Money for Diana Lake, promise of update on Ridley Tax Dispute among notes from Port Edward update

A number of notes for Port Edward residents have now been made
available through the District's website

March apparently was a fairly busy month for the District of Port Edward, with a number of files taking up some of their time and making for a slight delay from Mayor Knut Bjorndal when it comes to the Update for residents posted to the District website.

Among one of the notes of interest for the community was some background on a recent presentation from Ridley Terminals to the District, with 79,000 dollars to be directed towards improvements at Diana Lake Park, which the District notes will help to restore the popular spot for use by the region's residents.

The District has also found an interim Fire Chief to take over from thirty year veteran Shawn Pettit who stepped aside earlier this year, with Jason Giesbrecht to take on the Fire Chief position on a temporary basis.

Residents have been advised that recycling is now taking place twice a week in the community, with pick ups arranged on Tuesday and Fridays, as well taxpayers were reminded that the District utility bill is due for payment by March 31st, with a ten percent discount for those who pay their bill on time.

The update also called attention to  a pair of issues of concern for the community, with a call for residents to obey the posted speed limits in the District as well as  for more attention to the disposal of needles around the District.

One other item offers up a somewhat mysterious note to the usual fare of the monthly update format, with Council making note that Prince Rupert and Port Edward have been in discussion surrounding the Ridley Island Tax Dispute, though how far along they may be towards a resolution to the long standing dispute isn't offered up as part of the March update

The one line teaser comes as part of the undated March review for Port Edward residents, which was recently posted to the Port Edward website.

Port Edward and Prince Rupert have been discussing the Ridley Island Tax Share Agreement. A press release will be made in the next week outlining the status of our conversations.

So far, there has been no press release posted to the Port Edward portal to provide for further details for residents related to the District's view on events through the month of March.

In addition to the ongoing dispute over the Ridley Island tax issue, the two communities recently were having some troubles when it came to a mutual aid agreement for the two Fire Departments.

As regular readers of the blog will recount, the ongoing discussions have been at times an acrimonious affair, spilling out into Social media on a number of occasions as Prince Rupert and Port Edward officials traded off accusations.

While we wait for further updates from either the District of Port Edward or the City of Prince Rupert, a look back at some of the history of the Ridley dispute can be found here.