERS 6 SPORTS 9-12
COMICS 32 MONEY 23-24 OPINION 6
CROSSWORD 32 B.C. NEWS 7-8
Today's Weather
Hi +7° Low -2°
7 i
1 n ini
t
See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts
Contact Us
CLASSIFIED: 250-562-6666 READER SALES: 250-562-3301 SWITCHBOARD: 250-562-2441
0 58307 00200
Open 7 Days a Week
17 Service Bays: means your vehicle is in and out faster. Latest Technology to deal with all makes & models. Nationwide Warranty - is the best in Canada, and you’re backed by every Canadian Tire store.
7:30am - 6:00pm
Drop in or call for an appointment
250-964-8811
cnnnDmmiRE
Service Open Every Day 7:30am - 6:00pm • Call 250-964-8811 Domano Blvd. Westgate Plaza (Hwy 16 West) • Prince George, BC Telephone 250-964-8258 • www.canadiantire.ca
i at: f
Find us at: czEJ /CanadianTirePG
058307002005