September 23, 2005 for immediate release

Northern Sport Centre Ltd. has selected the Northern Sport Centre Consortium as the preferred proponent to design, build, and operate the new Northern Sport Centre in Prince George, which will be a public facility owned by the University of Northern British Columbia.

The consortium is comprised of the following companies:

Giffels Design-Build Inc. and Giffels Partnership Solutions Inc. – Giffels is the largest turnkey provider of sporting facilities in Canada.

Chernoff Thompson Architects – CTA is a BC-based architecture firm with an office in Prince George.It has extensive experience with UNBC, including serving as the architect for the Teaching Laboratory and the Bentley Centre.

NORR Limited – NORR is a well-established architectural and engineering firm that has designed or reconfigured more than 25 sporting facilities across Canada.

Leisure Recreation Group – LRG operates 19 leisure centres in BC and Alberta.

Western Industrial Contractors Ltd. – WIC is one of the largest general contractors in British Columbia and is based in Prince George.

“This group of companies brings tremendous expertise in sport centre development from across Canada, combined with extensive local experience in Prince George and in British Columbia,” says Cliff Dezell, Chair of Northern Sport Centre Ltd.  “We are continuing to work with the consortium and are on track to conclude an agreement and start construction by Spring 2006.”

Northern Sport Centre Limited has been created by the City of Prince George and the University to oversee the development of the Northern Sport Centre. It has a Board of Directors that includes the City, UNBC, the sports community, the regional district, local business, the medical community, and aboriginal organizations. NSCL has been working with Partnerships BC to manage the NSC procurement process.

The Northern Sport Centre will bring together educational and athletic opportunities and foster sport development in the North.  Located at the entrance to the UNBC campus, the Northern Sport Centre will include a multi-court gym, indoor track, and multi-use indoor field. Capitalizing on Prince George’s educational services and winter climate, the Northern Sport Centre will support high-performance athletes and coaches, training, and sport development.

Cliff Dezell, Chair, Northern Sport Centre Ltd. - 250.564.8530