– Simon Turner is Acting Manager for Quesnel & District Chamber of Commerce while Amber Gregg is on maternity leave. He can be reached at qchamber@quesnelbc.com.
QUESNEL – Much has been made of the annual survey conducted by a national publisher which has consistently ranked Quesnel as one of the worst places in Canada to live.
Those who live and work in Quesnel beg to differ!
Still, perception can be reality so, rather than argue with the faulty statistics and all-round silliness of said survey, City council decided to go through a re-branding exercise.
The old story was of a community growing up around the confluence of two rivers (what are now the Quesnel and Fraser) that created a transportation hub for trade emanating from timber, fur, and, over the hills in Barkerville, gold. The question the City posed: “Is that the story of Quesnel today?”
After many meetings and workshops designed to consult with as many residents and businesses as possible, the City now awaits the recommendations of the consultants as to the new story.
In the meantime, another work-in-progress is the new $20.6 million arena. Anyone visiting the community would be hard-pressed to miss the crane towering over the project that will become a major center of activity for the city, as should be the case for an arena. It’s about 12-months away from “substantial completion” but will certainly represent part of that new story.
Somewhat less dramatic but certainly no less important is the continued work on land stability in West Quesnel. For many years, the gradual slippage caused by ground water has had a profound impact on property ownership – cracks in foundations do not fill a prospective homebuyer with confidence, nor the provider of mortgage financing, so existing property owners have been wondering if they would ever see a return on their investment and, in extreme cases, if there was a long-term health and safety issue developing.
Investment by the City into a major dewatering program, designed to better channel snowmelt and rainwater away from the affected area rather then drain into the ground, has just about brought slippage to a complete halt. Sooner rather later, West Quesnel will no longer be known for land slippage – another piece of the new story.
Visitors to Quesnel will also notice a change in another downtown landmark, the Billy Barker Casino Hotel. Designed to evoke visions of an old paddle wheeler, “the Billy” acquired neighboring land (the former location of a long-since decommissioned gas station) that it converted to free paved parking, never a bad thing for any downtown.
In fact, perhaps substantial free parking might be part of the story – Downtown, West Quesnel, and South Quesnel. Sometimes we take for granted the simpler things in life.
Throw in the significant road works (you know it’s summer in Canada when you are on first name terms with the flag-people) involving 4-laning on Hwy 97 South and resurfacing on the Westside, and it becomes ever more clear how Quesnel is indeed a work-in-progress.
Should be quite a read when that new story gets published.
