I live on Spruce Street in Prince George, which is one of the biggest and most important cities in northern BC. The city has a unique geography because it forms a basin-like structure, also known as “The Bowl,” formed by the erosion of two rivers: the Fraser River and Nechako River.¹ Gently rising green hills and valleys surrounding the city give it a basin-like structure when observed from a height, which can be seen when one travels uphill.¹ The city is situated within the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh people, who have lived in this region for at least 9,000 years.³ The Lheidli T’enneh are one of the few Dakelh (Carrier) First Nations whose traditional language belongs to the Northern Athabaskan family.³

Before European settlement, the Carrier people (Lheidli T’enneh) practiced a non-sedentary lifestyle, which was structured around a clan system.⁴ The clan system distributed the population into more flexible groups that lived and worked together to gather food, hunt, and perform seasonal activities.⁴ Seasonal activities included activities like building large river barricades for fishing, felling trees for fuel, and executing controlled forest fires depending on different seasons.⁴ While salmon was the main source of food, other food sources included freshwater species like trout, whitefish, and sturgeon, wild berries (thimbleberries and sarsaparilla), and small terrestrial to large mammals like beavers to moose.⁴Although food and resources were abundant in nature compared to the population density at the time, the relationship between nature and humans was holistic and respectful.⁴ Historically, this region was abundant in wildlife species like caribou, bears, elk, beavers, deer, hoary marmots, groundhogs, and hares.⁴ Moreover, it had bird species like geese, ducks, grouse, and swans.⁴

However, post European’s contact in the early 1800s, explorers like Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Simon Fraser travelled across this region, and they attracted more settlers to this region.⁴ As this region started getting visitors (settlers), the resources that were abundant at one time got exploited for economic gains; for example, forests for timber, rivers for salmon, and wildlife for fur and skin.⁴ For instance, Fort George, established by Simon Fraser for the fur trade, exploited beavers and martens in huge numbers for their fur, resulting in decreased numbers of these species in the ecosystem at that time. ⁴ Fort George later taken over by the Hudson’s Bay Company, further cleared the land around it to create gardens and agricultural activities.⁴ This action led to the introduction of cultivated crops, livestock, and non-native plant species, which altered the native plants of this region.⁴ Furthermore, in addition to that, construction of the transcontinental railway intensified its effects on the environment and wildlife of Prince George.⁴

Although the railway brought a tremendous amount of change and development in this region, it also invited almost 3,500 settlers and workers for work and settlement purposes in 1914.⁶ It is undeniable that it fundamentally shaped and built Prince George, but it is also important to consider at what cost this development happened. For instance, to make way for its official townsite, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway(GTPR) purchased a 1,366-acre Fort George Indian Reserve No.1 in 1912 and burned the whole ancestral Lheidli village, forcibly removing the indigenous people from their own land and massively destroying the flora and fauna of the place.⁴ Additionally, while clearing the corridor for the railway, physical environments were destroyed, hillsides were blasted, rocks were cut down and moved, which affected the natural habitat of wildlife residing alongside the sites.⁴ Even after the CN railway’s completion, Prince George continued to experience rapid growth and development, much of which was driven by the forestry sector and the pulp mills established after World War II, which still contribute to the economy of the city.⁴ However, the city today focuses on expanding its economic base through investments in education, health, and businesses, in response to economic and market pressures.²

Despite all these major transformations and challenges, the city has remained a hub for major services like business, health, and education for the northern part of BC.² It has also become a place for specialized educational programs such as the Northern Medical Program, nursing programs, and higher‑education opportunities at the University of Northern British Columbia. ² This has not only supported people living in the north but also attracted students and professionals for education and jobs.² In addition, major healthcare services, especially cancer-related care, have brought remarkable changes, as they reduce the need for people to travel all the way from northern BC to Vancouver, lowering costs and providing more local jobs in health care and remote services for rural communities.² Although the city is doing great in terms of expanding its sources of income, it has some challenges that need to be addressed; for instance, the closure of one of the pulp mills resulted in the loss of approximately 300 jobs. Some communities are still facing issues of food deserts and walkability of the city in certain locations, especially where I live. ^7,2

While the city continuously works to overcome these challenges, Prince George also continues to face harsh winters, heavy snowfall, and cold temperatures that affect the functionality of the city for its people. But in the context of stewardship, there have been growing efforts to incorporate Indigenous communities in decision-making regarding the city’s future.⁵ There are many organizations such as Indigenous resource centers, cultural programs, and partnership programs with local First Nations that work together to provide opportunities for greater inclusion and recognition of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices for the city.⁵ Overall, there are lots of challenges and work to be done, but I strongly believe that Prince George possesses the infrastructure, regional importance, and community resources needed to adapt to future changes and remain a strong and resilient city for generations to come while acknowledging the history and the journey it has come through.

Footnotes

1. “Geotour Guide for Prince George, British Columbia OUR LAND Sustains US: Geology, Landscapes, and Earth Resources.” n.d. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://mineralsed.ca/site/assets/files/3451/princegeorgegeotourguide.pdf.
2. “History of Prince George | City of Prince George.” n.d. Www.Princegeorge.Ca. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.princegeorge.ca/community-culture/heritage/history-prince-george.
3. “Our Story – Lheidli T’enneh | First Nation | Prince George, BC.” n.d. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.lheidli.ca/about/our-story/.
4. Robert Neil Diaz, Reshaping the Land: An Environmental History of Prince George, British Columbia (master’s thesis, University of Northern British Columbia, 1996), 15.
5. Rodriguez, Jose. 2026. “Economic Development Strategy 2026.” Economic development report. https://www.princegeorge.ca/sites/default/files/2026-07/EC%20DEV%202026%20-%20Economic%20Development%20Strategy.pdf.
6. Jason Bryan Llewellyn, Understanding a City’s Form and Function: The Development and Planning History of the City of Prince George (master’s thesis, University of Northern British Columbia, 1999), 10.
7. “Canfor Announces Closure of Northwood Pulp Mill. — Canfor.” 2025. Canfor. 2025. https://www.canfor.com/newsroom/2026-07-14/canfor-announces-closure-of-northwood-pulp-mill.