Municipal public and private utilities are available to virtually all areas of the District. Natural gas is supplied by Pacific Northern Gas; water is distributed by the District of Vanderhoof and private wells; electricity is generated and distributed by BC Hydro. Solid waste landfill is handled by Bulkley Nechako Regional District. Garbage pickup is taken care of by the District for residential and normal commercial garbage. Sanitary sewage services are available throughout the District within the village limits, with private sewerage systems on acreages.

Natural Gas
Pacific Northern Gas supplies natural gas to approximately 39,100 residential, commercial and industrial customers in its operating region. The Company has four large industrial customers: Methanex Corporation, West Fraser Mills Ltd., Alcan Smelters & Chemicals Ltd and B.C. Hydro and Power. Visit their website for commercial and residential rates.

Electricity
BC Hydro supplies electricity to the entire region, located in the Zone 1 integrated system served mainly by hydroelectric (water) generation. British Columbia has the third lowest electricity rates in North America after Manitoba and Quebec. Business clients pay rates that depend on three factors: 1) Demand for electricity, 2) Supply voltage, and 3) the area of British Columbia in which the business locates. For more information visit. Visit www.bchydro.com

All communities are run by a 25kv system for 3 phase and 14.4kv single phase. The customer is required to supply BC Hydro with location and load information, for BC Hydro to determine what voltages are available and how to meet supply demand. Customers and developers applying for large services to the any of the communities are required to contact BC Hydro on an individual basis to ensure a suitable level of service. Sawmills, requiring 3 phase electricity, can make an application by calling 1-877-520-1355.

Water System
The District of Vanderhoof is responsible for the distribution of Vanderhoof’s water supply. The District’s water system is newly constructed system as of July 2006 that includes a pump and a gravity fed system. Water originates from underground artesian water source more than 500 feet below the earth’s surface. The supply capacity of the water system is based on consumption of 980 litres per capita per day (L/c/d. In 2006 or 2007 the District will begin a $1.5 million upgrade of the reservoir and treatment facility. The District’s water quality is excellent. This new facility is able to provide the highest standard of water quality with a state-of-the-art purification for the growth in the next 20 years.

District of Vanderhoof Water Rates (2005)

Source: District of Vanderhoof, Bylaw 969, 2004

Water to residences and businesses in the northside subdivision are provided by a private well company called Northside Water Services. Private wells are not uncommon on rural properties and buyers of such properties should be aware of the regulations, care and upkeep of such systems at: http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/protect/pdf/PHI081.PDF

Caribou Water Wells Service from Prince George, British Columbia is a resource for drilling and maintenance of private well systems.

Garbage & Industrial Waste
The District of Vanderhoof handles the removal of all residential and normal commercial waste within the village limits on the south side of the Nechako River. Private waste management companies handle large items, industrial waste and all residential waste on the north side of the Nechako River. The new ClearwaterTransfer Station opened in November 2005 and will service the needs of the community and greater area for 100 years.

District of Vanderhoof Garbage Collection Rates (2005)

Seniors pay 85%; multiple units pay residential fee per unitSource: District of Vanderhoof, Bylaw 949, 2003

Recycling- Bottle Depot
The Nechako Valley Secondary School Bottle Depot is located at the corner of Nechako Avenue and Third Street. It is open from 12:00 to 5:00 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, except for Friday and Sunday when it is closed. The design of a local recycling program is underway. If you are interested in assisting please call the District of Vanderhoof Office at 250-567-4711.

Sanitary Sewage
The District has conducted a waste water management plan to ascertain the treatment facilities required for the next 30-50 years. Construction was completed in 2004 on a $2.5 million dollar sewage treatment plant upgrade to meet the next 25 years demand.

District of Vanderhoof Sewer Connection Rates (2005)

* Seniors pay 85%; multiple units pay residential fee per unit

Source: District of Vanderhoof, Bylaw 980, 2003

Within the District rural acreage, outlying industrial and agricultural lands exist. For onsite wastewater treatment specifications, please visit the Ministry of Health, Northern Health Region website for complete information on specifications, inspections, new construction and repair/alteration of onsite sewage system requirements. Effective May 31, 2005, the new Sewerage System Regulation becomes law and stipulates that only Authorized Persons may construct or maintain sewerage systems. For information from the Environmental Health Officer in the Vanderhoof area, call at 250-567-6153. The office is located at 3299 Hospital Road.

The website to consult for information on private sewage treatment systems is: http://www.healthplanning.gov.bc.ca/protect/sewage.html

Communications
Today’s global economy has created new technologies that makes instantaneous communication possible, bridging geographical distance and making it possible to operate a globally efficient business in areas of the north. For many local, regional and nationally based companies, world markets are virtually at their doorsteps.

Newspapers
The area’s weekly newspaper, The Omineca Express, reports regional and municipal news for Vanderhoof, BC and has a paid circulation of 2,300. The Caledonia Courier reports for the Fort St. James, BC area with a paid circulation of 1,200. Every Friday, the Stuart-Nechako Advertiser is circulated to 6,000 post boxes in the Vanderhoof and Fort St. James post offices.

The Prince George Citizen, the region’s daily newspaper reports national, regional and municipal Prince George as well as Vanderhoof stories of interest. The Citizen has an average total, Audit Bureau of Circulation verified, paid circulation of 16,000 every day except Friday, which has a paid circulation of 17,500 papers. Two thousand are circulated outside of the City of Prince George.

Radio Stations
“THE WOLF” is CIVH-AM and broadcasts at 1340 khz on the AM Band 24 hours per day. A local show runs Monday to Friday from 6-10 am (and other times on special occasions). From 10 am to 6 pm a repeater of CJCI in Prince George runs with the ability to broadcast local community announcements from 6am to 6pm, seven days per week. CIVH RADIO is rebroadcast in Fort St. James at 1480 khz and in Fraser Lake at 1450 khz. “THE X” is CIRX-FM1, broadcasts at 95.9 on the FM Band 24 hours per day, and is a repeater of CIRX in Prince George with the ability to broadcast local community announcements from 6am to 6pm, seven days per week. Other accessible radio stations include CBC on the FM and AM.

Television
The only cable TV provider (2 through 55 stations depending on the package you choose) for the area is Omineca Cable Television. Their digital TV service provides you with 200+ stations, and also high speed internet services through a cable line.

Telecommunications – Land and Satellite
TELUS was formed when Alberta-based TELUS Corporation and BC-based BC TEL joined in a 1999 merger. It is the second largest communications company in Canada providing local, long distance and wireless services to British Columbians. TELUS also provides voice, data and video transmissions, telephone terminal equipment, business systems and BC’s most exclusive private and public mobile radio network.

Navigata, Intellicom Canada, Do Tel, Central Interior Communications and others provide a range of voice and data network services including: hyperstream/frame relay, Datapac, ISDN services, Wide Area Telephone Service, video conferencing, 800 service, remote call forwarding and custom calling services, internet connections and many others.

Telus Mobility and Rogers offer cellular and communications services, as well as paging and data services in Vanderhoof with local coverage in the community centers along Highway 16. Cellular coverage becomes sporadic or not available more than 5 km off of the highway. Satellite phone services are most commonly utilized for companies working in remote locations, provided by Global Star serviced by the location communications service provider, Faitron Communications and others. As with other Canadian telecommunication companies, all phone rates fall under Federal regulation by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Internet Providers
There are two locally based internet providers, Highway 16 Internet and Sinkut Wireless. Services vary depending on your locations from, offers state-of-the-art connections and services to the internet, including Dial-up and ADSL options. Competitive rates and a variety of plans for connections as well as email accounts can be arranged through Highway 16 Internet (www.hwy16.net). This company provides local links, home pages, as well as community and general information about Vanderhoof.

Telus offers dial-up and high-speed internet services via their own provincial service telus.net. The office characteristics include: digital switch technology, fiber service, remote monitoring, ISDN and ADSL availability.

Shaw Cable also provides a high speed connection Shaw@homethrough a cable line. Other carriers include Uniserve.com and Sinkut Wireless.

A significant investment in broadband capability is underway through the Government of Canada Broadband Initiative (contact Kim Martinsen in Smithers, BC at 250-847-1389).