Greetings From Ottawa! Mayor Lee Brain and City Manager Robert Long are in the nation's capital this week taking part in discussions with Federal officials and members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (photo from Mayor Brain's Facebook portal)
A quick note to the Mayor's Facebook page today has provided an update on his latest travel agenda, with the destination for this week Ottawa and some discussions with Federal officials in a number of departments.
Joining the Mayor in the nations capital is City Manager Robert Long, as part of the update from the Mayor, he makes note of a recently signed infrastructure agreement with the province of British Columbia, which will see funding delivered to municipal governments in a number of areas.
Among some of the discussions noted to take place will be visits with the departments of Infrastructure and Communities, Transportation, International Trade, Natural Resources and Indigenous Services.
He and the City Manager are also meeting with representatives of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities which also offers up funding opportunities for municipal government.
The Mayor observes through his notes on the trip that it is important for the community to ensure that the city receives necessary supports for social and physical infrastructure from higher levels of government.
His update does not provide for a timetable for the discussions in Ottawa or the length of the trip back east.
With two council sessions now out of the way from a schedule of but seventeen for the year, members of Prince Rupert Council have yet to take advantage of their public forum to offer up an explanation as to why they have decided to reduce the public council session calendar for the year.
As well, Mr. Golden as part of his line of questions for Council also inquired about the city's frequent use of Closed Meetings and whether they had any plans to reduce the reliance on them.
With Mayor Brain absent on the night, Councillor Barry Cunningham was serving as Acting Mayor on the night, and while he challenged Mr. Golden on a number of his other comments from the public access portion of the night, he offered up no response to the inquiries related to council scheduling or the use of the closed council session process.
The Acting Mayor was not the only one to disregard the question, as the meeting came to an end, the remaining four council members in attendance (Councillor Mirau was also absent on the night) did not take up the topic of the Council schedule for the year, or the closed sessions as part of their own period of the meeting that is set aside for commentary or questions.
That despite a Monday evening session which lasted but forty seven minutes on the night, which should have offered up a good opportunity for commentary and discussion on the topic from the elected officials.
By choosing not to respond to the inquiry, they for the most part have left the very legitimate question from a city resident about the most basic element of municipal government to go unanswered.
You can review the exchange between Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Golden from the City's Video Archive starting at the fifteen minute mark, the City Councillor's time for comments and observations comes at the thirty one minute point.
We first made note of the City Council decision to reduce the workload for 2018 back in December with this item from the blog.
A program hosted by the Vancouver Canucks Foundation and providing assistance for those who are supporting individuals with autism is making another tour of the Northwest next week with Prince Rupert included in the travel plans from February 5 to 9.
The Canuck Autism Network training program will once again share knowledge and proven strategies for support of individuals with autism, covering a range of areas from the classroom, home and community settings.
The training program for next week will also provide crucial training for First Responders that will help them to identify autism, in order to safely and effectively respond to situations that arise that relate to individuals on the spectrum.
Charles Hays Secondary will host a Wednesday evening training session from the Canucks Autism Network
The Prince Rupert Session will take place Wednesday, February 7th from 6:30 to 8:30 at Charles Hays Secondary School, it is sponsored by the Friendship House and School District 52.
Cost of the session is five dollars and you can get more registration information about the Wednesday program from Christine Danroth at christine.danroth@sd52.bc.ca.
Among some of the themes to be reviewed at the Prince Rupert session are:
Autism 101: Challenges faced by individuals with autism in community settings Communication Tips Teaching/Coaching Tools Motivation and Behaviour Support Strategies Tips for Successful Inclusion
In addition to the stop in Prince Rupert, the Canucks Autism Network will host sessions around the Northwest as follows:
February 5 --Kitimat -- Kitimat General Hospital (6:30-9:00 PM) February 6 --Terrace --Northwest Community College (1-4 PM) February 6 --Terrace --Northwest Community College (7-9 PM) February 8 --Kitimat --Kitimat General Hospital (6:30-8 PM) February 9 --Kildala --Kildala Elementary School ( 9AM to Noon)
The Board of Education at School District 52 is taking its Spring Break School Calendar proposals for the next three years from 2018-19 to 2020-2021 to the public, hosting a survey for parents, guardians, students, teachers, staff and others with an interest in education a chance to weigh in on which plan best fills the need of the community.
The plan to take the discussion to the public was announced at the January 16th School District meeting, with the Board of Education looking to gain input from parents, students and staff on a pair of proposed Spring Break calendars.
The School District is offering up two options for the survey, one which features a proposed one week Spring Break, while the other provides a look at a proposed two week Spring Break schedule.
A sample of the draft calendar options can be reviewed below:
More notes related to the School Spring Break Calendar theme can be found here, those wishing to cast a vote can gain access to the survey form from that link as well.
City Council held a quick review of the response to last weeks tsunami alert on the west coast, with a good portion of the discussion taking us back into the time machine and a look at 1964's major event before we returned to the theme of the most recent alert of January 23rd.
Councillor Thorkelson took advantage of the final portion of the evening to challenge some of the comments from the Committee of the Whole session, suggesting that Mr. Golden, who had provided for his own anecdotal review of that event did not quite have the right information related to the 1964 earthquake and tsunami event of Good Friday of that year.
She observed from her notes that her research had determined that there was little in the way of damage that took place in Prince Rupert during that large scale earthquake event of over half a century ago.
From her overview, she offered up the observation that there is a report available for review for those that wish to examine the official data from the 1964 tsunami along the coast.
Those with an interest in the report that Ms. Thorkelson highlighted can review it here.
While we all head down to the Prince Rupert Library to determine which of the night's tsunami tutorials offered the best overview of the events of 1964, the more current tsunami alert incident was also up for review on the night.
Ms. Thorkelson opened her comments related to the January 23rd incident by coming to the defence of MLA Jennifer Rice, taking note of some of the commentary from the local newspaper that she had issues with when it came to their review of last weeks event.
She observed that Prince Rupert has not had any emergency sirens in place since the late seventies and the discontinuation of their use had nothing to do with the work of Ms Rice both during her time at Council and since moving to provincial politics.
When it comes to that topic of the week over the last seven days of the need for the return of an air raid type siren to alert the public, Ms. Thorkelson was of the opinion that following that path may not be the best course of action for the City.
Ms. Thorkelson cautioned council members as to whether the City would want to put such an alert program as using sirens into place, as it may lead to a large volume of residents heading towards the hospital and creating problems for those who need access to that facility.
"I think that people need to know what they are doing, but I think that putting a panic button on, so that everybody goes up to Roosevelt and we can't even get an ambulance through because its so packed because the air raid siren went off ... we should be careful what we wish for." -- Councillor Joy Thorkelson on the calls for an air raid siren type alert for future emergencies in the community
She also noted that after reviewing the reports from the last week in her opinion, the city handled the recent incident very well, highlighting how emergency services personnel were prepared to alert those that may have been in any danger had the need to arise.
One recommendation that she made was that the city should provide more information for the public as to the Tsunami warning signs in the community and where those routes lead towards.
She also suggested that as part of the city's upcoming study on Tsunami planning, that the City should ensure that part of the study be used to make sure that the City is doing a good job in communication when it comes to such events.
"I think part of that study should actually try to make sure that people feel assured that the city is going to do a good job in communication, so we should have a communication plan that is well debated, so people feel that they have confidence in the city's plan"-- Councillor Joy Thorkelson on what she would like to see included as part of the city's upcoming Tsunami study project
The councillor wrapped up her presentation by recounting some of experiences from Vancouver, as she had been in the Lower mainland during the recent warnings.
As a follow up to the discussion on the recent seismic event, Councillor Randhawa also added his thoughts and appreciation on what he called the great work of the city in responding to the situation.
He did inquire of staff if they have any plans to provide for to educate the public for future events.
The City's Financial Officer handled the request, first thanking Councillor Thorkelson and Randhawa for making note of the work of the emergency services last week, providing a short overview of some of the work that night.
The City's CFO Corinne Bomben provided a short review of the City's response to the January 23 tsunami alert
She also added that the City's Emergency staff had determined that the response on the night was appropriate to the risks that had been presented to the community.
Looking to the future, Ms. Bomben advised that the City is looking at implementing an automated alert system for text and landlines, that will enable the City to provide local information to residents as it becomes available. She also added that the City is looking at developing an application for mobile phones, the range of measures being planned will allow the city to provide better clarity on conditions for local residents. From their learnings related to last weeks seismic event, the City will also begin a campaign to re-educate residents as to what to do in the event of a tsunami event, that project will be launched shortly.
The full review of tsunami alerts past and present can be found on the City's Video Archive starting at the thirty one minute mark.
Rheannon Brooks provided City Council with a snapshot look at the workings of the city's Go Map program available to residents through the City of Prince Rupert website
Monday's City Council session began with a handy tutorial for residents who may have an interest in the City of Prince Rupert's Go Map program which available for use from the City's website.
Providing the guided tour of the website feature was Rheannon Brooks, who is the City's GIS coordinator.
Ms. Brooks outlined how the public can make use of the Go Map program and what elements are available for residents from the mapping system.
Among some of the basic elements available for users is an ability to review property information in the community, with such details as property ID, Lot Numbers and legal descriptions. Those seeking information can also review zoning notes related to the property in question.
Other areas that you can access from the mapping system is information from BC Assessment, as well users can add aerial overviews to provide for a comparison of the city from years previous and more current images, as well as to add other features.
The most recent overview that the City has added to the inventory provides the overhead look of the city as of 2017.
A snap shot of one of the many options available for users of the City of Prince Rupert's Go Map program
Other elements available for review include BC Transit routes and shelters in the city which can provide additional information on Transit service.
The garbage collection map also includes a link to the city's pick up schedule for all areas of the city. The program also features a cemetery map, which breaks down the available information by section and then lot, with additional information added as part of the information flow and leading to the city's cemetery data base.
The Official Community Plan information is also part of the Go Map system, with users able to discover more about that planning element for the City.
Following her overview, Councillors Randhawa and Thorkelson inquired about some of the elements available as part of the program. With Councillor Thorkelson asking about access to information about public utilities, undeveloped lots and underground streams that criss-cross the city.
Ms. Brooks noted that the city could add more layers to the overlap program, but for now such information is available from city staff at City Hall.
Residents with any questions about the program are asked to contact staff at the main office at City Hall at 250-627-1781 for more details.
You can view the short fifteen minute tutorial from the City's Video Archive page for the January 29th session, the presentation starts at the beginning of the Monday council session.
For more background on the program visit this link to the City website to begin your tour of the city. The access point to the program can be found in the right hand corner of the home page for the City of Prince Rupert website.
Ms. Brooks noted during her presentation that residents should take note of the opening page disclaimer and read the 9 points provided prior to making use of the service, adding that it should not be used for a replacement for a legal survey or any legal requirements for a property in question.
Further items related to Monday's City Council session can be found from our City Council Timeline.
Those Council members in attendance for the second Public meeting for 2018, doubled the amount of time that was taken to review civic matters, but still managed to keep the work load under the one hour mark on Monday.
With Mayor Brain and Councillor Mirau absent on the night, the duty of Acting Mayor and host for the Public Council session on the night fell to Councillor Cunningham, who steered the council members and those in the gallery through the 47 minutes that also included the Committee of the Whole and it's public comment opportunity.
As Monday was a Committee of the Whole Night, Council heard comments from a member of the public on parking issues, earthquake preparedness and access to recreation facilities for those with limited income.
They also received a tutorial from a city staff member on the topic of the city's Go-Map information system available to the public through the City of Prince Rupert website.
For the Regular Council session, they received a report that explored an Aquatic Centre grant opportunity from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, as well as to review and vote on some past bylaw changes.
The evening came to an end by returning to the theme of last weeks Tsunami alert in the city, with Councillor Thorkelson providing for some thoughts on the nature of the city's response, while the City's Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben outlined some of the options the city is considering to improve the flow of information in the future.
Some background on the items of note on the evening and the various Agenda elements for the January 29th Council session can be reviewed here.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance January 29, 2018
Mayor Lee Brain-- Absent
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present (Serving as Acting Mayor)
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Absent
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Present
Video Archive for January 29, 2018
(0:00 -- 1:00) City Council Committee of the Whole Session -- Acting Mayor Cunningham reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members, with Council then approving the Agenda while the past minutes of previous council meetings were adopted.
(1:00 - 15:00 ) Following that business they moved on to the Committee of the Whole, starting with a presentation from Rheannon Brooks , the City's GIS Coordinator, who provided some background on the City's Go Map Online system.
Ms. Brooks outlined how the public can make use of the Go Map program and what elements are available for residents from the mapping system.
Among some of the basic elements is an ability to review property information in the community, with such details as property ID, Lot Numbers and legal descriptions. Users can also review zoning information related to the property in question.
Other areas that you can access from the mapping system is information from BC Assessment, as well users can add aerial overviews to provide for a comparison of the city from years previous and more current images, as well as to add other features.
Other elements available for review include BC Transit routes and shelters in the city which can provide additional information on Transit service.
The garbage collection map also includes a link to the city's pick up schedule for all areas of the city. The program also features a cemetery map, which breaks down the available information by section and then lot, with additional information added as part of the information flow and leading to the city's cemetery data base.
The Official Community Plan information is also part of the Go Map system, with users able to discover more about that planning element as part of the information that is provided by the City.
Councillors Randhawa and Thorkelson inquired about some of the elements available as part of the program.
Residents with any questions about the program are asked to contact City Hall.
( 15:00 24:00 ) During the public comment portion of the Committee of the Whole Session, only one resident took advantage of the opportunity to make inquiries of the council member, with Larry Golden, a familiar face at City Council sessions offering up a few questions and comments.
Among his themes were some notes on Child Poverty in the city and his concerns over what he believes are reduced access opportunities for recreation facilities for those with limited means, suggesting that the Recreation Centre has become somewhat elitist, with benefits for staff coming at the expense of youth in the community.
He also had comments related to the recent Tsunami warning and recounted some of his thoughts on what he described as a damaging tsunami wave from 1964, which he believed caused damage to the waterfront area.
His final comments related to concerns over parking bylaw enforcement and a belief that the enforcement isn't being handled equally. He also outlined concerns over the reduced council schedule that has been put in place for this year and also called for a reduction in the number of closed council sessions that Council hold during the course of the year.
Councillor Cunningham took issue with a number of his themes, observing that he doesn't believe that the Recreation Centre is an elitist place, noting a number of programs that the city is involved in to help defray the cost of use for the Civic Centre, he also invited Mr. Golden to attend a Recreation Council meeting.
He also challenged the belief that the parking bylaws are not being applied as they should be.
The acting Mayor chastised Mr. Golden for making statements that he suggested just creates a sensationalist attitude towards city staff who work very hard, noting that the bylaw officer's job is a very tough one, with a number of responsibilities to take care of.
Mr. Cunningham did not provide any thoughts on the topic of the reduced level of council sessions for 2018 and the frequent use of closed council meetings.
With no other participants approaching the microphone, the Committee of the Whole Session was brought to an end, with Council returning to their Regular agenda.
( 24: 00 -- 25:00 ) Regular City Council Session -- Acting Mayor Cunningham reviewed the list of minutes and agenda items to be noted by Council members, with Council then approving the Agenda while the past minutes of previous council meetings were adopted.
( 25:00 -- 26:30 ) Report from David Geronazzo, the Director of Recreation and Community Services -- The City's Recreation Director and Community Services provided a short overview of a grant opportunity that the City would like to pursue, to seek a fifteen thousand dollar grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, to be put towards the City's Aquatic Centre renovation project.
Councillor Randhawa inquired about some of the elements to the renovation plans.
Council then voted to approve the request to pursue the grant opportunity.
( 26:30 -- 28:30 ) Verbal Report from the Manager of Transportation and Economic Development related to the Cow Bay Marina Fees and Charges Bylaw --
Corinne Bomben, the City's Financial Officer, provided the review of the report and clarified some of the language from the previous document.
Council then voted to approve the Fees and Charges Bylaw.
( 28:30 -- 31:00 ) Verbal Report from the Director of Recreation Fees and Community Services on the topic of the Recreation Fees and Charges bylaw -- David Geronazzo the City's Recreation Director and Community Services provided a request for the final approval for the Fees and Charges. Councillor Thorkelson asked for an explanation of the changes.
The Recreation Director outlined the nature of the changes which had been part of his presentation to Council from January 15th.
Following the overview, Council voted to pass the motion.
( 31:00 to 18:00 ) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
Councillor Thorkelson took advantage of the final portion of the evening to challenge some of the comments from the Committee of the Whole session, suggesting that Mr. Golden did not quite have the right information related to the 1964 earthquake and tsunami, noting that there was little in the way of damage that took place in Prince Rupert during that large scale earthquake event of over half a century ago.
From her overview, she offered up the observation that there is a report available for review for those that wish to examine the official data from the 1964 tsunami along the coast.
That did however give her cause to provide some comments related to the recent tsunami alert of last week, with the Councillor coming to the defence of MLA Jennifer Rice, making note of some of the commentary from the local newspaper that she had issues with when it came to their review of last weeks event.
She observed that Prince Rupert has not had any emergency sirens in place since the late seventies and had nothing to do with the work of Ms Rice both during her time at Council and later at the Legislature as MLA.
Ms. Thorkelson also cautioned as to whether they want to put such a siren program into place, as it may lead to a large volume of residents heading towards the hospital and creating problems for those who need access to that facility. Adding that we should be careful what we wish for.
She also noted that after reviewing the reports from the last week in her opinion, the city handled the recent incident quite well, highlighting how emergency services personnel were prepared to alert those that may have been in any danger had the need to arise.
One recommendation that she made was that the city should provide more information for the public as to the Tsunami warning signs in the community and where those routes lead towards.
She also suggested that with the city about to conduct a study on Tsunami risk planning, that the City should ensure that part of the study be used to make sure that the City is doing a good job in communication when it comes to such events.
She also recounted some of experiences from Vancouver, as she had been in the Lower mainland during the recent warnings.
As a follow up to the discussion on the recent seismic event, Councillor Randhawa also added his thoughts and appreciation on what he called the great work of the city in responding to the situation.
He did inquire of staff if they have any plans to provide for to educate the public for future events.
The City's Financial Officer handled the request, first thanking Councillors Thorkelson and Randhawa for making note of the work of the emergency services last week, providing a short overview of some of the work that night.
She also added that the City's Emergency staff had determined that the response on the night was appropriate to the risks that had been presented to the community.
Looking to the future, Ms. Bomben advised that the City is looking at implementing an automated alert system for text and landlines, that will enable the City to provide local information to residents as it becomes available.
She also added that the City is looking at developing an application for mobile phones, the range of measures being planned will allow the city to provide better clarity on conditions for local residents.
From their learnings related to last weeks seismic event, the City will also begin a campaign to re-educate residents as to what to do in the event of a tsunami event, that project will be launched shortly.
With no other comments offered up for the final portion of the evening, Council then voting to adjourn the meeting.
You can access the City Council Review for January 29th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, if any, can be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review. Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from January 29, 2018 (not available yet)
In addition to the city's official minutes, the City's Video archive provides a helpful record of the events from each public council session.
Monday's Council Session was the first of the seventeen Regular Council sessions for 2018, Council members next meet on Monday, February13th.
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A re-assessment by the Ministry of Transportation delivered the verdict that it was safe to travel along Highway 16 from the Port Edward turnoff to Terrace, with the road reopened to traffic at 4 AM today.
As we outlined on the blog last evening, Drive BC had previously listed the Highway as closed a 8:30 last night, owing to an avalanche risk along the highway,
With the highway now reopen, motorists should be aware of delays 56 km west of Terrace as highway crews work on snow deposit removal. The road is reduced to single lane alternating traffic in the area of the work.
Two days of heavy snow, strong winds and blustery weather have made for an unstable mountainside along Highway 16 and on Tuesday evening, Drive BC made the decision to proceed with caution and close down travel along the Highway, issuing their notice to travellers at 8:30 in the evening.
The site of the avalanche risk is a stretch between the Port Edward Turnoff and thirty five kilometres west of Terrace. The Ministry of Transportation has advised that Avalanche control will get underway in the morning, weather permitting.
Area of concern for travellers is a stretch from the Port Edward Turn-off to about 35 Kilometres west of Terrace
(click on image above to enlarge)
The highway will remain closed through the overnight period until at least the Noon hour, the next assessment from Drive BC will be released at 8AM
As we outlined on the blog earlier in the day on Tuesday, the arrival of a strong pacific front combined with lingering Arctic air has made for a number of challenges for those travelling through the Northwest over the last few days.
A triple play of celestial events will play out in the early morning skies above the North Coast on Wednesday and for sky watchers, one of the best vantage points would be our corner of British Columbia .... if only Mother Nature will cooperate.
The Super Blue Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse is set to make an arc over Western North America and as it does it will appear closer to the earth than at any other time of the year.
The event brings together a SuperMoon, A blue Moon and A Blood Moon featured as part of a Lunar Eclipse.
The Super Moon because it makes the Moon appear larger to us on earth, the Blue Moon because it's the second Full Moon of the month and the Blood Moon because the refraction of rays will give the Moon surface a startling red appearance.
To give you some idea as to how rare an occurrence the three coming together is, the last one took place about 154 years ago and scientists suggest it will probably be about that long into the future before it happens again.
Prime Viewing time for Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, Southeast Alaska and along the North Coast will be at 4:51 Wednesday morning when the Eclipse begins. The maximum point of the eclipse will be at 5:30 with the celestial event coming to a conclusion at just before 6:10.
And all of it will be available for your review, providing the skies cooperate and at the moment that is going to be a hit and miss proposition.
Skywatchers will have to decide tonight whether they want to set their alarm for an early morning wake up and hope for the best, or if slumber is going to trump celestial showcases.
Sky and Telescope provides the best graphic proof of our prime location for viewing as well as some notes on what you'll see as the eclipse unfolds above.
Should the clouds part and the clear sky appear, here are some notes on what to watch for in the early morning hours.
Winter Storm warnings are in place for both the North Coast Inland and Bulkley Valley Lakes regions
Note: See bottom of page for any updates to current conditions.
It's been a twenty four hour period of snow clearing, slow going on the roads and flight cancellations for those living in the Terrace/Kitimat/Nass areas of the North Coast Inland.
And things won't be improving in the short term as Environment Canada keeps the area under a Winter Storm advisory, which has also expanded to the Bulkly Valley-Lakes region.
In the morning extension of the Winter Storm Warning, Environment Canada noted that since 4 PM on Monday, 52 centimetres had fallen at the Terrace airport, with an additional 10 centimetres expected through the afternoon today.
Some relief will finally arrive later tonight as milder air from the Pacific system begins to take hold, though with that will come the risk of Freezing rain for the region.
Twin warnings for the North Coast Inland and Bulkley Valley Lakes regions (click to enlarge)
As well, the ongoing snow warnings gave Northwest Community college cause to close their campus in Terrace today, a decision on whether it reopens on Wednesday will be assessed in the overnight period.
Road Conditions heading east have also been challenging over the last 24 hours, requiring patience and more time for those travelling the Highway 16 corridor to make it to their destinations.
Accumulation of snow and reduced visibility starts at around the Kiwnitsa area of the highway and becomes progressively more challenging as you continue eastbound.
Road conditions at Kwinitsa this afternoon
Conditions at the junction of Highway 16 & 37 In Terrace
Highway 16 at the Kitwanga turn off
Things have improved a bit for now at Smithers as of 2:30 today
As the weather conditions change, the Ministry of Transport has been providing updates on their snow clearing plans and what motorists should be aware of.
You can access the latest Highway Camera images from across the Northwest from our link here.
More notes on Driving conditions across the Northwest are available from the Drive BC website.
Update:Avalanche alert issued for Highway 16 between Port Edward Turnoff and 35 km West of Terrace. The Highway remains open, but could close in overnight period, next update from Drive BC anticipated at 10 PM.
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Parents of children ready to make the jump to their Kindergarten year have a two week opportunity coming up to register their young ones for the 2018-19 School year.
Kindergarten Registration commences on Thursday, February 1st and will continue through to the 16h at area elementary schools. The hours for registration are 9AM to Noon and 1 to 3 PM each weekday.
For parents/guardians living in Port Edward, the registration opportunities take place from 9 AM to 11:30 on Tuesday's and Thursday's only.
The eligibility requirement for registration for September 2018, is that your child be five years old by December 31, 2018.
When you register, you are asked to bring your Child's birth certificate, or other proof of age such as a Permanent Residence card, Provincial ID card or Passport.
Parents/Guardians should also bring their Child's BC Care Card, Immunization Records and Proof of residence.
Parents and Guardians have the option to defer their child's entry to school board, based on readiness for one year. If you have questions about that process or wish to discuss your child's readiness for Kindergarten you can contact the school in your neighbourhood for a consultation.
Students who are not registered during the February registration period are not guaranteed a placement at their neighbourhood school.
The list of elementary Schools in the Prince Rupert/Port Edward area can be found below, as well as a map which shows the catchment area for each school.
The School District's French Immersion program is hosted by École Roosevelt Park School, the bilingual program is open to all children throughout the Prince Rupert School District. The use of the French language at home is not a pre-requisite for the program and the School District notes that most parents of French Immersion students do not typically speak French themselves.
Children entering Kindergarten of Grade 1 may register for the program at École Roosevelt Park on Summit Avenue, you can contact the school at 250-624-6126.
For those families that may wish to request a change in schools for their child or children, they must first register at the school in their catchment area. Once they have done that they can submit a Cross Boundary request form, which are available at all schools, parents/guardians should submit that form to the school in their catchment area.
All Cross boundary requests for September 2018 must be submitted in February, the School District advises that any requests received after February 28th will not be considered until September 2018.
Parents or Guardians with any questions about the registration process in place for all registrations should contact their neighbourhood school for more information, or direction.
More items of interest on education in the Prince Rupert area can be found here, a wider overview of education in the Northwest is also available from our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
The Port of Prince Rupert has provided an up date on congestion issues and dwell time concerns related to operations at the Fairview Container Terminal (photo from Port of Prince Rupert website)
A follow up to our story of yesterday about congestion and dwell times at Fairview Terminal and reports of diversions of vessels from the Northwest gateway to Asia.
After inquiries from the North Coast Review a correspondence from the Prince Rupert Port Authority has provided for some background related to the notice from Delmar Logistics from the weekend, which had suggested that a container vessel bound for Prince Rupert was to be diverted.
In their advisory, the Port notes that the shipping and Logistics company advisory had provided for some mis-information to the current situation, adding that the vessel in question, the Xin Fei Zhou had arrived at Fairivew and is currently being worked by Fairview terminal crews.
As part of their background for the North Coast Review, the Port also provided a glimpse into some of the issues that the Container Terminal is facing at the moment when it comes to dwell times, as well as to outline some of the steps that they are taking to reduce that issue.
Among their notes:
Prince Rupert’s Fairview Container Terminal is experiencing congestion and higher than normal dwell times. The congestion relates to continued record container volumes, and service interruptions experienced over the past month. Recovery has been hampered by the winter operating challenges facing the entire west coast (Vancouver for example) leading higher than normal dwell times and have impacted our ability to restore service back to our industry leading velocity. The operator of Fairview Terminal, DP World, is able to balance cargo across their two terminals in BC (Fairview Terminal and Centerm), and is using this flexibility and capacity to support recovery. This permits shifting cargo, working with the ocean carriers, to support an expeditious resolution to the congestion. We are working hard with our partners CN and DP World to restore service as quickly as possible and will see a significant improvement over the next 4-6 weeks.
As we outlined in our article from yesterday, the issue of dwell times first became prominent and reported by shipping industry information sources back in September, with the difficulties continuing through the fall with some past port calls redirected to the Lower mainland.
You can review the full range of items related to Fairview Terminal from our archive page here, while more notes on items of interest from the Port of Prince Rupert can be examined here.
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