When the news broke on Friday that the population in Prince George shrank by just under 2,000 people, I have to admit, I was saddened.
When people ask me about Prince George, I always reply that it's a small city of around 80,000 people surrounded by trees. I then describe how nice the people are here and how many woodland creatures that you will see if you live here.
A population of 71,363 as of July 1, 2015 seems a little small. There are a few options available for us. We could decide that we will all round-up by a significant amount. We could, as a community, try to annex Quesnel and Vanderhoof and become a large bustling Northern metropolis. We could encourage the young families in town to double their offspring, although a possibly negative side effect would be longer lineups at the swimming pools. On the other hand, car seat manufacturers would make a killing and help boost the economy and our education system would get a much-needed influx of students.
Another option is to take our population numbers with a Pollyanna-like, positive attitude. Fewer people here means less traffic and more to enjoy for the rest of us. I'm being overly simplistic, of course. A larger population means a larger tax-base can also indicate a healthy and stable economy.
That being said, the only thing that I can presently do in my current position as resident is to continue to tell everyone I know that Prince George is an excellent place to live and to raise a family. It's the only thing that any of us can do. We need to support our community and new ventures and opportunities that are starting around town. We need to be inclusive to our surrounding communities because annexation is likely not a viable option. Wells, Quesnel, Hixon, Red Rock, Vanderhoof and McBride are unique and special places that we should remember are a part of us as well. We all have this area in common and it takes all of us roughly the same amount of time to drive to the coast. And Quesnel, you may be closer to Vancouver, but, not by much.
