0 oo ; ‘The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 12, 2006 ~ A13

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Proud of where we're from...
Proud of where we're going. .

"Check and compare. No other airline offers you low fares everyday and when
“ you really need a break, there’ s our Medical, Youth, ‘Student and Senior fares.

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ONE WAY FROM | 66 I can’ ‘t help but think things would be a lot di ifferent if er ene
99° _ » Hawkair wasn’t based here in Terrace. I get to work with re ee “
siarwanesssagen : ius Es _ some of the best in the business. In the Maintenance = sd
7 a ; _ Department, sefety is a big issue and we are a real team.
"DAILY FLIGHTS FROM THESE . [guess you could call us the Dash 8 specialists. .
NORTHERN VERE HES. Considering all the work we are able to —

TO'VANCOUVER?
- Dawson Creek,

‘| do, and the fact that tt is all being -

EMPLOYEES. Samantha Louie, Carol. Ann Roberts,

Debbie Simons, Lee Ann Prince and Penny Merrison: 7 .. Prince. -Rupert, do nein the North, I think that’ oo . ,
pose in front of the néwly painted Terrace Visitor In- |. - .Fort St.John ==——s—=C~™s=S*:S awesome. ‘Hawkair is her @ for
. ormation Centre. The number of visitors to the centre. | _ foo : .
-has decreased this year due to the Queen of the North | . — & Terrace/ Kitimat fo the long haul and that's not . eo
_ ferry Sinking: Simons says. a SARAHARTISPHOTO [= = RESERVATIONS: =>: | Just good for the employees, but °.
(s..). 9-800-487-1216. that’s good ort the communities 0

To book online or contact “ . vg tee

. ; . your travel agent a, ‘we Serve. 99 . te

oy yeas Seats ae limited. pubject to availability - . aoe _ ee 7

Nova wih anyother promotions _ ‘Ben Mccary

: Ms no - Maintenance Crew Chief

/p ro 9 ra m S oO A proud Hawkair employee

:, TOURISM COUNSELLORS | ona mission ‘to boost the “

‘@ = .number of visitors to northern. B.C. visited Terrace July 4 to

EB learn how to better promote the city. °

Jennifer Sharp and Kate Anderson were recently hired
as part of strategic regional initiative aimed at increasing
# ‘awareness and visitors to the north. .
a Based at the visitor centre in Prince George, considered
gs ~« to be the. gateway to the north, the new employees job is to
3 encourage tourists travelling along. Highway 16 to continue

- north. -

Their one- -night visit here was part of a “familiarity-build- ;
ing” trip; for one week, the counsellors are travelling from ,
' Prince George to the Queen Charlotte Islands, stopping in
communities along the way to learn more about each place.

The ultimate goal is for them to be better able to promote
each spot because of their own experiences. _ 3 _ _ oo ; to a

Hiring the two counsellors is one.of.various programs to... . : teeny ta ee a : a
be funded by a one-time provincial government investment
of $450,000 tourism dollars for northem B.C. |

‘The funds were announced two months ago to help cover
losses in the region resulting from the March sinking of the
~ Queen of the North ferry.

Individual communities and operators have been greatly
affected by a drop in visitors since the sinking. ~ .

A second new program announced July 4 is the Northern
B.C. Summer Signature Series.

The series is a print and broadcast advertisement cam-
paign that promotes 15 specific summer events in the region;
including Terrace’s Riverboat Days.

« The idea was to create a legacy, said Bruce Wishart,
Tourism Prince Rupert’s executive director who’s on the’
fund management committee.

“We are helping encourage people in northern B.C. to
travel around, visit their own backyard. We bundled [the fes- |
tivals] to increase excitement,” he said, adding many of the
_ events in the region are unique. _ .

The committee based their decisions.on which programs
to implement on extensive consultations’ done with affected
communities, operators and various other stakeholders. The
consensus of what needed to be done .was “pretty clear,”
Wishart said. While he’s confident in what the area has to
offer, however, the task at hand is difficult.

“The problem is we can’t replace what we lost. ‘We just

cart.”

A major problem is most tourists in B.C. travel i in a cir-.
cular route that includes the ferry from Prince Rupert to Port -
Hardy and the perception is the ferry is unavailable, Wishart ©
said.

In reality, the ferry service has been reduced and hasa §
waiting list, but it is still available.

The executive director.of Terrace’s, Tourism Society
thinks hiring the: counsellors and running the ad | campaign
are “‘all positive.” ,

“T think it’s going to bring awareness to the region. It's
extra marketing dollars,” Jennifer Lewis said. . . _ wm ;

. | “Familiarization trips are fantastic,” she said of the coun- i: : . CO at ae
sellors visit. . 7 . P Fc oe Do

“Our biggest problem is getting accurate information to ik ® r otect. our or ests. CS yo mL
visitor information centres.” : oe rs ne

“Anything is better than nothing,” she added. fe Our forests are a tremendous source of pride for all British . Campfire Safety _
mgr romero iol = .. ©. Columbians. Tourists and residents alike marvel at their — _ | Runaway campfires are a leading cause of. unwanted
month.: — : grandeur. Working families, forest communities and our. | _ forest fires in B.C. costing millions of dollars to fight each
ie _ parklands rely on our forests. Yet every year, an n average . year. Before you start a campfire, consider these tips: ° :
F EATU R = 4 Oo ME | of 2,000 forest fires put itll at risk. co | «Ensure there are no campfire restrictions in place.” —
San . a os oe, "+ Ensure having a campfire. is,and will continue tobe,safe.
4 cece re 7 §172:900 ; 2. People cause about half of all forest est fir es, endangering lives, | Take reasonable precautions to ensure the fire is contained. °°
: iat uly landscaped doable i _ threatening property and affecting tourism. | - «Be equipped with sufficient firefighting tools. .
SO ; _ * Never leave a-fire unattended. — -
Protect yourselves and our forests. - - OO * Report the fire if it spreads beyond the burn area:
7 ° Extinguish the fire before leaving the area.

For more information on how you can prevent forest fires, visit www.gov.be.ca

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