In Our Opinion: Redesign Rupert, the superheroes

Get excited, because Redesign Rupert essentially just teamed up with the whole force of industry driving the regional economy.

This isn’t just average remake of the Hulk. No. Picture the whole Avengers superhero team pulling together to stop the supervillain Thanos from destroying the universe. Except the villain is the state of the city, which is in threat of collapsing in on itself if we don’t have more people move up here.

Four years ago, when Redesign Rupert came together to gather the repetitive grumblings of residents who were unhappy about the empty buildings on Third Avenue, or the lack of waterfront access, and the challenges to find and keep employees, it seemed like a lot of talking.

Yes, we ended up with a 17-foot map full of dreams, but then there was nothing — until now.

All that early groundwork that may have seemed light on action was actually essential for Phase II of Redesign.

Project manager of Redesign Rupert, Ceilidh Marlow, only reached out to us when she knew there was an actual pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

READ MORE: Port of Prince Rupert’s plans are staggering

With the power of port industry players, DP World, PRPA, Ray-Mont and RTI, behind the project now, along with the city and Community Futures, they may even convince the provincial and federal governments to jump on board.

Redesigning the community located at the heart of Canada’s growing northern trade gateway is in the country’s best interest.

Let’s be clear, Redesign Rupert isn’t just a city initiative, this is now a much larger project with partners such as Ray-Mont Logistics who say they want to help build a dream city.

What better person to do that than Larry Beasley, the man who once shaped Vancouver, and who has left his urban planning mark around the world.

For 2019, Redesign Rupert has beefed up its project, and by the end of this year we should see some actual progress, and much more in the next decade.

READ MORE: Rupert Redesign moves to second phase