Taking Stock: Prince Rupert Business Tracker October 2019

Prince Rupert and the North Coast moved fully into fall with a range of social engagements, highlighted by the annual fall gala for the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce.

The month of October also brought us into the home stretch of a Federal election campaign, with Prince Rupert based CityWest doing its civic duty to make sure we had access to the election forums across the Northwest.

Among some of the other themes of the month, the end of the Cruise season, some big plans for the Gitmaxmak'ay Society and celebrations at Northern Savings Credit Union.

Other items of note in October, some disappointing financial returns for the city owned marina, the promise of redevelopment for the DQ building location and perhaps, one day not too far off in the haze ... an opening for the first retail cannabis location for Prince Rupert

Those themes and many others, can be be found as part of our review of the Commercial and economic scene in the region for the last month below:

October

The latest in cinematic productions from CityWest brought the theme of improved Wi-Fi access to a computer screen near you, with another of their popular video presentations.

With the northwest in the heat of an election campaign, CityWest also stepped in to make sure that residents of Terrace, Kitimat and Prince Rupert had a chance to take in the electoral forums in each community.

Planning continued in October, with an eye towards Prince Rupert's annual tradition of the two day Kaien Island Craft Fair which arrives on November 15 & 16.

A positive vote in Ketchikan, may bring some work for CityWest as the northern neighbours look to install a new fibre optic link to Prince Rupert.

The start of October, brought the end of the 2019 Cruise season with just one final port call for the year and hopes for an even larger presence for 2020.

Being a marina owner is a bit of a disappointing thing when it comes to the returns for 2019, as the City continued to see a decline in revenues from the Cow Bay Marina this year.

There was significant progress made towards the revitalization of the corner of Third and McBride, as Northern Savings Credit Union began to explore just what it will do next with the old DQ property that they purchased a year ago.

The Craft Brewers of the Northwest may have been left off the ballot, but residents of the region could still send in their votes for their favourite brewers as part of the Growler Awards voting.

Prince Rupert based CityWest offered up a chance for residents of the region to learn more about our Veterans, hosting a program on Channel 10/310HD called We Remember them.

Students of Coast Mountain College across the Northwest stand to benefit thanks to a financial award program put in place by a number of Terrace auto dealers.

Mid month found the Prince Rupert branch of Northern Savings Credit Union celebrating the annual International Credit Union Day festivities in the city.

One of the most popular events on the city's social calendar took place in October, as the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Gala, this year featuring a Venetian theme.

The Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a Society has some interesting plans ahead out of the the Third Avenue Nisga'a Hall, as they seek out funding for a pair of initiatives. One to tap into the city's cruise arrivals and the other to develop a hydroponics industry in the city.

In what seems to be the longest introduction in Prince Rupert commercial history, the path towards a retail cannabis industry took another step forward with some signs of a potential opening for Clarity Cannabis on Third Avenue West.

Progress on the new construction for the Rupert Lawn and Garden Centre continued on, with the slab for the new structure at Seal Cove now in place.

A number of local businesses and services once again came through the annual Hallowe'en Fest, ensuring that the 32nd Annual edition did not disappoint the local ghouls and goblins.

October brought more incentive than ever towards bringing back your empty bottles and cans, as the provincial Return It program upped the financial return on your returns.

The Metlakatla Development Corporation, which has become a significant participant in the North Coast economy opened up its nomination process for their Board of Directors

Prince Rupert's pharmacies were getting read to launch the annual flu shot campaign as the month came to an end, with the local pharmacists one option for residents looking to get their dose of flu prevention this fall.

As the month came to a close, one of the city's Auto dealerships had stepped up to lend a hand to the North Coast Transition Society, as McCarthy GM invited customers and residents to drop by and "Cram the Crew" providing for goods for those in need in the community.

You can keep up to date on the ebb and flow of the Prince Rupert commercial scene through our Taking Stock Archive for 2019.

More notes on the commercial sector across the Northwest in 2019 can also be found from our from our archive page here. 

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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