October 15, 2022

HEAVY INDUSTRY

 As has been covered in the media and by our Provincial Government, forest dependent industry is going to see a meaningful downturn.  New heavy Industrial development will be a key component to the future resiliency of Prince George.  Given our city’s location as the hub for central and northern British Columbia there are, and will be, significant opportunities for heavy industry.  This will be driven by the demand for, and processing of, raw materials such as those required to make batteries for electric vehicles.

 There have been real and noticeable improvements in Prince George’s air quality over the last two decades.  This has been in a huge part through the effort of the PGAir Committee which I believe needs to continue and that further improvement is possible.

 So how do we attract and support heavy industry without affecting our air quality?

 Twenty years ago, the Regional District of Fraser Fort George began looking at where heavy industrial land could go that made economic sense while ensuring that it did not adversely affect the air quality in Prince George.  The result of that work was identifying an area referred to as “Hart North”, about 40 minutes north of the city.  

This area is supported by highway and rail access, an existing hydro substation, a natural gas pipeline close by, and access to water.  More importantly, it was determined that that Prince George air quality would not be affected by industry at this location.

The challenge is that this land has now sat for a decade with no further progress.

“Sensible Solutions”

• Attract heavy industry such as Hydra Energy that has no affect our air quality

• Like the City has in the past with the Dansen Industrial site, the City should take the lead in preparing Hart North for development