Dear Sir:
Re: "Was it Broken?," the editorial in the Feb. 12, 2014 issue of The Terrace Standard.
The recent purchase of the land and building that houses the Visitor Information Centre and Kermodei Tourism was done to support a key aspect of our city’s tourism industry and to ensure that our visitor information and tourism centre remained in a familiar, easy-to-find location that continues to serve tourists from all over the world.
In the fall of 2011 the Terrace & District Chamber of Commerce issued a Termination of Lease Notice to Kermodei Tourism Society terminating their lease of office space in the Keith Avenue building effective December 31, 2011. Kermodei Tourism also operates the Visitor Information Centre from this location on behalf of the City. This was of great concern to Council as our Visitor Information Centre has been on this site for more than 35 years.
The City asked the Chamber to meet with Council to discuss their plans. The Chamber informed Council that they were looking to re-brand themselves and to create a higher profile in the community and had made the decision to take over the entire building for their own use. The Chamber also informed the City that it was their intention to pursue the purchase of the land from the Province.
The City contacted the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to verify the status of the land being for sale. We were informed that the Province had in fact declared the land surplus and that legislation gives a municipality the right of first refusal. Based on this, Council decided unanimously to purchase the land to secure our long-standing VIC location.
Now with our Visitor Information Centre location secured and in the ownership of the City of Terrace, we have entered into a $1.00 per year lease with Kermodei Tourism at the Visitor Information Centre that is valid until December 2016.
The City of Terrace is committed to fostering a strong tourism industry which brings millions of dollars of revenue into the city and our region every year.
Dave Pernarowski,
Mayor, City of Terrace,
Terrace, B.C.