A local asset, experienced labor, is one reason a British Columbia recreational vehicle manufacturer selected Yakima as its new home.
Just two days after Western RV shut down indefinitely and laid off most of its 220-member work force, Adventurer Manufacturing LP of Abbotsford said it would relocate and open a manufacturing facility in mid-August, according to the company's plans.

Adventurer has what it calls a niche market specializing in truck campers.

Labor is one important factor, among others, why the 39-year-old Canadian firm selected Yakima. Adventurer had looked in the three Northwest states before settling on Yakima.

Labor has been an issue in the province because of the approaching 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler in British Columbia.

The Yakima Valley's famed sunshine and an exchange rate that has buffeted the company in competing in the American market also are issues. The weak U.S. dollar has made Adventurer products more expensive in the American market.

Adventurer's camper products range in price from about $12,500 to as much as $31,000 for its top-of-the-line model.

Adventurer also manufactures smaller motor homes, travel trailers and fifth-wheel trailers under the Adventurer, Slumber Queen and Diplomat brand names. Its production is close to 1,000 units per year.

United States exports to Canada are cheaper, but products coming the other way are now more costly to American consumers. Yakima's proximity to the company's Canadian and West Coast markets, added to the decision.

Adventurer will locate within the city of Yakima but has not selected a specific site.

According to a news release from the company, Adventurer will close its plant in Canada in June and begin production locally in mid-August.

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This ICBC scandal is going to take a few months, maybe years, to clear up because it just keeps getting bigger. The latest story is about the executives of the company having auto-body work and paint jobs done at the ICBC training centre.

This is after the centre came under the eye of the local media in Vancouver for selling wrecked cars to buyers who had no idea there had been any damage done to the car they had just bought through the newspaper, auto sales catalogs or from dealers. CTV, just a month before, had done a story on wrecked cars being sold from one of those car lots named Ace Cars. They had an expert with a hidden camera that pointed out all the work that had been done and repainted to get the car on the lot. The entire operation stinks to high heaven.

Do you think ICBC issued new insurance on these cars sold in the lower mainland?

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Talk about confusing. Which plastic bottles are okay? The warning and the pulling of product off the shelves by the retailers was not a blanket message that all plastic containers should be thrown away or destroyed.

Despite current widespread misconceptions about plastic products, the vast majority are 100% safe according to MPI Packaging, a Canadian manufacturer of containers made from PET plastic in a release.

Most food and beverage products sold in disposable plastic today (95-98%) are made from Polyethylene Terephthalate ("PET") or High Density Polyethylene ("HDPE"). PET or HDPE containers are considered safe since they contain no Bisphenol A.

"Recent attention surrounding Bisphenol A has left many consumers with the impression that all plastic packaging poses a health risk. This is a major misconception and it's important that consumers are armed with the right information," said Ron O'Brien, President MPI Packaging Inc. "My message is simple: look for the number "1" on the bottom of the bottle."

The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) codes plastic materials used in the manufacture of a product or packaging. These SPI codes (numbered 1-7) are commonly found on the bottom of plastic products and containers encircled by a triangle of arrows.

All PET packaging is clearly marked with the SPI code "1" on the container.

"As a food and beverage container manufacturer using PET plastic (SPI code "1"), we are proud to provide a safe and convenient packaging alternative to the consumer," added Mr. O'Brien. "As a concerned father, I'm also pleased to say my four children, wife, extended family and I consume products packaged in PET without reservation."

"Not only is PET plastic safe, it's also made from the most collected and recycled packaging material in North America compared to glass, metal or other materials," said Mr. O'Brien. "It makes sense that global demand for PET plastic is growing faster than any other type of plastic, with current requirements outstripping supply."