Expenses for small business operators dominated the information flow for February on the commercial scene as the Province of British Columbia delivered the 2018 Budget, a document which will have some impact on local business owners and the decisions they make for their operations.
Adding on to the expenses side of the business ledger for local business operators was the annual delivery of February of the City's utilities bills for services provided to both residential and business owners.
There was some positive news for the city's business sector though, and among the good news in the region for the month, was the start of the Annual All Native Basketball Tournament and the surge of visitors to the city, making for full hotels and strong numbers for restaurants and services in the community.
The City of Prince Rupert owned communication company CityWest also featured in a number of shout outs from politicians at the provincial level, while also launching its Fibre to home service in Prince Rupert.
Our review of the Commercial and economic scene in the region for the last month can be found below:
February
Grocery store closures in the Lower mainland have made for one of the themes of ongoing labour negotiations for the provinces two major grocery chains this month.
The mid winter celebration of the All Native Basketball Tournament provided a significant boost to the revenues for local stores and services as a large volume of participants and fans arrived in the city for the one week event.
The string of road closures between Prince Rupert and Terrace in February, resulted in Canada Post providing for a rare Sunday home delivery service as the Post office tried to keep the Post office facility from backing up with mail to be delivered.
A presentation by the Safe Place Program in Prince Rupert made note of the participation of the city's business sector in the project that offers a safe place for members of the LGBTQ population in the city should they feel at threat.
CityWest featured in the news flow a number of times in February, the largest story of the month the interruption to service that came at the start of the month when a tree knocked out service on the east west fibre line. The rest of February was highlighted by the mention by the BC NDP Government's Throne speech, noting the company's participation in the Subs Sea Fibre project.
The company also hosted a Fibre launch party and debuted a community newsletter.
As well during that early February event the City of Prince Rupert owned communication company announced that it was making a contribution of 10,000 dollars towards the McKay Street Park project. February also found the company seeking some help on the employment side of things with job opportunities available in Prince Rupert and Terrace.
The ongoing issue of break ins continued to be noted by the Prince Rupert RCMP this month, with one of the incidents taking place at the City's downtown BC Liquor Branch store.
Prince Rupert based Northern Savings has a familiar face taking over a key element of the financial institutions services in the region, as Mr. Tony deViveiros moved into the position of Regional Manager of Business Services.
The City of Prince Rupert added to the incoming expenses list for business operators in the city this month, with the delivery of the annual utility bills to residences and commercial ratepayers.
The Province of British Columbia delivered its 2018 Budget and for small business owners in the province, including those on the North Coast, the potential for additional costs made for one of the features of the document.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice spread the word on an initiative on Haida Gwaii that is designed to increase awareness and support of small business and services in the Island, speaking in the Legislature about the Love Haida Gwaii program.
The prospect of Greyhound's final departure from the community was much closer this month, as the Passenger Transportation Board delivered its decision that will allow the commercial bus line to abandon its northern BC routes, including service to Prince Rupert.
You can keep up to date on the ebb and flow of the Prince Rupert commercial scene through our Taking Stock Archive for 2018.
We imagine we probably have missed a few here or there, so if you know of a business having opened, or seen the Going out of business sign appear somewhere in the area, drop us a line at our email account of northcoastreviewpr@yahoo.ca
Or send us a short message through our twitter feed of @CharlesHays
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