Prince Rupert
Article by Sarah Zimmerman. Photo: Thomas Camus
Click here to visit the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce website.
“I’m going for a weekend getaway to Prince Rupert!”
It’s not an unusual pronouncement to hear from some from Kitimat or Terrace. The port city of Prince Rupert has long been the go-to getaway destination in the far northwest of the region. It’s location right on the Pacific Ocean means it’s got a cute, coastal feel that sets it apart from other northwestern locations. Located on the traditional territory of the Tsimshian people, the cozy, walkable, multicultural town boasts dozens of restaurants, a variety of accommodations ranging from cute bed and breakfasts to hostels, hotels and conference centres.
For a smaller community, it is packed with options for visitors and folks looking for unique gifts they may not be able to find anywhere else. But there is also something about the entrepreneurial spirit of the business community in Prince Rupert that makes it stand out.
Photo: Camus Photography
Take, for example, Good Times Games. It’s not just a games store – it’s a place where kids and adults alike can gather, connect through board games and clubs and create a safe space where people can unplug for from their devices and interact together. COVID created a lot of challenges for the store, but the community support meant it weathered the storm and came out stronger.
Owner, Rob Gruber, says he feels fortunate the Prince Rupert community is so open to his creative ideas. Everything from hosting birthday parties, Pokemon tournaments or live role play, Rob’s team is always seeking out ways to engage further with the community rather than just being a location to find your favourite board game. And he’s seen the impact having a space like his has had on kids who may struggle with fitting in or developing their self-esteem.
“We are role models in the community and we leverage that to offer amazing programs,” says Gruber, adding parents love having a space where kids can access interesting activities with people they trust. “It’s a safe place, everyone is treated fairly, it’s a great, positive, active, social environment.”
Photo: Camus Photography
That sense of creating community spaces where people do more than just shop or get something to go is evident in some of Prince Rupert’s favourite go-to spots – be it checking in with the friendly folks at Wheelhouse Brewery, or having the front desk clerk at The Crest Hotel remember your name every time you stay there – that small town welcome is extended at every turn.
That sense of building community is a common thread with many businesses. For the Gitmaxmak’ ay Nisga’a Economic Development Corporation, its mandate is to create jobs and revenues for the benefit of Nisga’a citizens in Prince Rupert.
“But the vision goes beyond that to do good in community, by community, for community,” explains CEO, Blair Mirau.
The corporation and the Gitmaxmak’ ay Nisga’a Society serve roughly 1,600 Nisga’a citizens living in Prince Rupert. The economic development corporation currently owns four businesses: the Port Edward General Store, Bob’s on the Rocks, the Nisga’a Hall and Rupert Lawn and Garden. Each of the businesses have generated different revenue streams, created jobs and play an important role in the community.
Rupert Lawn and Garden is an example of the innovative spirit of the business community in Prince Rupert. It’s new hydroponics growing centre (located in a container, a nod to the city’s shipping roots) produces an incredible 600 units of fresh greens per week. It helped the society establish a weekly fresh greens distribution through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription service available to Prince Rupert residents and Nisga’a citizens alike. And in 2022, the garden centre will add a café that will be supplied with the homegrown greens and create more employment opportunities. It’s all part of creating a food network system that compliments each of the businesses and that pays homage to the pre-contact trading routes between the Tsimshian, the Nisga’a and other Indigenous communities.
Bob on the Rocks, a local favourite for fish and chips, is located at the mouth of the Rushbrook Trail and overlooks Prince Rupert’s spectacular harbour. You can’t miss the impact of the ocean on the economic diversity of the community. The harbour is home to water sport equipment rentals, small and large fishing vessels, charter boats, whale watching vessels, yachts and sailboats and, of course, the containers that make the Fairview Terminal a hotbed of shipping activity that is benefiting both Prince Rupert and the wider northwestern region.
Photo: Camus Photography
Valerie and Kevin Wiley own Northern Bounty Fishing Charters. Kevin has is the company’s senior guide and has been guiding fisherman for 35 years. He knows the water, the fish, the tides like the back of his hand. Prince Rupert is a popular destination for saltwater fishing. Today, 60 per cent of his Wiley’s clients come from northwestern BC.
When those clients come to Prince Rupert for one of his fishing charters, they’re also spending their money at stops along the Hwy 16 corridor, be it for gas, food, accommodations and more, and that’s before they’ve even arrived in Prince Rupert.
“If people book with me, they have to book hotels, go to restaurants, pubs, hotels, find fish processors – it’s all connected and everybody benefits from that,” says Wiley.
But the compounded impact of his business on the local economy not only stems from his clients’ spending, but from the spending his business does in the community. From maintenance costs for his boats to spending more than $12,000 a month on fuel, that spending, in turn, supports other businesses in the community.
Over in Cow Bay, visitors have easy access to all sorts of shops, boutiques and restaurants that make the area especially popular on those weekend getaways. Cow Bay is an accessible retail hub featuring popular pubs like Breakers, coffee shops such as Cowpuccinos and quaint, water-side accommodations like the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast. So much of what makes Prince Rupert unique is excitement of exploring the waterfront.
Photo: Camus Photography
The easy access across the Pacific to the Asian market positions Prince Rupert as a major gateway for North American trade. The Fairview Terminal underwent a major expansion in 2017, increasing the Port’s handling capacity to 1.3 million containers a year, meaning it is the second-largest container facility in Canada.
The economic spinoff for Prince Rupert and the surrounding area is significant. According to its 2021 Economic Impact report, the Prince Rupert Port Authority generated more than $360 million in annual wages for northern BC families, and despite the challenges of COVID, employment actually grew by 3 per cent between 2018 and 2020.
Much like Kitimat, the economic benefits to Prince Rupert also appear on the tax roll with $147 million going to all levels of government from the companies and workers that keep the port moving.
The Port Authority is also invested in its community and dedicated more than $14.3 million to community projects in 2021 and made investments of $230 million toward Indigenous contracts to build Port Authority infrastructure. The Port continues to grow, creating more opportunities for Prince Rupert and the region.
A visit to Prince Rupert is unlike any other community along the Highway 16 corridor. For those travelling by road from the west, you’ll be treated to one of the most picturesque and stunning drives in North America. As the road weaves its way through Tsimshian territory along the mighty Skeena, it’s a spectacular welcome to a community that is friendly, connected and exciting to explore.
Click here to visit the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce website.
