Although it will be located within the Fraser-Fort George regional district, the Valemount Glacier resort development may have little to no effect whatsoever on the Prince George economy.
As it stands right now, that benefit will go either south to Kamloops or, more likely, east to Edmonton.
That's too bad because, on paper at least, this project could be a regional game changer.
The $100-million first phase will allow for year-round skiing, gondola access to mountain tops nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, the largest vertical drop in North America of more than 6,700 feet and a village base for residences, hotels, stores, restaurants and resort operations that could employ as many as 800 people.
Its location couldn't be better, just three hours from Prince George and a little further from Kamloops. The real numbers, however, in both people and money - will come from Edmonton (five hours), Calgary (six-and-a-half hours through one of the most scenic landscapes in the world) and Vancouver (seven-and-a-half hours, half of that on the Coquihalla Highway).
The allure of a full-service, four seasons resort that would allow skiing in July and August has national and global sports and adventure tourism implications, but Prince George is only partially ready at best to cash in on the opportunity.
On the plus side of the ledger, Prince George's airport has a long runway and a customs facility to accommodate international direct-flight charters from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Prince George is also a regional retail and service centre with all the amenities these visitors may need, coming or going, as well as serving as a springboard should they choose to do some further exploring of the region.
There's also the Ancient Forest.
Get that provincial park upgraded to a UNESCO World Heritage site, add some additional visitor comforts and there's a unique natural stop for those international visitors who will love the idea of taking selfies in their T-shirts and shorts in front of giant cedars in the morning and then taking more selfies skiing on a glacier in the afternoon.
The problem for Prince George is that highway.
Other than the Ancient Forest, McBride and some interesting spots for hiking, snowmobiling and hunting, there isn't much on that three-hour drive on Highway 16 to Valemount.
The route itself is a windy, two-lane road that is prone to washouts and is a horribly dull drive that doesn't get interesting until Tete Jaune Cache. Valemount is only 20 kilometres further.
Kamloops, meanwhile, is only about a half-hour drive longer from Valemount.
That drive on Highway 5 can also be long and dreary but at least it's broken up by numerous small communities to pass through and pick up road snacks and Red Bulls.
Kamloops doesn't have the airport Prince George, does but it has far more tourism amenities and would serve as the halfway point for Valemount Glacier visitors who would decide to fly into Vancouver before heading north.
Unfortunately for the B.C. economy, Alberta is best-placed to rake in the economic benefits of Valemount Glacier, from construction right through to operation.
Although it takes five hours to drive from Edmonton to Valemount, the majority of that drive - from Hinton east - is on a four-lane freeway. Edmonton's airport has direct daily commercial flights to Europe and Asia, as well as to major Canadian and American cities, and has an air cargo and rail terminal that could receive the gondola infrastructure and other building materials before trucking it to Valemount for installation.
That's hard, but not impossible, for Prince George to beat.
Along with the unique offering of the Ancient Forest, Prince George could push hard for that direct-flight charter traffic from Asia (one hour less on the plane each way and two hours closer on the road each way). Local hotels, restaurants and other retailers have what it takes to step up their game even more to satisfy more affluent metropolitan tastes.
Bringing these arrivals into the city could still be a problem, since their first sight coming down from the airport would be the jail, the pulp mill and the refinery.
Yet those optics can be overcome by first-class service and warm Prince George hospitality.
Without a concerted effort over time to make it happen, however, Prince George will see tragically few of the millions and eventually billions of dollars that will be flowing through the Valemount Glacier project, if it lives up to even some of its potential.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
