The economic benefit of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline remains a matter of debate, but there's no question the National Energy Board hearings have injected money into the local hospitality industry.
For six of the past eight weeks dozens of representatives from Enbridge Northern Gateway, the Canadian Environment Assessment Agency and intervener groups from across the province have been filling up up local hotels, eating at local restaurants, renting local cars and taking in local entertainment.
While it's difficult to put a precise number on the exact amount of economic spinoff the hearings have generated, Northern Gateway offered a starting point when the company said by the end of this week it will have spent more than $160,000 on approximately 1,200 room-night stays at three Prince George hotels.
"We've been treated exceptionally well here in Prince George," Northern Gateway spokesman Ivan Giesbrecht said. "The people in the hotels assisted us and we're very grateful for that."
The Northern Gateway staff usually had their breakfast and lunches catered, but were on their own for dinner - with many of the witnesses, lawyers and support staff taking the chance to explore the local cuisine. Northern Gateway engineering manager Ray Doering sat on three separate witness panels and was in Prince George for about five weeks, so he had plenty of time to develop some favourite haunts.
"It's remarkable when you're in downtown Prince George how many good restaurants are in a short walking distance, there's lots of places to choose from and we got a good variety," said Doering, who also lived in Prince George for a few years as a child. "My favourite restaurant is Hummus Brothers - I love it there - and my favourite place we didn't get to go to that I wanted to was Nancy O's. We'll get over there one day, I know they have some live entertainment."
The airport was also a big winner as people shuttled in and out of town for the three blocks of hearing days.
The 1,200 room-nights only scratches the surface of impact the hearings had on the local hotel and restaurant industries.
On any given day, there were nearly two dozen staff members working on the hearings for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the National Energy Board. From the Joint Review Panel members themselves to their legal team to process advisors who help interveners navigate the process to technical support staff to translators, they were all here for the entirety of the process.
Other federal government departments who provided evidence at the hearings also had representatives on hand during the process to monitor the proceedings. In the last week, their presence increased exponentially with dozens of witnesses and a host of lawyers arriving in Prince George for a few days of testimony.
Finally, there were the interveners who came to ask questions of Northern Gateway. Many of them popped in and out of town depending on when their time was up, but other bigger groups like the Haisla Nation and the environmental coalition had staff on hand almost every day of the proceedings.
The number of interveners varied by the week, but it's safe to say they averaged about 10 out of town people per day.
Barry Robinson, a lawyer for a coalition of environmental groups, was in and out of Prince George a few times over the course of the hearings. He said he enjoyed dining at places like Cazba and the Rockford Grill.
"I had spent a lot of my working life in Grande Prairie, Alberta which is also a pulp mill town and a logging town," Robinson said. "I find a lot of familiarity when I come to Prince George, including the odour of the air."
