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Feature Publications

Access in-depth information about the economic advantages of starting and running a business in Prince George. Gain insight on:

Local demographics.
The labour force.
Real estate opportunities.
Prince George's business climate and more.

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Investors looking for opportunities in Prince George and the surrounding region can gain insight into the expanding northern economy within the Business Investment Guide. Get info on:

Workforce and economic drivers.
Cost of doing business in Prince George.
Incentives and resources.
Education and skills training and more.

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Prince George is northern British Columbia's economic hub with transportation links to provincial, national, and global markets at its doorstep. Learn about the advantages of establishing operations in or expanding operations to Prince George in the Transportation Prospectus.

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Discover why Prince George is a community of growth, opportunity, and investment. Download the Prince George Economic Overview and find out more about PG's:

Economic assets.
Key sectors.
Development incentives to encourage business.
Economic projections and more.

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Publications and Profiles

Prince George Community Profile

The Community Profile provides in-depth information for business owners and entrepreneurs looking to learn more about the economic advantages of starting and running a venture in Prince George. The profile offers information and key statistics on topics such as (but not limited to):

Demographics
Labour force
Real estate
Transportation
Business climate

The Economic Development division also publishes a monthly e-Newsletter and Economic Update reports that provide an overview of business in Prince George.

Business Investment Guide

The City of Prince George Economic Development division publishes a Business Investment Guide to provide potential investors with information about opportunities and available incentives in PG. Examples of issues addressed in the Guide include workforce and economic drivers, the cost of doing business in Prince George, incentives and resources, education and skills training, and more.

Development Incentives

The City of Prince George offers a variety of initiatives to encourage businesses and developers to create commercial activity and development in local growth areas.

The downtown and multi-family housing incentives and other programs are all designed to improve or revitalize the community, increase competitiveness of local companies, and spark innovation by helping small enterprises access capital and tax incentives to fuel their growth and development.

Real estate profiles

Prince George offers a range of well-planned commercial development opportunities throughout the city including:

Ideal locations for national and international retailers.
Locations on major transportation corridors including road and rail.
Neighbourhood and local commercial lands.
Large inventory of light to heavy industrial land.

For additional information:

Clean Technology

Clean technology (clean tech) is any product, process, or service that reduces environmental impacts. The City of Prince George, in partnership with Community Futures Fraser-Fort George, is working with local businesses to identify and enhance existing clean technology products and services.

Foreign Trade Zone

Prince George is Canada's western-most inland port and newest Foreign Trade Zone. A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is an officially designated location that is eligible for tariff and tax exemptions on raw materials, components, or finished goods imports. Investing in the Prince George FTZ helps businesses connect with provincial, national, and international markets by way of the city's transportation network:

The Prince George Airport (YXS).
A CN intermodal terminal.
Provincial Highways 16 and 97.
Access to the Port of Prince Rupert and the Port of Metro Vancouver.

For more information:

target sectors

Engineered Wood Products

person walking down stairs at the Wood Innovation Centre

Manufacturing and Forestry are among the largest economic drivers in Prince George with nearly 50 per cent of the labour force directly or indirectly employed in those industries. Some industry clusters developing from primary forestry manufacturing include:

Re-manufactured lumber
Engineered wood products
Packaged building solutions
Mill work products and more

The opportunity profile for Engineered Wood Products is available for download in English and in Chinese.

Data Centres

Prince George's fibre redundancy, cool climate, stable environment, and access to hundreds of acres of vacant serviced industrial and commercial land make it an ideal location for data centres.

Key sectors

The City of Prince George has detailed information on the nine sectors that drive the local economy.

Construction
Forestry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Mining
Energy and Bioenergy
Transportation and Warehousing
Manufacturing
Healthcare, Social Assistance, and Education
Tourism, Culture, and Information

For more information:

Economic Overview Report

Discover why the City of Prince George is a community of growth, opportunity, and investment. The Economic Overview report details PG's economic assets, key sectors in the local economy, development incentives presently in place to encourage business activity, and projections of Prince George's future economic outlook.

transportation prospectus

The Transportation Prospectus offers detailed information on Prince George's transportation network, such as:

The Prince George International Airport (YXS).
Provincial Highways 97 & 16.
The CN Intermodal distribution centre.
The Port of Prince Rupert.

For more information:

Strategies and Studies

Business Retention and Expansion Strategies

The Economic Development division conducts interviews each year with local businesses to collect information that will guide future business retention and expansion projects. Feedback gathered from these meetings are then used as sources with which to generate Business Retention and Expansion Strategy Reports that outline priorities and plans.

Downtown Occupancy Report

The purpose of the Downtown Occupancy Study is to collect and analyze vacancy rates of retail/service and office use building space located in Prince George’s Central Business District (CBD). This report provides valuable information to help identify opportunities for redevelopment and revitalization in the CBD, as well as further downtown objectives proposed from the Official Community Plan (OCP). The study examines four main aspects of occupancy in the CBD in Prince George: floor area available to retail/service and office use; vacant and leasable space; commercial high-rise vacancy, and downtown use as a function of the total area.

Download the 2018 Downtown Occupancy Study [PDF]

Workforce Intelligence Study

The 2014 Workforce Intelligence Study consists of detailed information about Prince George's labour market to inform and enhance the City's workforce attraction strategy. The Study is intended to support local employers and job seekers in Prince George by illustrating important trends and occupational shortages in the city's economy along with providing recommendations on how to address challenges. Some areas covered by the Study include:

Details of the City's population attraction strategy.
Plans for economy recovery.
Migration pattern information.
Perception gap information.
Information about the marketability of Prince George.

In addition, an Employee Recruitment Fact Sheet attachment is also included with information and suggestions on how to attract external talent to Prince George.

Industrial Warehouse Market Report

The Prince George 2015 Industrial Warehouse Market report was commissioned to help formulate strategies to improve and expand available warehouse space in PG. The report contains information on existing conditions and opportunities in Prince George for buyers and developers and addresses the following concerns:

The availability and quality of industrial warehouses.
Strategies for better use of existing warehouse space.
Strategies for developing additional warehouse space.

Download the Prince George 2015 Industrial Warehouse Market Report [PDF]

Exploring Economic Opportunities for Prince George Businesses in Kunming, China

The Exploring Economic Opportunities for Prince George Businesses in Kunming, China report highlights opportunities in Kunming for Prince George-based businesses. The recommendations outlined in the report are designed to promote and encourage international trade between the City and Kunming (located in Yunnan Province, southern China) as well as enhance tourism and educational and institutional connections between the two cities.

Download the Exploring Economic Opportunities for Prince George Businesses in Kunming, China report [PDF]

Exploring Economic Benefits of Sister Cities - Prince George and Jiangmen

The City of Prince George maintains a Sister City relationship with the City of Jiangmen in China. The Exploring Economic Benefits of Sister Cities report provides information about opportunities for Prince George businesses in Jiangmen in areas such as: