March 16, 2010
PXA LOOKS AT WORK AHEAD
Princeton Exhibition Association (PXA) met at Town Hall March 9 to review what has to be done this year. The money situation is very tight, but the need to continue upkeep of the fairgrounds does not stop.
Wayne Hooper said he has the paint to redecorate the washrooms. He does not know if he will be able to do the concession. There is a lot of painting to be done.
The former owners of Princeton Paint and Decorating donated 25 gallons of paint to the PXA in appreciation for their business.
Floodlights will be installed this spring. There is a lot of work to be done in general maintenance of the facility. The grandstand must have work done on it and the grounds always need a spring clean-up. As the work is done by volunteers working with a limited amount of money, it is difficult to get everything done that needs doing.
Two new events were approved for the coming months. On May 1, the Fall Fair will hold a combination yard sale and flea market in which people with goods to sell can rent a table or space. This event has been successful in the past. The second event is the 150 Dewdney Trail Ride. This takes place August 20, 21 and 22. The participating riders will rent the horse facilities for the weekend.
Other events taking place include Princeton Rodeo on May 15, horse racing on July 3, the ATV/BC get-together in mid-July, Fall Fair in late August and the bull riding finals in mid-September.
4-H is no longer active in Princeton and some concern was expressed about storage of the dog trial equipment. Another concern was storage of the spook house equipment, as the firemen no longer do this Halloween event for local children.
PXA President John Bey said he is still looking for somebody to run the concession for the big events. Keith Olsen, President of Fall Fair, told Bey the Fall Fair will run its own concession.
Vendor forms are being prepared for use by all of the groups who host events at the fairgrounds. There are many vendors who want to display goods for sale at all the major events.
The PXA wants a single vendor rate for all events.
Members agreed to change the date of the PXA meetings from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Tuesday, making the next PXA meeting on April 20.
MINING SCORES HIGH IN SURVEY
In February of 2010, NRG Research Group was retained by PR Associates to conduct a public opinion survey. PR Associates, on behalf of the Mining Association of British Columbia, is looking to better understand residents' impressions of mining in three key communities.
The primary objectives of the survey were to:
- Identify how citizens gather information regarding industries in their region;
- Understand how residents view mining in terms of economic impact, safety, and environmental impact; and,
- Gauge approval of mining among residents.
NRG Research Group conducted telephone interviews for the MABC Survey between February 4th and February 16th, 2010 with 900 residents in three British Columbia communities (Smithers: 300, Princeton: 300, and Kamloops: 300) The survey instrument, was developed by PR Associates and NRG Research Group with input from the MABC team. Results for all respondents per community contained in this report carry an overall maximum margin of error of +5.7% at the 95% level of confidence.
The survey was conducted among residents of Kamloops, Smithers and Princeton aged 18 years or older using a random digital dial (RDD) sample source. Quotas were set to ensure that respondents represented the overall population base of each community. To account for over-sampling of certain demographic groups, the results are weighted to reflect the population by age and gender according to the Census.
Overall
- The internet is the most used information source for industry information among residents in all communities. When on the internet, they generally just use search engines such as Google to find information. This highlights the importance of a strong online presence that is optimized for search engines.
- Mining's ability to contribute to the local economies of these communities is recognized by residents although the community's dependence on this contribution varies.
- The level of connection to the mining industry varies however, those that are connected to the mining industry tend to view the industry's workplace safety, environmental impact and First Nations efforts more favorably. In addition, they tend to more strongly approve of mining overall.
- Many residents would consider working in the mining industry in their area, however, most would require training. Younger men tend to be more likely to consider mining as a career option.
- Among those who can rate it, the mining industry's workplace safety is generally rated high and is considered about the same as other major industries in the areas. However, it is important to note that there is a general lack of awareness about workplace safety in all three communities with a significant proportion of residents not being able to rate workplace safety.
- Generally, residents think that negative environment impacts of mining can be minimized by the mining company with some suggesting that these impacts can be reversed.
- Perceptions of mining relations with First Nations in the area varies by community, although a significant proportion of residents are not aware of the efforts or interactions between these groups.
Overall, approval ratings for mining in the three communities are high. As mentioned, a connection to the industry is a strong driver for higher approval ratings.
Princeton
- Although the internet is the most used information source for residents, there are several other sources that are used by residents including 'Politicians or City Council', 'Newspaper', 'Friends /Family / Word of Mouth', 'Phone Book' and 'Chamber of Commerce/BBB'. 9% of those who use the internet would visit an industry association site while the majority will just search the internet using a search engine such as Google.
- 'Logging' and the 'Mill' are perceived to be large contributors to the local Princeton economy by the majority of residents. Although 'Mining' was only mentioned by one-third of residents when asked for top-of-mind industries, when asked about mining directly, 75% noted that it is/will be a vital part of the local economy.
- Nearly half of residents do not have any connections to mining.
- Four-in-ten Princeton residents would consider working in the mining industry but most would require training.
- One-in-five (21%) Princeton residents feel that they do not know enough about mining workplaces to rate workplace safety in the mining industry. However, among those that did rate workplace safety, a high proportion rated it as Œ4' or Œ5' on a five-point scale where 1 is 'Very Dangerous' and 5 is 'Very Safe'. When compared to other industries, however, most residents perceive mining's workplace safety to be about the same.
- Although some residents don't think negative environmental impacts can be minimized, most do. In fact 52% think that mining companies can minimize these impacts and 30% believe the mining company can reverse negative impacts. This suggests that although the environment is a consideration, residents are very receptive to the idea that a company can create programs and procedures to address environmental impacts.
- Residents generally think that the mining industry has made efforts to involve local First Nations although the perceived outcome of these efforts are mixed. This inconsistency, in addition to the 37% who noted they don't know about this issue, suggests there is a lack of awareness in the community regarding efforts or agreements between these two groups.
General approval ratings are high with 62% 'Completely' approving and 25% 'Somewhat' approving of mining in the Princeton region.
