Is it 2026 yet?
The 2024 wrap
Alright, we’re back. I had intended to restart the newsletter last week but it was also my first week back at work and between catching up and all the news (it’s only been a week since Trudeau resigned! My brain can’t believe it) it just didn’t happen.
In the hiatus, a lot of local news was about the year that was. Here’s a few of the highlights.
Real estate
2025 property assessments show 1.9% boost in residential values in Prince George. None made it to the 500 most valuable properties. The cheapest single-family home is valued at $246,800 and the most expensive is more than $4 million.
Business properties increased by 7.4 per cent and light industry by 12.6 per cent for a three per cent average.
The city, however, would like to clarify that this doesn’t necessarily mean more money for them.
Meanwhile, The Northern B.C. Real Estate Board reports 807 single-family home sales last year, just below the 2022 high, while predicting a seller’s market again for 2025. Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of the home sales.
And the average rental price in Prince George went up three per cent, an increase of $39 to $1,172.
Crime
This will be at tonight’s council meeting but according to the preview, Prince George RCMP saw a slight decrease in the number of files it handled in 2024, but also saw a 25 per cent in crease in prisoners during that same time.
Meanwhile, the number of calls to RCMP also decreased and the number of charges forwarded to crown increased.
Looking ahead, Supt. Darin Rappel says one of his priorities for 2025 will be connecting with schools to deal with online extortion and sextortion.
Climate
PG records seventh-warmest December on record, with nearly double the normal precipitation.
The snowpack in the snow basins around the Prince George area is a bit below normal to start 2025 but “nothing to worry about,” according to the B.C. River Forecast Centre.
And over a million hectares was burnt by wildfires mostly in the Prince George Fire Centre.
Elsewhere: ‘Fire Weather’ Is Hitting the North the Hardest, Study Says.
Politics
Mayor Simon Yu says the downtown civic core plan chosen by the majority of council was “too safe.” He says — and this is a direct quote — “What they drew up on that piece of paper, any kids can do that.” This is in constrast to his plan to dig into Connaught Hill and build an IMAX theatre, apparently something that most kids would not draw on a piece of paper. Elsewhere, he called 2024 a “transition year” and is looking to 2025 to be a place with more investment in new industries.
The Citizen did wraps with the 3 new MLAs representing Prince George with Sheldon Clare talking about playing his bagpipes in the legislature, Kiel Giddens outlining his plans as the labour critic and Rosalyn Bird saying she plans to create community connections. They also spoke to Rustad and had a Christmas Day scoop on his plans to go the route of suggesting, without evidence, that non-citizens were voting en masse.
Cool ice down at Cottonwood:
News roundup:
Year-over-year unemployment rate drops to 5.5% in Prince George.
My Prince George Now talked to the heads of UNBC and CNC both emphasizing new outreach while preparing for a decline in international students (and the money they bring).
UNBC also has an award-winning basketball court now.
RCMP issue safety reminder after two pedestrian-involved motor vehicle incidents.
Tourism Prince George has opened its new Visitor Information Centre in the Civic and Conference Centre. Here’s CEO Colin Carson looking back at 2024 with a high occupancy rate at local hotels.
That centre will get its first real test this week with the Natural Resources Forum in town, with a focus on Indigenous partnerships. There’s also some overlap with the Future Fuels Forum.
Speaking of future fuels, here’s a piece on B.C.’s hydrogen goals, featuring Prince George.
Prince George fire chief Cliff Warner announces his retirement. A few anecdotes from him here.
Also retired: Gordon Duke as CEO of the Prince George Airport.
And it will hear once again from the developer of the property at 4500 Ospika which is trying, for a third time, to get out of its student housing committment and instead build senior’s housing.
City of Prince George opens applications for new operating grant.
Downtown Prince George heading into the new year with 10-year mandate.
Rogers turns on five new cell towers along Highway 16 corridor.
Intergovernmental Affairs Committee ramps up efforts to bring psychatric facility to Prince George.
Prince George hosts top skaters at Canadian Junior Short Track Open.
Prince George’s Moira Green off to Junior Biathlon Worlds after clean sweep in qualifiers at Otway.
The Coldsnap Music Festival is consolidating into a five-day program.
Local artist Katie Mavis, now based in Boston, makes her hometown debut In PG.
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Send feedback by emailing northerncapitalnews@gmail.com. Find me online at akurjata.ca.
Welcome back and happy (?) new 2025. I think many of us need a re-do already. The weather has been crap. I feel like I'm in a perpetual spring melt-freeze cycle that will go on until April or May, and the one proper snowy winter came in November. feh.
Our property assessment went up about 9.5%. Small rural acreages are still a hot commodity apparently, after I looked at the sample sales in our area (Tabor-Ferndale-ish area). I suppose it is heartening to know that a 1971 old time-y fixer upper that is slowly, so slowly being fixed up to something middling in quality... still has value to the market.
Happy to see you back so I can get my local 'curated' news, Andrew!!!