One of the biggest hurtles to attracting new citizens to Prince George is this city’s reputation.

That comes from a report released by Initiatives Prince George, who contracted a research company to survey Canadians about working here.

60% of those surveys says they would prefer to work in a city the size of PG, but 58% said they would not move here out of fears of high crime.

CEO Heather Oland says national coverage, such as an article from McLean’s magazine helped give PG a sour reputation.

IPG’s report recommends targeting Canada’s largest cities and promoting PG’s affordability.

Former federal finance minister Jim Flaherty has died.

He passed away Thursday morning at his home in Ottawa.

Skeena-Bulkley NDP MP Nathan Cullen was shocked by the news.

Out of respect for Flaherty, Cullen says all debate in the House of Commons has been suspended for the day.

Flaherty was 64 years old. No word yet on the cause of death.

Major cuts for the CBC announced Thursday.

Over the next two years, 657 jobs will be lost and the corporation will stop competing for rights to broadcast professional sports, except for the Olympics.

It’s part of $130 million in budget cuts.

President Hubert Lacroix says the CBC will need to re imagine itself and also sites a soft advertising market and disappointing performance in the 25-54 demographic on television.

Losing the rights to NHL broadcasts played a part in the shortfall, but Lacroix says the public broadcaster can no longer compete with private broadcasters over multi-media platforms.

No word yet on what effect the cuts will have on the CBC’s Northern bureau.

The fourth annual Politicians Dinner goes Thursday night.

As always it’s been organized by UNBC’s Political Student’s Association and will include members of Prince George City Council.

Councillor Garth Frizzell says it’s an event he looks forward to each year.

The event will take place at the White Goose Bistro.

Update:

Prince George R-C-M-P say they have arrested a suspect wanted in an incident where a 30 year old male assaulted a teenager yesterday afternoon.

His first court appearance is scheduled for Friday, April 11th.

Police are still looking for witnesses to provide more information on the incident.

Original story:

Prince George RCMP are searching for a suspect after a suspicious incident with a teenage boy yesterday.

Police say just after 3pm a 14 year old boy was walking in the area of 8th Avenue and Ewert Street when he was approached by a man.

The man confronted the boy, grabbed his arm and made inappropriate remarks.

The boy ran away while the suspect headed west down 8th Avenue toward Central Street.

Police are looking for the suspect described as a white man, 30 to 40 years old with a thin build, long dark beard, wearing a puffy brown jacket and boots who possibly has a speech impediment.

If you have any information on this incident please contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Prince George golf courses are hoping to get the season started by the end of the month.

Keith Good owns the Yellowhead course and runs the Pine Valley golf course.

The PG Golf and Curling Club and Aberdeen courses say they plan to open later this month or early May.

The trades training community has a chance to meet the Prince George Industry Training Authority Apprenticeship Advisor Thursday.

From 4:30 to 6:30pm there will be an open house with Walter Sorokovsky, who was recently appointed as the Apprenticeship Advisor for our region.

Sorokovsky says the ITA installed apprenticeship advisors to help with the anticipated skilled workers shortage.

Sorokovsky says there’s over 10 thousand people in trades training in the north, with about 3 thousand in the Prince George area.

The meet and greet will be held at the Coast Inn of the North.

Running and learning is the objective of the Prince George RCMP’s annual Girls’ Run for Fun.

Registration is now open for the fourth annual program, which runs from May 6th to June 19th, with the final race on June 21st.

Community Policing Coordinator Linda Parker says the program teaches girls ages 10 to 15 to run a 5km race, and focuses on important issues for girls.

Parker says while they target inner-city girls, the program is open to all girls and is free.

She says they usually have over 60 participants.

You can register at the Community Policing office.

A step in the right direction for users of  the Ancient Forest east of Prince George.

Heavy traffic has damaged its pathway but plans are in place for a major repair.

The work will be completed by the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club.

Here’s president Nowell Senior.

Senior says construction will start in June once the snow has melted.

School District 57’s board of education met for the first time since spring break Tuesday night with several items on the agenda.

Tina Cousins , President of the PG Teacher’s Association gave an update on the negotiating progress between the BCTF and provincial government.

She says class size and composition need to be kept on the bargaining table, as that is the basis for their working conditions.

She says areas were support is needed most is specialist teachers for learning assistance, as well as ESL and librarians.

Negotiations between the BCTF and the province have already had an effect on teachers.

Richard Giroday, First Vice President of the Prince George Teacher’s Association says the actual cost of the negotiations have forced the role of “professional development coordinator ” to be cut.

He also spoke to the board, focusing on the affect the position has on enhancing student learning.

To prove his point, Giroday brought eight packs of unopened printer paper (pictured), representing the four-thousand emails PG’s coordinator has to work through.

He says one of the main roles the coordinator has is to bring in teachers from rural areas for professional development courses.

The 2015 Canada Winter Games need volunteers and their new registration program lets you pick a specific area to help in.

Communications Manager Alyson Gourely-Cramer speaks to some of the specifics of some of the thousands of roles to choose from.

She says the games are looking to 4,500 volunteers and so far have 3,000.

You can log on to canadagames2015.ca to register.

Mike Farnworth’s decision to drop out of the NDP leadership race may benefit their primary political opponents – the BC Liberals.

Here’s UNBC Political Science Lecturer Jason Morris.

John Horgan remains the only declared candidate to succeed Adrian Dix.

The party has pegged May 1 as the deadline for other candidates to come forward.

Farnworth says he quit because he only had the support of two caucus members.

High school students in Prince George are hearing from an ICBC road safety speaker this week, and the impacts things like distracted or drunk driving can have.

Kevin Brooks, who was the drunk driver in a crash that killed his friend, spoke to students at PGSS today as part of “Road Safety Day”.

Brooks was 21 when he survived the crash that left him paralyzed in a wheelchair.

He says he’s very honest in his presentations, which is what many teachers say they like about him.

Brooks says every school he goes to has at least one person who’s been through some sort of trauma like his, and he tries to bring as many positive messages as he can towards suicide and violence as well.

ICBC says car crashes are the number one preventable cause of death for youth in BC, and distracted driving is the main factor in youth crashes causing injury or death.

A new survey has gauged where PG residents stand when it comes to the sale of alcohol in grocery stores.

The study was put together by a third year UNBC Political Science class.

Here’s student Molly Fredeen with the results.

Fredeen says they surveyed 430 people.

She says her class plans to present their findings to Prince George City Council.

School District 57’s Board of Education meets Tuesday night.

On the agenda, the board will look over the “Class Size and Composition Report” which shows that of 836 secondary school classes this semester, over 600 hold between 20 to 30 students.

The board will also decide on whether or not to send a letter to education Minister Peter Fassbender to ensure that class size and composition stays at the bargaining table.

The BCTF has been negotiating with the province on a new contract and strike action has been looming over proceedings, with class size a major sticking point.

The meeting gets underway at their Ferry Avenue Boardroom at 7 p.m…

Upgrades to St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof could be completed by sometime next week.

Health Services Administrator April Hughes with Northern Health, Omineca District, on what remains to be done.

Hughes says they’ve already completed an expansion to the laboratory area, to the emergency entrance itself and to the front entrance of the hospital.

She says the upgrades are on budget and when complete will come in at just under $5million.

The Prince George Chamber of Commerce isn’t throwing its support behind Multi-Material BC’s recycling program.

CEO Christie Ray says while they welcome the idea of extended producer responsibility and even endorses the idea of a city-wide recycling program.

However, she says MMBC in its current form doesn’t work for many PG businesses.

The chamber is holding two public sessions on MMBC’s program and what it means for business, Thursday, April 17th at 1 p.m. at the Railway & Forestry museum and Tuesday April 22nd at 10 a.m. in the Chamber boardroom on 890 Victoria Street.

Good luck trying to book a hotel room for next month’s Minerals North Conference in Vanderhoof.

Chairperson Brian Frenkel says they’re all full up and then some.

Frenkel says they’ll also be offering shuttle bus service from Prince George. The conference is coming to Vanderhoof for the first time in its 25 year history May 21 through the 23.

Frenkel says all tradeshow booths are sold out along with early bird registration.

With the temperatures warming up this week, the YMCA of Northern BC is reminding people it’s a good time to get fit.

Fitness service co-ordinator Shannon Johnson recommends two simple activities.

Johnson also suggests having a balanced diet by following the Canada Health Guide and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

A charter of rights released Monday by the Canadian Diabetes Association is a call to action for better care.

Sue Taylor, Regional Director for BC & Yukon says 421,000 of the 3.3 million people who have the disease are from BC.

The charter calls for patients to be treated with dignity and respect, and get timely and affordable access to medication and supplies, regardless of how far from an urban area you live.

465 job seekers visited the Initiatives Prince George booth at the National Job Fair in Toronto last week.

That’s less than last year, but there were also less IPG employees manning the booth this year.

Economic Development Officer Melissa Barcellos says their visitors were quite interested in Prince George.

Barcellos says they were at the job fair to encourage a full-family move, and promote the job opportunity and amenities in Prince George.

She says the people attending were from all over Ontario.

The Keg Steakhouse in Prince George has a new owner.

Local businessman Jos Van Hage has purchased the restaurant.

Van Hage says he’s always enjoyed going there.

Van Hage also owns the Art Knapp Plantland centres, and has donated generously to numerous local charities over the years.

Originally from Holland, Van Hage says he believes in Prince George and the revitalization of downtown.

Monday marks a special anniversary in the development of Prince George.

It was exactly 100 years ago the last spike was driven for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway near Fort Fraser.

Here’s UNBC History Professor Dr. Jonathan Swainger.

Swainger says it also helped to establish a circuit of non-native settlements that helped define the future population of the region.

Photo courtesy UNBC

A PG MLA has weighed in on the debate surrounding distracted driving.

Former mountie Mike Morris admits the issue requires extra attention from the provincial government.

The issue gained traction this week after Attorney General Suzanne Anton suggeted the $167 fine for distracted driving was too low.

All of this as stats from 2012 show more people died from distracted driving related crashes than impaired driving.

Protesters upset with the BC Park Amendment Act are setting up shop outside the office of Prince George-Mackenzie Liberal MLA Mike Morris this weekend.

Julian Martin says he’s concerned the new law allows for mining companies to conduct feasibility studies in protected parkland.

As a result Martin says it could lead to parks being reduced in size or cut up into smaller pieces for mining and drilling operations to take place.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is in Prince George this weekend.

He spent part of his Saturday meeting with local students involved with the School Ambassadors Program.

Hadfield says he enjoys sharing his knowledge with young people.

Hadfield was also the guest speaker at UNBC’s Dr. Bob Ewert Memorial Dinner.

The federal government is giving a solid financial boost to refurbish Prince George’s Civic Plaza.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is signing a cheque for $335,000, which Mayor Shari Green says will go a long way to enhance the area.

The upgrades are also intended to celebrate PG’s centennial next year.

With the funding, the city will add a stage, plus a public art space, heritage elements and landscaping improvements.

RCMP in Prince George are raising awareness on victims of crime all next week.

The theme is “Take Five: Be the Change” and Victim Services Co-ordinator Krista Levar says the seminars focus on men to get to the problem at its source and she says it isn’t as difficult as it sounds.

Events will be held around the city, from workplace bullying to protecting yourself to identity theft.

Over the 5 days, six provocatively themed messages and training events will take place as follows:

Can You See Me?

• Monday April 7^th, 2:00 – 4:00 PM at the Native Friendship Centre, 1600 3^rd Avenue

A workshop that addresses the issues around bullying.

I’m You, Not Me

• Tuesday April 8^th, 6:30 – 8:00 PM at the Civic Centre, 808 Civic Plaza

The Bank of Canada and RCMP present a workshop on protecting yourself against scams and identify theft.

I’m Not Black and Blue

• Wednesday April 9^th, 2:00 – 4:00 PM at the Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle Avenue

A workshop that looks at how men can combat domestic violence.

Safe?

• Thursday April 10^th, 9:00 – 11:00 AM at the Native Friendship Centre, 1600 3^rd Avenue

A breakfast workshop on how men can combat sexual violence.

Annual Celebration Gala

• Thursday April 10^th, 6:00 – 9:00 PM at Coast Inn of the North

Honouring Male Champions in our Community who make a difference in combatting violence and celebrating the contribution of those who work in victim services.

Say No to a Hit

• Friday April 11^th, 9:00 – 11:00 AM at the Family Resource Centre, 1200 La Salle Avenue

A workshop exploring the issues around gangs.

All these events are free to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to call RCMP Victim Services at (250)561-3391 to register.

An expert in the forest industry is giving lectures at UNBC, this week.

Al Gorley is the president of Triangle Resources and is the former chair of the BC Forest Practices Board.

He already spoke to the university’s environmental studies institute on the long-term future of the forest industry.

“But we’re going to have to make some changes,” he says. “The timber supply is different from what we’ve had in the past, for awhile, it’ll be different from what we’re expecting, there are a number of different players on the scene, so we’re going to have to adapt.”

He says the Prince George area is in a unique situation.

“It’s in the centre of the mountain pine beetle situation,” he says. “Which is now moving from a salvage into what we used to call ‘mid-term timber supply shortage’ but is now a ‘near-term timber supply shortage’.”

His next lecture is Friday afternoon at 3:30 on how independent oversight of the industry can improve its social licence.

“What it seems to do is give people more confidence that they’re getting the straight goods on what’s going on in the forest,” he says.

Good news on the jobs front in Prince George.

This after Statistics Canada announced Friday morning the unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in March, a drop from 6 percent the month before.

Here analyst Vincent Ferrao breaks down the numbers.

He says PG’s jobless rate is lower than the provincial rate of 5.8 percent and the national rate of 6.9 percent.

A cycling event to bring attention to mental health is coming to Prince George again.

The second annual Ride Don’t Hide will take place in June, and Thursday the Canadian Mental Health Association will hold a rally at Cycle World at 1pm.

Executive Director Maureen Davis says the event is to bring attention to the stigma around mental illness.

The ride will be held on June 22nd when participants can ride from 1km up to 20km.

Their goal is to raise a couple thousand dollars to help them promote and provide education on mental health.

A phone scam is making the rounds in Prince George.

It involves customers of the Pine Centre Mall says General Manager Sonya Hunt.

Hunt says she’s reported the hoax to police who claim the calls seem to be coming from Mexico though the calls are from local numbers.

Hunt apologizes for any inconvenience.

A review of fire protection services in Prince George says some areas are lacking.

Director Michael Currie with the Fire Underwriter’s Survey spoke to city council Monday night on several fire-related topics, saying Fire Hall Number One will need to be replaced, while the other three need an overhaul.

His main message was that the level of risk has increased greater than the level of protection.

“The level of risk has increased in terms of the distribution of buildings,” he says. “So we see more and more buildings spread across a very large fire protection area, so we’ve seen a big increase in the number of buildings being protected and the number of calls that go along with that.”

He also notes newer buildings burn faster because of lighter materials.

The report also says Fire Hall #1 needs to be replaced while the other three need serious upgrades.

(File photo)

Initiatives Prince George is attending the National Job Fair and Training Expo in Toronto for the third year this week.

CEO Heather Oland says they continue to attend the job fair because there is a lot of opportunity to connect with people from around Ontario.

Oland says they also get to market and promote Prince George with its high quality of life, fantastic amenities, and great opportunities for careers.

The fair is running Wednesday and Thursday, where Oland expects to speak with over 500 job seekers.

Mike Harcourt’s decision to quit the NDP has raised the eyebrows of a political science lecturer at UNBC.

In fact Jason Morris says he’s never seen anything like it.

Morris says the timing couldn’t be worse for the party considering its currently going through a leadership contest.

Harcourt says he quit the party for three reasons – its ousting of Carole James, its opposition to the carbon tax in 2009 and because of Adrian Dix’s flip-flop on the Kinder Morgan project.

The cost of living has gone up again.

Starting Tuesday BC Hydro rates go up nine percent.

NDP energy critic John Horgan says that’s only the beginning.

Horgan says the hydro hikes will make life less affordable for families and also hurt business.

Other cost increases this year include hikes in ferry fares, medical service premiums, basic ICBC coverage and tuition at post-secondary institutions.

The more young people who are mentored by professionals, the more likely they are to stay and work in Prince George.

That’s the findings of a report given to city council Monday night from the United Way’s northern chapter on their “Mentor Me” program, connecting people under 29 with experienced people in the workforce.

Program Co-ordinator Elliot Layton says he’s gotten positive feedback from both sides of the program.

“The mentors seem to get a lot of perspective and value from talking to the youth,” he says. “As well as being exposed to new ideas and participating in their community, while the mentees gain a lot of exposure and networking.”

Layton says there are over 60 mentorships in northern BC right now, most of them in PG.

To learn more, visit unitedwaynbc.ca.

UNBC has balanced its budget.

The board of governors approved the operating budget at $68 million , which is $400,000 less than last year, due to reduced government grants and no increase in enrolment.

Interim President Mark Dale says cost pressures on their operations means the university will have to find innovative ways to make maximum use of every dollar.

Some of those initiatives include: taking savings from short-term vacancies and putting it into student recruitment and retention while raising tuition 2%.

On Monday we brought you the story of moose on the loose in the College Heights area.

Two of the animals were seen being aggresive on Trent Drive and other parts of the neighbourhood.

Conservation Officer Todd Hunter says the number one thing to do when you see a moose is to give it space.

Hunter says to also call the Conservation Office if you do see a moose in your area at 1-877-952-7277.

The number of reported potholes is on the decline in Prince George.

At least that’s according to a report given to city council Monday night.

The city’s director of operations spoke progress in filling holes and cracks in the road, saying $1 million is in the budget, though he admits no communication has been made to either the federal or provincial government for added funds to road rehabilitation.

Councilor Albert Kohler thinks it would be a big help.

“If there’s money there, it would be nice to see funding come from the government for potholes and for anything that has to do with road rehabilitation ,” he says.

According to the report, crews will be changing from pouring cold rubber into cracks to hot rubber by May, which is a usual procedure done every year.

Councilor Albert Kohler thinks a more permanent solution would work better. “I would say the roads have to be paved,” he says. “It has to be done right the first time, it should hold up for a few years, not having potholes pop up after one year, that’s not a good job.”

According to the report, crews have responded to 193 calls for potholes this year alone, and reported 294 last year, with 426 in 2012.

Off street parking rate changes in Prince George have been made official.

Monday night, council voted to reduce the increase in off-street parking fees after a strong response from users in January.

However, the change was voted against by Mayor Shari Green and Councilor Cameron Stolz, who says “if we’re going to re-evaluate it, we should have a comprehensive look at how we can group our rates together so it makes more sense, so that off street parking that is on the ground level that’s open to the elements is not being charged more than those that are parking under covered parking with a plug in at the same time.”

Stolz also notes without sufficient funding, paying for upkeep will be a challenge.

“If there’s a need for more funds for up keeping and maintenance and the capital improvement that are needed for that off street parking, the question is now who is going to pay and the [Downtown Business Improvement Association] has addressed their concerns now that they will be carrying the full weight of the costs of upgrading and improving the facilities,” he says.

Though rate hikes went through in January, council voted a month later to amend the increases to only a 25% raise this year, followed by 15% next year and another 15% in 2016.

Stolz says despite the fact the original increase was called unaffordable by ratepayers, the lower rate will end up costing more by 2016.

“At the end of the three years the rates will be higher for most of the off street parking,” he says.

Answers to questions on the new Multi Materials BC program will be offered over the next two weeks. The Prince George Chamber of Commerce is holding a set of info workshops about the new recycling program. CEO Christie Ray says they will provide clarity for the new service.

Ray says the first session will be held on Thursday at the Railway and Forestry Museum starting at one. She says it is free to the public and people are asked to register by calling the chamber office.

It may be too cold for real flowers, but the Canadian Cancer Society is starting to sell daffodils.  Starting this week, people can start to get daffodil pins for a two dollar donation.  Annual Giving Coordinator Marjo van Helvoirt Koop says money raised goes towards different program and research.

van Helvoirt Koop says people can get daffodil pins at different retailers throughout the city.  This weekend, people can get real daffodils at stores for a five dollar donation.

Sick kids at UHNBC had a special visit Tuesday

A couple characters from the hit TV show “The Backyardigans” stopped by on their way to their live shows to play with the kids.

Amy Jean McElwain with the live show says they came to the hospital to see kids who couldn’t come see them.

The Backyardigans stopped by the hospital on their way to two live stage shows at the Playhouse this afternoon.