“Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben chimes each London hour,” sings performer Al Simmons.
“China’s famous for its wall, India, The Taj Mahal. The CN Tower may be tall, but Mr. P.G. tops them all,” he continues, introducing the key character in his song Mr. PG, recorded in 1997.
The track goes on to detail how the city of Prince George, in north-central B.C., built a giant faux-wood lumberjack to honour the community’s forestry roots and greet incoming tourists.
Today, Mr. PG is a registered trademark owned by the city, whose image adorns mugs, socks and T-shirts. He’s been featured on a Canada Post stamp, marched in a Grey Cup parade and even received the endorsement of rock band KISS when CBC reporter Justin McElroy held a contest to name B.C.’s best roadside attraction.
A permanent exhibit at the Exploration Place in Prince George, B.C. showcases the history of Mr. PG. (James Doyle/Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre)
But now a proposal to move Mr. PG from his current position, at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97, to a lower-traffic, more pedestrian-friendly location near an incoming downtown plaza, has sparked pushback and a debate over what the mascot and the city itself represent. Are they the kind of attraction people merely glance at while driving by, or are they a destination worth stopping at?
According to a historian who has specialized in highway travel, Ben Bradley, that’s a question many communities across the province are facing.
An instant hit
As Simmons explains in his song, the Mr. PG of today is not the original. That one, erected in 1960, was actually made of wood. And instead of standing on the highway, the original iteration was placed downtown, near what was then the Chamber of Commerce building.
An instant hit, the city and local business groups used Mr. PG as a marketing tool for what was at the time one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada. An 11.6-metre version was built for inclusion in parades, including the 1963 Grey Cup parade in Vancouver, and a smaller metal version nicknamed ‘The Iron Jock’ was shipped internationally to conferences attended by the local Lion’s Club.
An earlier version of Mr. PG stood outside the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Centre in downtown Prince George. (Postcard/The Sam Carter Collection)
Today’s Mr. PG, an 8.14-metre version made of wood and fibreglass, was constructed in 1983 and placed at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97. He has been moved once since then, across the highway, after his previous location became the parking lot for a new hotel and casino.
Now, further new development along the highway — as well as a strategic plan to bring more visitors downtown — has prompted the city to propose Mr. PG hit the road once again.
A changing city
Mr. PG pictured in 2017, prior to new developments around him. (Simon Charland-Faucher/CBC Radio-Canada)
Mr. PG as seen today, backdropped by new developments. (Tom Popyk/CBC)
Increased development around Mr. PG, which includes several hotels, car dealerships and apartment buildings, has cut off a direct route from the highway for people looking to take a selfie with the mascot. This has made access both “difficult” and “unsafe,” according to a staff report to city council — not just for tourists, but for city staff tasked with his maintenance.
The new backdrop of high-rise buildings also fails to be “aesthetically pleasing,” said Andy Beesley, the city’s director of civic facilities.
Meanwhile, the city is making efforts to attract more visitors to its downtown core, particularly in the centrally-located Canada Games Plaza, which houses an art gallery, the primary library branch and, most notably, a conference centre where hundreds of visitors attend events yearly.
The area plaza is currently being redeveloped to include a visitor information centre, a container market, a year-round skating rink using synthetic ice and, if city staff get their way, Mr. PG.
“[It’s] about the business case to use him as a tourist destination versus, essentially, a type of ‘Welcome to Prince George’ highway-type sign,” Beesley said.
That sentiment was echoed by Colin Carson, CEO of Tourism Prince George, in an interview on CBC Radio West this week. He said while more people are likely to see Mr. PG along the highway, the quality of visit is not necessarily the same.
“People want to go up and take pictures with him and interact with him,” Carson said.
“If we want him to become more of an attraction, he needs to be someplace where it’s more accessible for foot traffic and not just visible for rubber-tire traffic.”
Potential backlash
According to historian Ben Bradley, a former Prince George resident and author of a book on the history of highway travel in B.C., people’s desire to be seen with roadside attractions, rather than simply see them, is part of a broader trend in travel.
“Instead of mailing a postcard home, you can take photos and you can email it to your family or you can upload it to social media,” he said.
The result, Bradley said, is that more cities are taking ownership of roadside attractions that may have once been viewed as “kitschy” and embracing them as a way to help develop a civic identity. As an example, he pointed to the pushback Kelowna faced when it considered retiring the Ogopogo, a lake creature rooted in Syilx culture, as a symbol for the city.
Similarly, the city of Quesnel received backlash when it moved a giant gold pan from the outskirts of town to a roadside location within the city. That reaction, Bradley said, should serve as a warning for what Prince George could face if it relocates Mr. PG.
The proposed new location for Mr. PG is the Canada Games Plaza, which is surrounded by the Prince George art gallery, conference centre and downtown library. The area is currently being renovated to house a container market and will be the new location of the visitor information centre. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
A call for more consultation
In a discussion that lasted roughly thirty minutes Monday, members of Prince George’s city council expressed those fears, as well.
While many of them said they understood the idea behind moving Mr. PG downtown, they also said they appreciated the sentiment being expressed in the numerous emails and phone calls from residents, who urged council to keep Mr. PG along the highway as a friendly welcome to the city that has stood for generations.
LISTEN | Interviews on the future of Mr. PG:
Some councillors wondered if there could be two Mr. PGs, one to welcome visitors and one to take photos with, while other suggested welcome signs could be amended to include a picture of him.
In the end, they directed staff to engage in greater community consultation, as well as an analysis of the financial costs associated with the various proposed options.
In voting for the motion, Coun. Kyle Sampson said no matter what happened, it was important to listen to the wider community “because as much as the city of Prince George owns the trademark, the people of Prince George own Mr. PG.”