Blog Watching: Week ending September 1, 2019

The last week for August was one that started with great celebration when it comes to the future for Prince Rupert's water infrastructure and wrapped up with a reminder of some of the current concerns that Prince Rupert residents need to keep in mind.

Tuesday, the city heard positive news related to the third element of their water infrastructure ambitions, with 22 million towards the 30 million dollar cost of a new facility provided by the Federal and Provincial government, leaving the city to providing funding for the remaining share.

The good vibes faded pretty quickly by Thursday however, as the City provided a statement outlining the findings from some recent testing of waterlines in some homes and businesses, with the Mayor also delivering a video presentation on the need for proper flushing of those same water lines.

Also creating some interest this week was a report commissioned by the ILWU which explored some stark numbers for lost jobs should automation become a major element of port operations in British Columbia.

The demolition teams may be warming up soon, as SD52 began the early process of making both Seal Cove and Kanata elementary schools ready for demolition.

One of the North Coasts longest serving leaders will continue to hold his post for four more years, as Harold Leighton was once again elected Chief Councillor for the Metlakatla First Nation, he will see some new and familiar faces around the council table following Wednesday's election.

And the first day of University for former Charles Hays Rainmaker became a bit of viral moment for the North Coast after we outlined the twitter salute from the Utah State Aggies as they welcomes the newest member of NCAA Hurd.

However, the top item of the last seven days, returns Prince Rupert to a familiar theme and more discussion on the city's water infrastructure.

Federal, Provincial Funding secured for 30 million dollar plus water treatment plans; City's share to be 8 million dollars  -- Some much anticipated funding news was delivered by the Federal government on Tuesday, with an announcement on three level funding for a new water treatment facility for Prince Rupert.  The celebratory clinking of glasses however was short lived, as an ongoing concern over lead in the water lines of some residences and commercial buildings brought a statement from the City and a video from the Mayor to review the current status of the situation.   (posted  August 27, 2019)

That article was followed by:

ILWU report on automation paints a future of lost BC Waterfront jobs and significant impact on local economies --  The future of employment on waterfront in British Columbia made for some headlines this week after a report commissioned by the International Longshore Workers Union relayed some grim figures should automation become a key element of life for BC's Ports. To follow up on the report, on Thursday, we outlined some of the observations from the Port of Prince Rupert when it comes to future of port expansion and job opportunities on the North Coast.   (posted  August 28, 2019)

SD52 puts out tender call for abatement work on schools scheduled for demolition -- The days for a pair of long closed elementary schools in Prince Rupert would appear to be numbered, as the School District put out a request for bids for the first phase of work required towards the demolition of the Kanata and Seal Cove School buildings    (posted August  28, 2019)

Metlakatla voters return Harold Leighton to Chief Councillor's position; select their six councillors for next four years of governance -- A long-standing leader on the North Coast will have four more years to continue to chart the course for the Metlakatla First Nation, as Chief Councillor Harold Leighton was once again returned to office, he will be joined by a mix of old and new faces for the Council following the Wednesday election count.   (posted  August  28, 2019)

Former Rainmaker gets a public welcome to his new University -- Judging by the strong readership numbers for our notes on Liam McChesney's first day at Utah State, the Aggies may be finding a pretty strong fan base from far off Northwest BC. The former Rainmaker, who is a member of the NCAA Aggies basketball team was one of the featured athletes in a welcome to Utah State twitter stream this week as university students hit the campus.   (posted  August 26, 2019)

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.

As well, those who use Twitter can get updates as we post new items from our twitter feed

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.

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