As the hours tick down on 2018 ... All the best for the year ahead

Ready to Ring in a  New Year! 
The Prince Rupert Way!!!!

By now a good portion of the world has already started the journey into 2019, the celebrations getting underway in New Zealand, Australia and Asia more than a few hours ago, our celebrations on the North Coast still a few hours away.

As the clock winds down and the champagne (or bottled water) goes on ice, we'll take this moment to thank our loyal audience for their readership over the last 365 days, for the email notes, twitter correspondences and occasional commentary to some of our stories of the last year.

Since its inception much of the focus for the blog has been that of the local municipal scene and as the last few weeks have shown, some of the notes and issues that come out of City Hall have a very important impact on the community. 

With that in mind, as we have over the years of the past, we will  continue to devote a good portion of the blogs work on the efforts of the elected council down on Third Avenue West.

Those that follow the blog with some regular attention probably have noticed that a significant amount  of the news flow generated by those civic officials is first reviewed here, making its way through to the regions news sources with varying timelines.

Our goal for 2019 is to continue to keep to that benchmark and reinforce our dedication to local content a strong one, providing in depth and expansive review on the issues that impact the community the most. 

Whether that news comes from City Hall, the MLA  or MP's office,  the Legislature or House of Commons, neighbouring communities, or as part of the industrial footprint found in the city and region, we hope to continue to highlight those notes of importance to the region.

As always, we thank you for stopping in each day and welcome new visitors with appreciation. Now if you like what you see, maybe help spread the word about the blog with your friends and co-workers.

If you're making use of our notes in as research as part of a work project, or as something for a school purpose, send a shout out once-and-a-while, maybe even a citation in the footnotes ...  it's as close as we're going to get to a pay cheque.

For those that follow social media, you can find us on twitter  @CharlesMHays, from there we post links to all of our stories and welcome the chance to chat if you're in the neighbourhood.  

And as always, you can offer up comments on each story through our comments feature, though we ask that you review the contribution notes here.

The news flow will likely remain a bit slow over the next few days as we all shake off the lethargy of the holiday season to get back to the routines of the work at hand, though news of immediate importance will quickly be added to the rotation. 

As we get ready to ramp up or work again for a new year, tonight offers a chance to reflect on what 2018 brought and ring in with some anticipation the New Year that is just over the horizon.

Enjoy your festivities wherever they may take you tonight, have a safe and happy night and we hope to see you (and some of your friends!)  again in 2019!

Revised Schedule for Northern Expedition owing to adverse weather

The current weather system that is buffeting the North Coast and Haida Gwaii has BC Ferries adjusting their schedule for the Skidegate to Prince Rupert run over New Years.

The Northern Expedition will be moving its departure time up, and is now expected to depart out of Skidegate at 8 PM tonight, with arrival at Prince Rupert's Fairview Terminal at 5 AM on New Years morning.

You can find further updates from the BC Ferries Service Notices page.

More notes on ferry transportation on the North Coast can be found on our archive page here.

Winter Storm Warning in effect for North Coast Inland areas

The first of a number of Pacific frontal systems has arrived on the North Coast and while the coastal region is dealing with wind and rain, for points inland on the North Coast the weather system is set to deliver 30 cm of snow tonight and tomorrow.

Environment Canada has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the inland areas for today and tomorrow, with Stewart to receive higher accumulations that some of the other communities of the region.

To this point, Highway 16 east of Prince Rupert has snow covered roads near Kasiks, though closer to Terrace the conditions have not brought much in the way of accumulations.

Road conditions at Kasiks at 3 PM today

For Prince Rupert, New Years Eve and Day will be a wet affair, with 45 mm of rain expected today with another 20 mm anticipated for New Years Day.

For more updates on the frontal system crossing the region see the Environment Canada website here, for the most recent road conditions follow Drive BC through their website or twitter feed.

Some past notes on previous weather events can be reviewed here.

Blog Watching Year in Review: A Month by Month look at the top stories of 2018 for Prince Rupert and area

YEAR IN REVIEW 2018

For our Blog watching feature for year's end we offer  a trio of headings to provide for a glimpse of some of the news highlights of the year soon to end.

Category number one will be the Overall Top story, as determined by the amount views the article received over the course of the last 365 days.

Category Two will feature those stories of note from Prince Rupert City Hall, while our third category explores some of the key topics of the year from Business or Industrial footprint in the community.

All of which have been determined by the viewer count for the stories through the year.

In some instances, the dominance of the story in the overall category will find it also topping the list in the other two categories. At the bottom of each section you will also find links to additional blog resources to review themes in more detail, listed by the month.

When it came to some of the large stories of the year, the state of the city's business sector frequently attracted attention as stores would open, some close and others relocate, among the trends of the year a growing migration to the Cow Bay area for some of the city's retail sector.

The LNG sector also migrated in 2018, with Kitimat now the focus for the current burst of activity, 2018 delivering the end of two more proposed developments for the Prince Rupert area.

The fishery continued to dominate the discussion on the North Coast, both politically and economically, all while stocks continue to see troubles and employment prospects declined for the once thriving industry.

The Port continued to loom large on the horizon for the future of the city and region, with LPG proposals moving closer to completion, expansion plans at the port continuing on and many other potential developments noted as under consideration as the year moved forward.

On the political scene, provincially a referendum that would have seen our electoral system change went down to a significant defeat, with British Columbians including those in the North Coast and Skeena ridings indicating that they preferred to stay with the current First Past the Post system.

At City Hall, there was much talk of infrastructure, another chance for the Mayor to showcase his Hays 2.0 plans, a municipal election which delivered an all male contingent and returning Mayor Brain to office by acclamation.

And all of it was overshadowed by years end, that as the residents of Prince Rupert heard notice that they needed to bring the last two weeks of December for 2018 to an end by boiling their drinking water, with no indication as to how far along into 2019 we may have to go before the supply will be deemed safe.

So pour yourself a glass of your finest boiled water, or crack open a bottle from your supply of booty from the shopping expeditions ... 

Our Lists of the year, unfold as follows:

Most Read -- All Inclusive


January

End of January brings latest store closure for downtown Prince Rupert


February

Highway 16 accident claims life of Prince Rupert woman


March

Woodside bows out of LNG Terminal development plans for Grassy Point


April

Pembina grabs some storefront space downtown


May

Pinnacle Renewable Resources signs second Japanese agreement


June

Councillor Niesh joins online conversation on civic staff salaries


July

Port Authority advances plans for Ridley corridor, as Dutch giant Vopak looks to expand its footprint in Prince Rupert


August

Ridley Terminals goes back on the market


September

Prince Rupert, Port Edward, Smithers absent from coalition of communities penning LNG Resource letter


October 

One down, dozens to go! As Northern Savings purchases Dairy Queen building on McBride


November

Controversy swirls around Legislature Speaker over ousting of officials


December

Mayor Brain wades into Boil Water discussion on Social Media over the weekend


See our right hand column feature North Coast Review Backgrounders for links to archives of the year on a range of topics of note for the region.

Also as part of our right hand column options we have a North Coast Review Extra Edition feature which offers more in depth reviews of some of the larger issues of the Northwest this year.

Tracking the year in politics is fairly easy as well from our right hand column listings as well, just check out our archives for both the House of Commons and the Legislature for items of note from the North Coast and Northwest in 2018.

Those who have deeper interest in the federal and provincial scene will find our companion blog D'Arcy McGee of interest, where we have archived notes from both Ottawa and Victoria.


********************************************************************************

Municipal government

2018 saw much talk of the city's infrastructure with Council discussing plans for replacement of the Woodworth Dam the main focus with council members finally delivering on the plan by revealing the successful bid in November.

Success was found for the McKay Street Children's Park though the creation of a Dog Park, right beside it stirred up some discussion upon its opening.

A Tsunami Warning early in the year also made for some concerns, with the city looking to address issues related to better notification by introducing a new mobile app for such occurrences. As part of their work on emergency preparedness initiatives the City also mapped out areas susceptible to flooding dangers.

Mayor Brain provided for a second version of the Hays 2.0 plan this year, an update on the plans of Council to address immediate needs along with some longer range issues as well.

Things were fairly quiet when it came to Watson Island, with Pembina still listed as the only tenant so far of the city's new logistics park, the site will see a housing camp developed however as the construction plans for the LPG terminal continue to move forward.

Concerns on housing also continued to percolate in the community, with progress seen on an Elders/Seniors residence on the east side and work now underway in the development of supportive housing on Park Avenue.

However, when it comes to many of the residential projects reviewed over the last few years, few if any have yet to find their way to development in the wake of lack of momentum on the once highly anticipated LNG projects.

2018 was also the year which saw Rupertites bid farewell to Nelson Kinney, the long serving and popular council member passed away in March, as we moved closer to the fall election, Councillor Joy Thorkelson stepped down following a number of terms of advocacy for the fishery as well as those on the lower end of the financial spectrum in the community.

During the course of the campaign, Mayor Lee Brain ran unopposed, returned to office on election day but not without creating some controversy over his position on payments to Port Edward through the Ridley Island Tax Agreement, a topic that tended to dominate a fair share of the council campaign in the final days.

When the counting was over, the four incumbents in the race were returned, joined by two newcomers, the new council mix highlighted by its all male cast for the first time in close to five decades.

The year ended with a topic that dwarfed all of Council's work in the previous eleven months, with the City under a Boil Water Notice, originally expected to last a month, it now heads into week number three, with little indication that it will be lifted soon.

What caught the interest of the readers through the year looked as follows:

Most Read -- Municipal Government


January

Tuesday morning Tsunami Warning may spur on calls for better public alert system for Prince Rupert


February

March 30th the deadline, as utilities bills hit the mail for Prince Rupert residents


March

Prince Rupert's Cherry Blossom Tree Manifesto


April

The Mayor's Hays 2.0 Update ... There's a Bit of Woe, Some Blame to Show and a dream to sew ... BUT mostly we need some money to Flow!


May

City's approach to housing leaving many gaps when it comes to affordable options


June

Councillor Niesh joins online conversation on civic staff salaries


July

City seeks Requests for Proposal for Woodworth Dam Construction


August

Return of Redesign Rupert heralds Phase Two Plans


September

Prince Rupert, Port Edward, Smithers absent from coalition of communities penning LNG Resource letter


October 

Mayor Brain dials up the rhetoric on Ridley Tax Agreement with Port Edward


November

Horizon North highlights Watson Island plans in review of ongoing projects


December

Mayor Brain wades into Boil Water discussion on Social Media over the weekend


Our archive of the year on the Municipal scene includes the following elements:

Council Discussion Topics

Overall Municipal archive notes (including Port Edward, Regional District and area First Nation communities)

School District and Education Notes for the Northwest


********************************************************************************

Industry/Retail

2018 heralded the fade from view of two more LNG prospects, with the Australian energy company Woodside and global energy player Exxon-Mobil both putting their options for Prince Rupert on the shelf.

The departures left the area with none of the major proposals remaining on the drawing board from the heady days of LNG momentum in the region.

Prince Rupert's losses have been Kitimat's gain, as the Valley at the North end of the Douglas Channel now takes its place at the forefront of the LNG industry on the North Coast, with work moving forward for the LNG Canada project.

With LNG out of the picture for now, the Port continued to be the dominant driver of the local economy, with the AltaGas LPG Terminal progressing well on Ridley Island, while Pembina's Watson Island plans continue to move forward.

Fairview Terminal continues to make for the focus of the local scene, with one expansion complete and plans under way for a future one, the volume of goods through Prince Rupert reached a milestone moment earlier this month, setting the table for what is hoped will be another strong year in 2019.

First Nations in the area continued to feature in Port development discussions and work, the latest coming through work on the connector road between Fairview and Ridley Island which will see much of the container traffic through the city soon to be redirected away from the urban area.

A little further down the road, plans are under consideration for some impressive logistics parks to be created to capture increased movements through the port in years to come.

One unknown however still has our attention from the waterfront as the Federal government puts Ridley Terminals up for sale, with local First Nations to be allocated 10 percent of the terminal share prior to any deal coming to a close.

Some of the stories of the year are as follows:

Most Read -- Business/Industry


January

UFAWAU identifies range of problems to be addressed for British Columbia Fishery


February

Eagle Spirit interests consider Hyder, Alaska as back up plan for oil shipment terminal


March

Woodside bows out of LNG Terminal development plans for Grassy Point

April

Pembina grabs some storefront space downtown


May

Pinnacle Renewable Resources signs second Japanese agreement


June

Eagle Spirit Energy hails proposed pipeline to Grassy Point as 'cleanest energy project on the Planet'


July

Port Authority advances plans for Ridley corridor, as Dutch giant Vopak looks to expand its footprint in Prince Rupert

August

Ridley Terminals goes back on the market


September

Vopak updates its project notes for Ridley Terminal plans


October 

One down, dozens to go! As Northern Savings purchases Dairy Queen building on McBride


November

Metlakatla, Lax Kw'alaams to retain 10 percent stake ... as Ridley Terminals goes up for Sale


December

Exxon Mobil Imperial bow out of environmental process for WCC LNG Terminal proposal at Tuck Inlet


For more background on the region's industrial and commercial sector see the following:

Industrial Archive

Commercial Sector Archive


Our archive of weekly Blog Watching for the year now ending can be found here.

Blog Watching: Week ending December 30, 2018

Just Keep On Boiling, that was the word from the City of Prince Rupert as the week came to an end, sending residents into their third week of boiling water for drinking and household use.

Such was the interest in the status of the city's troubles with its water supply that two of our stories in a short week found large audiences, indicating the impact that the city's notice has had on the community.

The latest honour for Gloria Macarenko, the former Prince Rupert resident and CBC broadcaster captured some attention from the folks back home, as Ms. Macarenko was named to the Order of Canada list, with Governor General Julie Payette releasing the list of 103 names for this years honours.

Santa's journey of Christmas Eve attracted a larger audience, with interest picking up the pace as the man, his sleigh and reindeer got closer and closer to the North Coast.

CityWest the Prince Rupert based communication company in the Northwest celebrated the season with their Twelve Days of Christmas, our notes on the Grand Prize award to a Prince Rupert resident found a good audience this week.

And the list of five comes to an end with a look ahead to New Year's Eve, as the Prince Rupert Curling Club prepares to celebrate the last night of 2018 with a fundraising celebration at the Seal Cove Club.

However the top story of the week once again put the focus on the city's ongoing woes with its supply of drinking water.

Mayor Brain wades into Boil Water Discussion on Social Media over the weekend --  The week started with a look back at some comments from Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain who weighed in on the water situation through one of the region's social media forums. As Friday afternoon arrived, the city delivered an update to indicate that the water situation remained as it has for the last two weeks,  extending what originally had been described as a one week boil order into a third week and perhaps further on into the New Year. (posted December  24, 2018)

That article was followed by:

Prince Rupert's Gloria Macarenko appointed to Order of Canada -- The annual listing of the Order of Canada recipients had a North Coast entry for the end of 2018, with Gloria Macarenko named to the nation's Order of Canada. (posted December  27, 2018)

Tracking underway, as Santa Claus makes his annual trip around the world and late evening rendezvous with Prince Rupert -- As we have for a number of years now, we caught up with Santa Claus as he was heading through Australian airspace, following the North Pole's travelling gift giver through the many time zones of the world.   (posted December 24, 2018)

CityWest wraps up its Twelve Days of Christmas -- The fifth year of CityWest's annual Christmas event proved to be a happy one for a Prince Rupert resident, with a Grand Prize delivery of a Smart TV and Soundbar combo.  (posted December 24, 2018)

Curling Club looking for volunteers for New Years Eve Fundraiser -- There are many options for North Coast residents to choose from as they look to ring in the new year on Monday evening, one offers up a chance to lend some support for members of the Prince Rupert Curling Club. (posted December  28, 2018)

You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.

You can also review the full listings of the week just past from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page.

For those looking for updates to items as they are posted to the blog, don't forget about our email alert access.

A daily review of the latest items on the blog can be delivered to your email in box, simply by entering your email address into the information bar, items posted to the blog will be delivered to your e-mail account each day.

You can find the link to that feature on the upper, right hand side of the blog. It can be found underneath the Follow the North Coast Review by Email indicator.

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.

Be sure to check back on Monday as we put the wrap on 2018 with a special edition of the Blog Tracker, looking at the biggest stories of the year on a month to month roll call, as well as the most significant stories from civic government for the year that nears its end.

To view the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Avalanche risk on the rise as weekend moves forward

Those that may be making a trip into the back country as their way of bringing 2018 to an end, should be aware of a rising risk of avalanche as the weekend moves forward, with new snow expected to fall over inland North Coast elevations over the next few days.

In their latest bulletin for the Northwest Inland areas, Avalanche Canada calls attention to the incoming snow of the weekend and how it will be redistributed by winds and develop slabs.

They make note that the more sensitive deposits at upper elevations and in lee features are the most suspect to human triggers.

For the North Coast Inland region, Avalanche Canada observes that if the accumulation is over 30 centimetres then the Avalanche hazard will be High.

Avalanche Forecasts indicate Saturday is the day
of most concern for avalanche 
risk in the region's backcountry

The next forecast for the backcountry is expected to be delivered this afternoon you an access it here.

A rating of high is the second highest category of the four that Avalanche Canada provide, you can learn more about their work and preparations you need to know about for travels in the backcountry from the Avalanche Canada website.

More notes related to weather events in the Northwest can be reviewed here.

Heading towards New Years Eve, no change in Boil Water Notice for Prince Rupert

With no updates otherwise, it would
seem that Prince Rupert residents
will be boiling water on into 2019

Update: The City updated their website notice on Friday afternoon, the full notice can be reviewed at the bottom of this page.

For two weeks now, Prince Rupert residents have been living the life of the movie Groundhog Day.

Every morning, a quick scan of the City's website indicates that there is no change in the Boil Order Notice, meaning that our routine, much like our stoves, will be working overtime to keep our homes in stock of safe water for household purposes.

The Boil Order Notice which was first put into effect two weeks ago today on December 14th, sending Rupertites rushing to local stores to buy up available stocks of bottled water, all while watching their BC Hydro meter spin faster and faster as they kept the High Boil on around the house.

So far, there has only been one official Update from the City in reation to that Original Notice, a short advisory to keep on boiling  delivered on December 20th.

Mayor Lee Brain has popped up from time to time on any number of social media streams, delivering much of the same notes over and over on the issue to those that spend a fair bit of their time following the latest rumours and speculation around the community on Facebook.

December 24 -- Mayor Brain wades into Boil Water discussion on Social Media over the weekend
December 16 -- Mayor's update through Facebook offers up further details on city's water issues

For the most  part the social message manifestos highlight how the community is currently using the secondary drinking water source of Shawatlans Lake, (which we have been using for two years now) a situation apparently exacerbated by some climate issues that have provided for the current problems that brought us to the Boil Order Notice.

With the Christmas/New Years Holiday now underway, City Hall has been shut down since December 24th and with that closure, so too has slowed the flow of any additional information for residents, with little indication as to when we may be able to once again use our tap water with some semblance of confidence that the water won't provide for any kind of problems.

So far the City has not released any further information related to the water testing program that they have taken on, with no results provided for the city's website to provide for a guide for city residents as to where we may be on the way back to safe drinking water.

As we prepare to head into the New Year next Monday, we will be marking an approach towards the third week of the Boil Water Notice, still with little known as to what steps the City may be able to take to address the situation should it turn into a longer term issue, other than the often repeated call for patience.

Should the situation still not have been resolved by the first public Council session of the year set for January 14th, the Mayor and City Council members may find that the gallery has a few more people than usual taking in the workings of civic governance in the region.

And some we imagine, may just have a few questions should the Council members be inclined to open the night up for commentary.

You can review the path so far towards the new routine of Boil, Boil, Boil from our archive page here.

The December 28 update from the City of Prince Rupert:

UPDATED: Friday, December 28th, 2018

Boil Water Notice Update: 
Please note that the Boil Water Notice remains in effect until further notice. 

Unfortunately, there are no treatment options available to the City to remove cryptosporidium at the source supply, and therefore there is currently no way to prevent or manage the issue other than to wait for the water to clear itself. As previously noted, the spike in levels of cryptosporidium and giardia were related to a dry summer followed by recent storm surge events. Water testing results will continue to be closely monitored until Northern Health determines the water meets acceptable standards. Please continue to boil all consumable water and take the necessary precautions outlined by Northern Health and attached in our original notice: 

(Original Boil water notice)

As previously noted, the City applied for funding in August to implement a new $30 million multiple phased water treatment facility. Multiple treatment barriers will reduce the risk from cryptosporidium in the future, if we are successful in achieving the grant. 

We are working closely with Northern Health to continuously monitor water quality, and will remove the Notice when multiple clear results are received. We thank you for your patience, and apologize for the inconvenience.

Micheal Gurney to strike up the Band in the New Year!

Michael Gurney's Prince Rupert Community resume is about to gain yet one more entry, as one of the most active participants in the city's arts community takes on the duties of conductor for the Prince Rupert Community Band.

Currently the General Manager for the Lester Centre of the Arts, as well as a popular actor, director and public speaker, Gurney will take up his additional duties in the New Year. and judging from the reaction to the posting through the Groups Facebook page.

His move to take up the baton has proven to be a popular one among the membership and has been been well received since the December 20th announcement.

The Community Band begins their new year of rehearsals on Monday, January 14th at 7:30 at the Peter Witherly Community Music Studio at Charles Hays Secondary.

New members, of all ages and abilities are always welcome, with no auditions required.

You can find out more about their plans for the year ahead from their Facebook page.

More background on the history of the Community band in Prince Rupert can be explored from their website.

Snow Fall warnings in effect for North Coast - Inland and Bulkley Valley regions

Residents of Northwestern BC may have missed out on a White Christmas, but heading into the New Year's eve celebrations of Monday will have a strong hue of white, with Environment Canada issuing a Snowfall warning for the North Coast inland and Bulkley Valley regions, along with points east.

Snow will begin this morning then taper off through the afternoon before a much more intensive front brings heavy snowfall overnight and into Saturday morning.

Some areas in the Bulkley Valley may see accumulations of up to 30 cm before the storm has passed through, with Terrace set to see 10 cm today and another 10 this evening. Kitimat will see a mix of Rain and Snow through the next 24 to 48 hours.

For Prince Rupert the weather system will be more of a Rain event with up to 70 mm of rain to come along with winds of up to 60 km/h.

You can get the latest weather updates from the Environment Canada website.

Those travelling along the highways can find up dates through the Drive BC website or twitter feed.

As of 10 AM, the Kasiks area of Highway 16 was showing snow accumulations as the first wave of the system arrives in the region.

Snow was falling in the Kasisks section fo Highway 16 at 10 AM today

For snapshots of the Highway camera network of the Northwest see our archive page here.

For more items of note on past weather events see our archive here.

Ringing in a New Year with the Prince Rupert Rampage

They may not be back on the ice for another three weeks, but next Monday night you can take a shift on the dance floor with some of the members of the Prince Rupert Rampage, as the CIHL team hosts their annual New Year's Eve bash.

This years event is taking place at the Nisga'a Hall on Third Avenue West, with Triple Bypass and Direct Entertainment handling the music for the evening with catering for the festivities from No. 1 Restaurant and Catering.

The 19 years of age and above event will see cocktails served at 6:30, Dinner at 7:30 and the rest of the night given away to bringing in 2019.

Tickets go for fifty dollars per person and can be picked up at Northern Savings Credit Union.

You can find updates on the night from the Rampage Facebook page.

The Rupert team can party late into New Year's Day, they don't see action again until January 18th when they travel to Kitimat to head into the homestretch of the regular season.

Following the Kitimat game, the Rhinos are home for three games to wrap up the season.

Terrace comes to town on the 19th, while Williams Lake and Quesnel make their North coast trip on the 26th and 27th.

For more notes on Rampage see our archive page here.

Deadline approaching for Macro Properties Coastal Partnership Grant

An opportunity to apply for grant funding under one of the programs of the Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation reaches its deadline on Monday, with the 2018 Macro Properties Coastal Partnership Grant closing for applications on December 31st.

The privately owned real estate investment and management company with offices in Prince Rupert is looking to awards grants in the region related to four disciplines.

Early Childhood Education

Aboriginal Education

Parks and Wilderness

Self Reliance Initiatives

You can learn more about the application process and access the application form for 2018 from this link.

To explore more background on the Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation  see their website here, details on the grant program that they offer usually are released in the late winter, early spring period.

You can also follow their latest developments through their Facebook page.

Province opens up application process for Airport infrastructure funding program

The provinces smaller airports, heliport and water aerodromes will be the target for some provincial government funding in 2019 under the BC Air Access Program which has issued a call for applications for required infrastructure work in communities around BC.

Launched in 2015, the BCAAP has provided for nearly 30 million dollars in funding for 50 airports around British Columbia, the most notable of the local projects the terminal expansion building in the Terrace area.

The Terrace-Kitimat Airport has made significant use of past funding
through the BC Air Access Program

This years funding includes opportunities for green initiatives that will help the aviation industry to align with the province's recently announced Clean BC Plan, which is designed to to reduce climate pollution while creating economic opportunities and employment.

The deadline for airports across British Columbia to file their applications for the cost shared program is February 18, 2019.

More on the government's announcement can be found here.

A wider overview of the program can be reviewed here.

BC Transit has your ride to the New Year's Eve Party covered

Those heading out to ring in the New Year on Monday evening can take advantage of Free Transit for both Prince Rupert and Port Edward with  the evening service starting at 6:10 for Port Edward's run and 6:45 PM in Prince Rupert, all routes will continue on late into the morning until 3AM.

The Service will be available on all four of the Prince Rupert Routes as well as the Port Edward service, see the schedules below for the details.

Port Edward

Prince Rupert

You can learn more about Transit services in both communities from the links below:


Prince Rupert Transit

Port Edward Transit

For more items of note on transportation in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Search and Rescue Fundraiser seeks items for auction

Port Edward's Cassiar Cannery is taking on the task of organization for an upcoming auction to help out Prince Rupert Search and Rescue to raise funds for their local operations on the North Coast.

The folks out at Cassiar were so impressed with the dedication of the local ground based search and rescue group during a search in recent weeks that they have decided to help bring the community together to help provide some support for the group to purchase some additional items towards their service in the community.

The list of items to be donated is growing and show the support that the Search and Rescue group have in the community for their efforts.

You can examine the list to this point and learn more about the fundraising from the public group Facebook page that has been formed to help with the project. The deadline to offer up contributions of donated goods for the auction is February 15.

It's anticipated that the goods will be put up for silent auction at an event sometime later in the New Year.

To learn more about Prince Rupert's Ground Search and Rescue group see their facebook page here.

Prince Rupert's Gloria Macarenko appointed to Order of Canada list

Add on a national honour to the list of
recognition for Prince Rupert's Gloria Macarenko.
This morning the CBC broadcaster was named to the
Order of Canada list by Governor General Julie Payette.

As is tradition at the end of the year, the Governor General has made appointments to the Order of Canada, with 103 names announced today as receiving one of Canada's highest honours.

And Among those appointed to the Order by Governor General Julie Payette is a familiar name for North Coast residents, with Prince Rupert's Gloria Macarenko appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada.

Ms. Macarenko, was one of ten British Columbias to receive the honour today, her citation noting her contributions to the broadcasting industry and for her support of charitable causes.

The popular CBC personality who currently hosts the On the Coast radio program out of CBC Vancouver has stayed close to her Prince Rupert roots, returning often to aid local causes, among them her ongoing work with the Prince Rupert Foundation.

She regularly returns to the community for local reunion events and other community activities.

Ms. Macarenko will receive her Order of Canada at a ceremony to be held sometime in 2019.

You can review the list of 103 here.

Learn more about the Order of Canada here.

For more notes on Community related item in Prince Rupert see our archive page here.

Curling club looking for volunteers for New Years Eve Fundraiser

There will be no shortage of events to take in for those looking for a place to be at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve, with the east side of the city featuring a New Years Eve Bash at the Prince Rupert Curling Club.

The event which is a fundraiser for the Club will feature the Surfin' Dudes as the entertainment with Door prizes and a 50/50 draw among some of the items up for grabs on the evening.

The New Years Eve festivities get underway at 6 PM. 

Tickets for the event are available at Kaien Office Essentials, Rona, Praxair or you can contact Shawna at 250-600-4476

The evening will feature catering from Number One, Wheelhouse Beer on Tap and safe rides home courtesy of the Port of Prince Rupert.

Towards preparations for the event, the Curling Club's New Year's Party Planning committee is looking for volunteers to help decorate the hall for the fundraising event, with the work party to gather at 1 PM on Saturday December 29th and again on Sunday if required.

Those with an interest in helping out are asked to drop by the Club and lend a hand over the weekend.

You can find out more about both the work party and the New Years Eve celebrations from the Curling Club's Facebook page.

For more notes on the curling scene across the Northwest see our archive page here.

Northwest RCMP seeking whereabouts of missing New Hazelton woman

Detachments of the RCMP across the Northwest are asking the public for their assistance as they try to find a missing New Hazelton woman, who was last seen in the Bulkley Valley community on December 23rd.

Cynthia Martin, is the subject of the search, she is a 50 year old Indigenous female, with Brown eyes, shoulder length black hair. She stands at five feet three inches and weighs 135 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a Grey Jacket and Dark Pants.

New Hazelton RCMP note that there is nothing to indicate any foul play at this time and that police are concerned for her health and well being as it is out of character for her to be out of contact for this long a period of time.

Cynthia Martin was last seen in the New Hazelton area
on December23rd, if you have information on her
whereabouts you are asked to contact your local RCMP office

Assisting the RCMP over the Christmas period was the Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue unit, which became involved with the search on Tuesday, aided by the use of a helicopter to cover some of the area around Bulkley Valley as part of the search.

Should you have any information related to Ms. Martin's whereabouts you are asked to contact your local RCMP, in Prince Rupert you can call 250-627-0700

You can also contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)

More on the New Hazelton file can be reviewed here.

For more items of note related to Emergency Responders of the Northwest see our archive page here.

BC Ferries to spend 57 million dollars on fleet support work during refit cycle for 2018-19

BC Ferries Northern Adventure is one of a number of vessels
currently in refit in preparation for the 2019 sailing season

The off season is the period of time when BC Ferries takes advantage of lower passenger levels to provide for necessary upgrades to its fleet of vessels both North and South, and for this current refit cycle some 57 million dollars will be spent with a range of marine service suppliers to provide support for the fleet.

In addition to their own shipyard in Richmond, the Ferry Service also provides work for a number of other British Columbia shipyards, with over 1 billion spent over the last ten years with the replacement program that has seen new 10 ships arrive, or through refit and repairs for those still in their mid to end of service years.

“We’re serious about driving the BC marine economy, and the investment we make in the province for marine services, repair and maintenance is quite substantial,”  ... “The $57 million will be spent on 17 vessels between September 2018 and March 2019, including contracts with Vancouver Drydock, Esquimalt Drydock and Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria as well as at our own Fleet Maintenance Unit.” -- Mark Collins, BC Ferries' President and CFEO

For the North Coast the off season finds the Northern Adventure undergoing its annual refit, with the vessel set to return to service in the Spring on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii runs.

The Northern Adventure was take out of service earlier this fall, following a short temporary service for the Central Coast-Vancouver Island run providing a short indication of a new service to come to the region in 2019.

The Northern Sea Wolf during its recent refit, after a delay of one season
it will enter service in the Spring

That service will be taken over by the Northern Sea Wolf in the Spring. The vessel which has seen a complete overhaul since it was purchased out of Greece by the Ferry Corporation will provide service on the Central Coast route from Port Hardy to Bella Coola, Ocean Falls and Bella Bella. It enters service one year later than had originally been anticipated.

You can learn more about the contribution of the Ferry Service to the BC economy here.

For a look at more notes related to BC Ferries on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii see our archive page here.