In the Newsnov06
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
November 2006 “Open for business” — These are the signs which welcome The Dawson Creek Community Profile & Investment Guide and In the News are produced people to Dawson Creek. The pro-active leadership of Mayor by: Calvin Kruk and City Council working in conjunction with the Dawson Creek Catholic Social Services Chamber of Commerce and the community, has shown proven 1209-105 Avenue growth in the economic sector and balance in the quality of life for Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2L8 residents and their families. The long-term goal of the City is to be Photo Credits: the business, service and transportation centre for the Peace C. Anderson, New Harvest Media Region. D. Pettit, Peace Photographics E. Mayoh Dawson Creek’s progressive leadership, comparatively low property costs and positive business climate complemented by a Cover Design: RG Strategies skilled labour force and training opportunities make the City an ideal location for your business. The Dawson Creek Community Profile & Investment Guide and In the News are filled with The Peace, with Dawson Creek at the centre of it all, shows information and statistical data. Although every plenty of opportunities for growth in the production of a myriad of effort was made in good faith to ensure the quality products at relatively low costs. “Branding the Peace” is an accuracy of information contained herein, Dawson Creek Catholic Social Services accepts no warranty innovative project dedicated to developing and promoting a strategy nor accepts liability from any incorrect, incomplete that encourages the marketing and promotion of Alberta and British or misleading information or its improper use. For more information, please contact The City of Columbia Peace River products. Dawson Creek at 250-784-3600. Dawson Creek Catholic Social Services January 2006 Additional information may be obtained from the City of Dawson Creek’s website www.dawsoncreek.ca Contents EMPLOYMENT - 5 - ENERGY continued - 17 - Northeastern BC Unemployment Rates ConocoPhillips Regional Outlook Duvernay Apprenticeship Hours Well Count BC Labour Market Oil & Gas Training Centre Unemployment Rate Comparison Trade Agreement Most Productive Industries Noel Tight Gas Project Nurses Summer Drilling Major Employers Wind Park Wages Shell Canada Northeast BC Economy Open Call for Power Results Labour Force Well Completions 2006 Trade Agreement Dokie Wind Energy Labour Force Survey Duvernay Oil Employment Canadian Natural Resources On-the-Job Traffic Accidents Talisman Energy CONSTRUCTION - 12 - Steeprock Gas Plant Dawson Creek Building Permits Oil & Gas Sale History Alarm Rings for Construction Industry TOURISM - 34 - Peace Canyon Dam Stay & Play Construction in Northern BC Alaska Highway Corridor Seniors Care Hotel Vacancies Hotels Tourism Sector Home Sales Northern Tourism Promotion Dawson Hotel Demolition Downtown Revitalization Storage Building Addition Tourism Development Plan Pouce Coupe Elementary School Chances Gaming Entertainment Treatment Plant Addition New CEO Bear Mountain-Kiskatinaw Wind Park Project Room Revenues Dawson Creek Assisted / Independent Living Facility Recreation Sites & Trails Pouce Coupe Community Centre AGRICULTURE - 39- BC Building Permits Bull Sale Devereaux Pump Station Bull Sale Results Sewers & Watermains Poultry Processing Roofing System Legal Wrangles ENERGY - 17 - MINING - 35 - Oil & Gas Sale Coal Merger BP Canada Wolverine Coal Mine Number of Wells Drilled in BC Mineral Exploration Active Oil Rigs Cline Mining Fossil Fuels Coal Mines Bear Ridge Resources Pines to Mines Natural Gas Production Northern Energy & Mining Pumping Energy Through BC Hillsborough Oil & Gas Activity Current and Pending Mines in Northeast BC Assessed Value AESWapiti Power Generation Drilling Forecast BC Economy FORESTRY - 40 - Solar Hot Water Systems Softwood Lumber Refunds Resources SAFE Companies Power Plays Market-Based Timber Pricing Drilling Forecast Trucking Regulations Softwood Lumber Agreement Dawson Creek 3 Contents TRANSPORTATION - 42 - EDUCATION continued - 60 - Air Traffic School District 59 Review Bus Routes Fraser Institute Report Card Resource Roads Braille Teacher of the Year Airport Funding Science World Road Improvements Drilling Rig Technician Training Central Mountain Air Solar Hot Water System Installer Prince Rupert Port Authority Mobile Construction Training Boundary Road Nursing Students Corporate Express Reading Program CITY NEWS - 44 - HUMAN SERVICES - 65 - Water Cost Study Step Up ‘n’ Ride Northeast Leads in Small Business Growth Medical Imaging Archiving Crown Corporation Tax Grants NH Connections Solar Panel Obstetrician Program Traffic Fine Revenue EnCana Donates to Hospital Foundation Energy Sustainability RECREATION & LEISURE - 67 - Award for Excellence Northern BC Winter Games Property Assessments Long Track Speedskating Fibre Optics Seals Swim Club Winter Lights New Parks Air Show Bantam Football PRRD Taxation Try-A-Triathlon Dawson Creek Watershed Junior Soccer Housing Prices Junior Golf Greensmart Homes Garden Tour One Card Library Program Dawson Creek Air Show South Peace District Crime Prevention Association Summer Cruise 2006 Branding the Peace Dawson Creek Exhibition Solar Panels Community Cleanup CULTURE - 70 - Business Incorporations Muskwa-Kechika Exploration Camp pRRDy Partner Environment Award Crazy for You Energy Efficient Grants Art Wall Green Vehicles Books in Bloom Communities In Bloom Dionysus Theatre Company Provincial Funding Circus North Workshop Streetlight Replacement Vancouver Opera Gas Tax Funds Rolla Hotel Global Entertainment Bluegrass Signal Lights Christmas Card Bulk Water Fill Stations Ben Heppner Concert Big Screens for Multiplex EDUCATION - 60 - For more information about the City of Dawson Creek, Northern Opportunities its inhabitants, lifestyle and businesses, please contact: Pouce Coupe Elementary School Carpentry Training Mayor Calvin Kruk NLC Centre of Excellence City of Dawson Creek Premier’s Excellence Awards P.O. Box 150, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4G4 Class Sizes Phone: 250-784-3616 Fax: 250-782-3203 Literacy Funding Email: [email protected] SD 59 http://www.dawsoncreek.ca/ Dawson Creek 4 Employment NORTHEASTERN BC UNEMPLOYMENT RATES Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2000 7.0 5.6 3.5 3.9 5.4 7.5 9.4 8.2 6.1 5.8 5.7 5.8 2001 4.7 —* 4.4 5.5 5.9 5.7 6.7 7.0 7.2 5.1 5.2 6.1 2002 8.7 8.1 8.4 7.7 10.1 11.6 11.7 9.2 7.7 8.1 9.3 9.3 2003 8.9 8.2 7.1 7.2 6.7 7.2 7.2 7.7 7.9 6.8 6.0 4.3 2004 4.4 4.2 4.6 5.0 6.3 8.3 9.0 8.0 6.3 4.7 —* —* 2005 4.9 4.5 5.0 4.1 5.4 5.2 4.9 4.2 4.4 4.4 —* —* 2006 —* —* —* —* —* 4.4 —* —* 4.2 5.2 In October 2006, the unemployment rate in BC was 4.6% and 3.0% in Alberta. * The unemployment rate for Northeastern BC has been suppressed due to high sample variance. November 2006 REGIONAL OUTLOOK Since 2000, total employment in the Northeast has hovered between 32,000 and 35,000. Based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the employment pattern in the Northeast is quite different from that of BC as a whole. At 36% of the region’s total employment, the goods producing sector had a larger share of employment in the Northeast than in any other region of the province in 2005. Not surprisingly, given the region’s wealth of natural resources, this exceeds BC as a whole, where only 21% of overall employment was in this sector. Among goods- producing industries in the region, forestry, fishing, mining, oil & gas and construction employed the most workers in 2005. On the services side, trade, transportation & warehousing and accommodation & food services were the biggest players. NORTHEAST’S 2005 EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION BY INDUSTRY % of total LEADER IN SELF-EMPLOYMENT employment GROWTH Total employment 100.0 The Northeast led the province in self- Goods-producing sector 36.2 employment growth between 2000 and Agriculture 7.3 2005. Over this period, the number of self- Forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas 10.8 employed in the region grew at a notable Utilities 0.0 average annual rate of nearly 43%, more Construction 11.4 than double the provincial pace (+17% Manufacturing 5.8 annually). Services-producing sector 63.6 Over the past five years in British Trade 14.6 Columbia, the proportion of total Transportation and warehousing 8.7 employment comprised of self-employed Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 0.0 workers has been increasing steadily. In Professional, scientific and technical services 5.2 2005, self-employment accounted for Business, building and other support services 0.0 nearly 20% of total employment, up from Educational services 5.0 19% in 2004. At over 25% of total Health care and social assistance 6.4 employment, the Northeast had an even Information, culture and recreation 0.0 higher percentage of self-employed in Accommodation and food services 7.3 2005, up five percentage points from 20% Other services 5.8 in 2004. Public administration 0.0 (Continued on page 6) Data Source: Statistics Canada Dawson Creek 5 Employment (Continued from page 5) LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES Generally, the most populous regions of the province are prone to the lowest unemployment rates, while the more northerly, rural regions tend to have the highest rates. The Northeast is an exception to this trend. Partly reflecting its diversity of industry sectors in goods as well as services, it has historically recorded below average unemployment rates. With the exception of 2002, unemployment rates have been below the provincial average since 2000. In 2005, it boasted the lowest unemployment rate in the province (4.7%), well below BC’s rate of 5.9%. Distribution of operating businesses in Northeast ECONOMIC STRUCTURE by industry, 2005 Like its employment Education patterns, the activities in which Trade F.I.R.E. Services businesses in the Northeast are 10% 7% 1% engaged are varied. In 2005, Health & Social approximately 23% of all Transportation & Services operating businesses were in Utilities 3% primary industry, while a further 11% 13% were in construction.