Community & Rural Development
From prairie farmland and boreal forest to alpine tundra and rugged Rocky Mountains, the Peace Region produces 90 per cent of the province's grain, 38 per cent of its hydroelectric power, has some of the largest gas fields in North America with over 10,000 wells drilled, employs about 2,300 forestry workers and plays host to 300,000 tourists each year. As the “Energy Capital" of the Province, the City of Fort St. John offers big city amenities with small community friendliness. Dr. Sherry Cooper, Global Economic Strategist & Executive Vice President, BMO Financial Group recently named Fort St. John as one of the Top-10 Small Business Hotbeds in Canada.
TRANSPORTATION
Trucking
A wide selection of carriers are eager to move your product to market. Primary road access is provided by Highway 97, Vancouver to Prince George; The Hart Highway, Prince George to Dawson Creek; and the famous Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek through the North Peace Region. Alternate road access is available from Prince George to Chetwynd on The Hart Highway, and from Chetwynd to Hudson's Hope to the Alaska Highway on Highway 29. Greyhound Canada provides daily service to Vancouver and Edmonton.
Ports
Port of Prince Rupert
Port of Vancouver
Rail
Canadian National Railways provides regularly scheduled freight services, offering immediate access to the Pacific Rim and the Eastern Canadian markets.
Canadian National Railways
Customer Service Centre: ..... 866.926.7245
Air
The North Peace Regional Airport provides daily flights from Western Canada's three major gateways: Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. The Fort St. John Airport currently provides regularly scheduled flights by Air Canada and Peace Air, Central Mountain Air and Hawk Air. A fixed wing charter company or a helicopter company can meet all your work or pleasure needs. Air cargo and couriers offer daily service. The Fort St. John airport is located only 10km (6.2mi.) from city centre.
Fort St. John Airport
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Each major Canadian financial institution, has a local branch in the North Peace region. There is a wide selection of professional accountants, lawyers, financial planners, insurance agencies, realtors and appraisers to serve all your business needs.
Fort St. John & District Chamber of Commerce
UTILITIES
Pacific Northern Gas
Commercial Customers and General Inquiries: ..... 800.667.2297
Terasen
Customer Care: ...... 888.224.2710
BC Hydro
Customer Projects and Installations: .....877.520.1355
COMMUNICATIONS
Telus
Business Customers: ..... 310.3100
Out of Province toll free: ..... 888.811.2828
Northwestel
Care Centre: ..... 888.423.2333
The North Peace region is bisected by the world famous Alaska Highway and the region is blessed with two mighty rivers - the Peace River and the Beatton River. The natural beauty draws over 320,000 visitors a year! The North Peace tourism industry provides strong potential for business investment, job creation, economic growth and rural development.
Development is encouraged in the following sectors:
- Agriculture tourism
- Backcountry and econ-adventure tourism
- Culture and heritage tourism
- Industry tourism
- Sports and recreational tourism
- Aboriginal tourism
The most important centre for enterprise in the northeast region of British Columbia, is within the North Peace. Fort St. John is the Energy capital of BC. Our key industries are oil and gas, agriculture and forestry. Area residents are skilled employees, entrepreneurs, franchise owners and wealth creators. An excellent transportation network of air, rail and highway links keep the North Peace plugged in to major markets in British Columbia, Alberta and beyond. Our small business owners out number the national average by almost double.
