Summer of 2022 Road marking program underway in Prince Rupert

 

A welcome sight for a few of the city's councillors can be seen this week in Prince Rupert, with Yellowed Line Painting in town, taking to the city's streets today to throw down some white road paint while the sun is shining.

The work has started in the Roosevelt Hill, Summit and Sloan areas of the city with crews putting down crosswalk makings and stop lines for the most part.

A notice from the City of Prince Rupert from earlier today indicating that they would be moving on to Section Two later in the day with a focus on the Second Avenue Bridge area.

The need for line marking has made for frequent comment from both Councillors Wade Niesh and Barry Cunningham over the last year and a bit, with both noting that the program had seemingly fallen off its original pace in recent years.

You can follow the City's Mobile App for more updates on the road marking plans, or follow the City's Facebook page for notes on the work ahead.

More notes on the city's Operations plans can be reviewed from our archive page.

Tahtlan Territory next destination for CityWest fibre optic expansion plans

A new partnership for CityWest, this time with the Tahltan Nation
will see fibre optic communications come to  communities
in the Tahtlan territory

A State of the art fibre optic network will soon be in place on Tahitian Territory, providing for improved internet access and offer access to a range of services from health care to business development for residents of the region.

The network is the latest venture for Prince Rupert based CityWest, which has struck a partnership with Tahtlan Communications to construct the high speed fibre optic service in the territory.

The project is through funding as part of both Federal and Provincial programs, that funding was announced close to two years ago in July of 2019.

Over the last year and half, CityWest and Tahltan officials have been working out the plan to deliver the services, with Stefan Woloszyn, the CEO of CityWEst outlining that process today.

“We have been working with the Tahltan nation for the last year and a half, as we have planned and built out our partnership network and submitted plans to develop connectivity to all of their communities and strategic partners. 

What we have come to realize in this process is that we have the same set of primary values, starting with a focus on creating benefits first and foremost. 

As a social enterprise, we are excited about our future together, and we are grateful to the province and the federal government for their support.”

The anticipation of the project for the Tahltan's was outlined by Paul Gruner, the CEO for the Tahtlan Nation Development Corporation. 

 “Rural communities throughout Canada continue to go without fast and reliable internet connectivity; that is about to change in Tahltan Territory, which is a region that accounts for 11% of British Columbia. 

TNDC’s partnership with CityWest is a game changer and will deliver on our key strategic priority to become a telecommunication provider of high-speed internet connectivity to Tahltan communities and those doing business in Tahltan Territory. 

Soon high-speed connectivity will be available, and I cannot be more excited for those who live and work in the region.”

The full outline of the project can be explored here, it's anticipated that the 13 million dollar project will bring connectivity to Iskut and Dease Lake by early 2023.

You can track the progress of the work through the CityWest Facebook page.

More notes on past CityWest's announcements of partnerships across the northwest can be explored from our archive page.

British Columbia to decriminalize possession of some illegal drugs for personal use

British Columbia's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions
outlined how the province will put a three year exemption related
to criminal penalties for some illicit substances for personal use to
work towards their health care programs

The British Columbia government has received a three year exemption to remove criminal penalties for people who possess a small amount of illicit substances for personal use, the shift in the provincial approach towards substance use coming with an announcement today in Vancouver.

In the information release that accompanies today's announcement, it's noted that this exemption will be in effect from Jan. 31, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2026, throughout British Columbia. 

The Province will work with a broad range of partners to implement this policy change, including the federal government, health authorities, law enforcement, people with lived and living experience, Indigenous partners and community organizations to establish the public health and public safety indicators in order to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of this exemption in real time. 

This exemption is not legalization. These substances remain illegal, but adults who have 2.5 grams or less of the certain illicit substances for personal use will no longer be arrested, charged or have their drugs seized. Instead, police will offer information on available health and social supports and will help with referrals when requested.

Carolyn Bennett, the Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of health outlined how the Federal government views the situation and the need to start towards a new approach.

“The shocking number of lives lost to the overdose crisis requires bold actions and significant policy change. I have thoroughly reviewed and carefully considered both the public health and public safety impacts of this request. Eliminating criminal penalties for those carrying small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use will reduce stigma and harm and provide another tool for British Columbia to end the overdose crisis.”

The focus for British Columbia as outlined by Sheila Malcolmson, BC's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, will be to direct those who use substances to seek out support and services.

“Substance use is a public health issue, not a criminal one. By decriminalizing people who use drugs, we will break down the stigma that stops people from accessing life-saving support and services.”

The full presentation that included Minister Malcolmson and  Federal Health Minster Carolyn Bennett, can be reviewed below:

With the window on removal of criminal penalties set to start in January of next year, that will hopefully give the British Columbia Government some time to introduce some of those life saving services and supports to the northwest.

Many officials across the region have long been calling out for more assistance on the issues of substance use, but for the most part  the Northwest has not seen the same level of infrastructure put in place as found in other parts of the province.

There was talk back in 2016 of introducing a health and substance use centre to the Prince Rupert area, but the proposed project of the time didn't move forward as envisioned.

The full announcement of the provincial plan can be explored here.

More notes from the Legislature can be reviewed here.

Highway travel in Northwest BC will bring delays with paving projects

While the ever increasing price of a litre of gas may limit some travel plans this summer, for those still planning on hitting the highway in the weeks and moths ahead may find some travel delays along the way. 

That with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure outlining a few of the significant paving projects planned for the next few months across the Northwest.

One of the projects is focused on the Hazelton area, where work should wrap up in June for some infrastructure work that includes:

A section of Highway 62 from the junction of Highway 16 to Recreation Road; 

The Kispiox Valley Road from the junction of Highway 62 to Kispiox Village; 

Aldous Street and Omineca Avenue in South Hazelton.

Also up for repair work this summer is: 

The highway 35 area near Burns Lake and Highway 37 North south of Dease Lake and Lower Post Side Roads closer to Vanderhoof work in the Culculz Lake area will also bring some travel delays for travellers

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen who is also Municipal Affairs minister noted of the the importance of road maintenance with the release of the paving plans today.

“In northern B.C., where often there are only a few road access points into remote and rural communities, highway and road maintenance is extremely important. Safe and reliable highways and roads are essential for northerners to get to work, school and appointments.” -- Stikine MLA and Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen

Earlier this month, the Ministry announced plans for the start of construction for the Terrace Commercial Inspection station east of the newly installed roundabout.

So far, there have not been any major summer road work plans announced for the western end of the Highway 16 corridor between Terrace and Prince Rupert.

Further updates for any plans for the Highway 16 corridor can be explored from our archive page.

City of Prince Rupert Recreation's Summer Active Living guide released

You can get a head start on some summer recreation planing this week, that with the release of the 2022 Summer Active Living Guide from the City of Prince Rupert Recreation Department.

The guide which is available on line here, highlights the General programs that will be available as of June 1st.

Among some of the notable entries, the Summer Camp program that will be offered by the City this year, the first of which is a Pre-School program which will start on July 4th, with the last one starting the week of August 22nd.

Also available will be summer camp opportunities for youth ranging from ages 6 to 12

Other Fitness and Activity programs for teens and adults also make for the summer planning for the Recreation Centre, as well as an outline of what's available through the Earl May Aquatic Centre which has programs available until August 22nd.

The Aquatic Centre will shut down for its annual maintenance period from August 22nd to September 11th.

For the latest notes of interest from the Recreation Centre follow the Prince Rupert Recreation Department through their Facebook page.

Working conditions and pay for Airport Security among themes for Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach during Committee discussion

Taylor Bachrach spoke to Transportation themes as part of a
House of Commons committee session on Monday

The chaotic nature of passing through security at some of the nation's largest airports made for some discussion in a House of Commons committee session on  Transportation on Monday.

Among those participating in the session was Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach, who spoke to themes of budgeting for CATSA, the service which provides for security screening at the airports.

"We're hearing many frustrations, from the workers and from the unions that represent them, when it comes to screening officers at airports and some of the working conditions. We're hearing about, you know challenges with things like bathroom breaks, we're seeing extreme overtime and forced extensions to overtime, missed breaks, washroom access all of these things, as well as uncompetitive pay. 

And I'm wondering if the working conditions faced by screening officers and other airport workers is something you're concerned about and what role it is playing in the challenges you're experiencing in hiring more screening officers for our airports" -- Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach speaking as part of the Transport Committee in Ottawa on Monday

You can review those comments from the session as relayed by the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP and the reply from Transport Minister Alghabra here.

The full committee session can be reviewed here, click on the May 30 session for the webcast.

Earlier this month the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP raised concerns on aviation in the House, at that time, we outlined some of the current challenges facing those looking to travel by air.

Yesterday, some of those CATSA members working in Vancouver held a rally to press for their concerns with their employer.

Security screening officers at Vancouver's airport say they're underpaid and burning out
Vancouver airport screening officers rally to demand higher wages, better working conditions 

More notes on the aviation in the Northwest can be reviewed here.

A look at the work of Mr. Bachrach in Ottawa is available here.

Northwest Transit users from Terrace east asked for feedback on Highway 16 community to community bus service

Users of a popular and vital highway connection that runs from Terrace to Burns Lake and on to Prince George are being asked to provide some feedback to BC Transit, that in order to improve the service and plan for the future.

The survey which was launched on Monday, asks those who use the four routes to outline what works well for the service and where the transit users would like to see improvements or enhancements.

 The four routes include:

Route 164 -- Hazeltons-Terrace
Route 163 -- Hazeltons-Smithers
Route 162 -- Burns Lake-Smithers
Route 161 -- Burns Lake-Prince George

The four distinct routes were launched in 2017, part of a municipal led approach to the end of Greyhound Service and to add to the daily opportunity for travellers to get around the Northwest, complimenting the BC North Bus service and other private ventures.

In addition to the ten minute survey, participants are also asked to submit any ideas that they may have towards transit use between the communities, making for an ongoing consultation panel which others can join in on to comment or share their own ideas towards.

Both options are available here.

The reason that the survey stops at Terrace, is that both Prince Rupert and Port Edward chose not to participate in the BC Transit program back in 2017, the City of Prince Rupert noting of local options at the time that the Northwest wide service was being developed.

Despite occasional calls from other municipalities across the northwest, the North Coast remains off the map if you will when it comes to the service that connects municipalities.

While not part of the service, North Coast residents can still log on to share their thoughts if they wish.

The survey project also provides links to the 5 Point Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan, BC Bus North Service, as well as to offer access to each of the BC Transit options available in the participating Municipalities.

More notes on the Highway 16 corridor can be explored here.

Nasoga Lands court injunction steers all concerned towards further consultation towards dispute resolution

A court challenge brought forward by the Lax Kw'alaams Band Council and Metlakatla First Nation over Nisga'a Nation intentions for the Nasoga Gulf has resulted in an eighteen month injunction, though the undercurrent to the decision from Justice  seems to be to send the three parties back to the discussion stage when it comes to the dispute for the land in question.

The case, which was heard from March 8-10 in a Vancouver court room,  was known as Reece v. Canada and in the forty four page judgment issued May 25th by Justice W.A, Baker, the concerns of the Allied Tribes are explained extensively.

The process of review dating back through history and taking us to 2016 when the Nisga'a and Crown announced the commercial terms for the Nisga'a Nation to purchase the lands and lease the foreshore and submerged Crown lands.

The main thrust of the Nisga'a commentary at the time, that of noting they were in effect: "purchasing our own land at fair market value, lands that are already included in our Treaty areas" 

The opposition of 2019 by the Lax Kw'alaams Band and Metlakatla First Nation, was described at the time by the Nisga'a as being politically motivated, that with elections on the horizon for both communities.

During that period of time and in the months and years now that followed, the Allied Tribes would raise awareness of their concerns over the agreement and their historical claims to the area in question, with a range of information approaches. Included in the approach an information blockade along Highway 16 used towards reinforcing their position.

As the chronology of the dispute has evolved there have been a number of discussions held with all the parties involved, however no resolution was found, which brought the topic to the courts in March. 

Since that agreement, the Nisga'a have outlined plans to develop an LNG facility in the area in question, the KSI project, which is still in its very early proposal stage.

The Conclusion to the judgement puts the current dispute into focus and notes how the Allied Tribes concluded the application with submission that their primary objective towards the injunction is to give the parties time to engage in a dispute resolution process before any decision is made on the Disposition and Consent.

With that, an injunction for a period of eighteen months was granted, the Allied Tribes have leave to apply for an extension of the injunction, if good faith negotiations between the Province, Canada, the Nisga'a;a and the Allied Tribes are not completed in that time.

All of which appears to set the stage for some extensive discussion ahead for all the parties to resolve the impasse, with the fate of the KSI Lisims LNG project just one of the elements caught up in the current pause for development related to the Nasoga Gulf and Lands.

The full 44 page judgment can be reviewed here.

So far, other than the Lax Kw'alaams Band making note of the Court ruling on its website, none of the participants have offered up further comment on the current state of the dispute.

We traced some of the original elements of the dispute from 2019 with this archive page.

Further notes on the proposed KSI Lisims LNG terminal can be explored here.

Items of interest from the three principles in the dispute over the last three years can be reviewed through our archive pages below:

Nisga'a Nation

Lax Kw'alaams

Metlakatla 

City's Recreation Department Gearing up for a month of Participaction through June!

The City of Prince Rupert Recreation Department will be All in when it comes to the national Participaction program for June, with the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre set to host a range of free activities to get Prince Rupert moving through the month.

As part of the program, The Recreation Department is asking those who use their facilities to track their patricipaction as the community with the most active users will receive 100,000 dollars towards local facility upgrades. 

The program kicks off this week with the City joining in on Go By Bike week, offering a Free Lawn to Bike session at the Arena on Saturday,   June 4th from 1 to 2 PM.

The full schedule of free events is below:

For more notes on local recreation themes follow the City's Recreation Department through Facebook.

More on the National Participation program is available here.

A wider overview of community events can be reviewed through our archive page.

MLA Rice defers to NDP Caucus Chair Jagrup Brar for comments over Museum controversy

The NDP Caucus is mostly holding to a team approach when
it comes to any comments on the proposed
Royal BC Museum rebuild

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice doesn't seem too inclined to weigh in on the growing controversy over the NDP governments plans to spend over 800 million dollars for a new Royal BC Museum, with Ms. Rice one of a number of NDP MLA's who directed the Vancouver Sun to a statement from Jagrup Brar to serve as her comment to the topic.

Over the weekend, the Vancouver Sun, polled all of the MLA's on the Government side of the Legislature, and for her contribution to the discussion, Ms. Rice offered up the following note:

She was one of many MLA's who chose to let the Caucus chair speak for them on the topic.

A few of the Cabinet members did however share some of their own themes for the topic:

Among them Premier Horgan, Minister Melanie Mark who is steering the project and Stikine MLA and Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen.

As we noted last week, the topic of the proposed new Museum build has made for an ongoing narrative for the Opposition parties, with the BC Liberals in particular making use of it both provincially and at the local constituency level, highlighting for residents in each riding how that 800 million or Billion (depending on which party is doing the talking) could go towards other and in their minds, more immediate and urgent uses.

So far, the North Coast MLA's approach for the Vancouver Sun has mirrored that of her approach for the constituency; with Ms. Rice providing  no contributions to her social media streams to reflect the Museum announcement or the commentary of the opposition.

More notes on the Legislature can be explored here.

City Council to hear pitch from staff to seek recognition at UBCM for recent Civic rebranding project

Council members will consider whether to put the 
new civiv branding up for nomination for awards
at the UBCM meeting later this summer

City Council will hear a request from the Communications office tonight to put forward the recent civic rebranding project up for consideration for upcoming awards with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

The request will come through a report from Communications Manager Veronica Stewart who will make the case for the City to submit the work for a 2022 UBCM Community Excellence Award.

As part of her notes, Ms. Stewart notes of the unique adoption of a corporate brand that marries the local Ts'mstyen perspective to the community's City of Rainblows identity.

Among our neighbouring communities, Prince Rupert is unique in our adoption of a corporate brand that closely involved indigenous artist Russell Mather in a more standard re-branding process with an established firm. The end result marries the local Ts'msyen perspective with a simple design that is highly effective in its application across multiple platforms and sizes. The new brand also reaffirms the community’s identity as the “City of Rainbows”. 

The intent of the application is to celebrate the City’s unique approach to developing a community identity, as well as the work of Russell Mather, Will Creative, and the feedback provided by our focus group of community members

Her report can be reviewed below:

As we noted earlier this year,  Prince Rupert Council embraced the new look with effusive praise back in March. Noting of the need for an upgrade from the look of 1910 that had been the city's image.

The project to develop the new civic image began over two years ago coming out of the Rupert 2030 Vision process, it had a slight delay on the way to launch owing to COVID.

The final cost of the new look came in at 105,000 dollars, an increase from the original estimate of 2019 that had set a cost of 75,00 dollars. 

The rebranding project was paid for through a dividend from the Prince Rupert Legacy financial instrument.

More notes on tonight's Council Session can be explored here.

A wider overview of past Council discussion themes can be reviewed here.

Council to receive report on Cannabis Regulation and what City may or may not be able to about it

It has been a topic of note in the community for many months, with the ever present smell of cannabis growing in the city, particularly the downtown area making for a number of questions from residents asking if the City can do anything about it.

The issue became the significant part of the conversation follow a recent fire downtown which consumed a pair of local businesses. 

Such was the tone of discussion coming out of that event, that Mayor Lee Brain spoke briefly to the topic, promising a more detailed response once a civic report was delivered.

Those additional comments from the mayor could come tonight, with Council set to receive a report from the city's Corporate Administrator which will highlight some of the challenges the City faces in taking action on the issue.

The report notes of the difference between medical and non-medical grow situations and offers up two streams for the Council members to follow towards the situation in the city. 

One a recommendation of a new by-law to regulate cultivation, the other a call to continue to lobby the Federal government to bring change to their handling of the issue:

Staff is recommending to Council that a bylaw be created to regulate cannabis cultivation through the use of nuisance (odor) considerations as well as imposing building code, electrical code and fire safety regulations. Any bylaw drafted will need to ensure it does not conflict with federal or provincial legislation and recognizes the supremacy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

In addition, Staff is recommending that Council lobby upper levels of government to address the issue through amendments to the Cannabis Act using Federal of Canadian Municipalities (“FCM”) resolutions, letters and meeting requests with relevant federal departments.

The Corporate Administrator will also look to deflect further conversation from the community on the topic towards the Federal government, offering up a destination and a form for residents to register their concerns.

The City of Prince Rupert is not in a position to take complaints or answer questions in regards to the legality of (medical) grows in Prince Rupert as the City receives no notice or has an opportunity to comment on zoning compliance. 

Residents are encouraged to send their complaints directly to Health Canada at the form included in this Report to Council. 

This information will also be uploaded to the City’s website.

The form that the City is directing residents to use can be accessed here.

The full report from Ms. Rosa Miller can be reviewed below:

click to enlarge

The full documentation of the proposed Bylaw and where it would be applied can be examined as part of the Agenda for tonight's session.

The Council Session starts at 7PM at City Hall or you can view it through the City's live feed.

As we've noted the topic has been somewhat of a long running narrative for City Council you can review some of the past engagement to the topic here.

More notes on tonight's Council Session can be reviewed here.

Past council discussion themes can be examined from our archive page.

Public Hearing tonight makes for latest step for proposed Port City Spirits Distillery

The Public Hearing for the Proposed Port City Spirits
small scale distillery and tasting room takes place tonight

The proponents of a proposed Distillery and Tasting Room for the old U Brew location on Fraser Street will gain the feedback of their neighbours tonight, with the proposed use for the location to be the topic for tonights Public Hearing on a Zoning Bylaw amendment to allow for the use.

The Hearing is set for 6 PM in Council Chambers

As we outlined previously this month, the pat to Public Hearing was charted at the May 9th session, following a report from City Staff on the proposed small scale distillery and tasting room, as part of the review, the city's planning staff observed how the proposed development fits into the city's Official Community Plan and a desire for more development in the downtown core area.

The topic will return to the attention of Council later this evening as well, scheduled as an Agenda item for the Regular Council session starting at 7PM

More notes on tonight's Council session can be reviewed here.

Our previous noted on the proposed use of the building can be explored below:

May 16 -- Prince Rupert City Council sets May 30th as date for the Port City Spirits Public hearing 
May 12 -- Proposed Small Scale Distillery on its way towards public notification, public hearing
May 9 -- Proposed Distillery for downtown Prince Rupert up for Council Review tonight

More notes on past Council discussion themes is available here.

City Council Preview: Monday, May 30, 2022

The Final Council session for May arrives tonight, with a wide range of items of note ahead of the city's elected officials, among them a 6 PM Public Hearing where those who may have comments or observations on the proposed Distillery for Fraser Street will have a chance to have their say with Council.

The Regular Council session features a report on the City's response to community concerns over cannabis grows in the downtown area and other parts of the city, as well Council members will receive a report towards submitting the city's rebranding work for a potential UBCM award.

A variance for a downtown window front and then consideration of the results of the Public Hearing for the Fraser Street business proposal will make for the wrap on the session.

It being a Committee of the Whole night, Council will also receive a presentation from Susan Crowley of the Prince Rupert Hospice Society.

An advisory at the top of the Council Agenda Page notes of the return of proceedings to the Council Chambers and offers up guidance for the public on how they can participate with the civic process.

Tonight's Council session starts at 7PM and can viewed by way of the Live Feed from the City Website, or on Cable Television from CityWest Cable Channel 10/310.

The session is normally posted to the City's YouTube archive within 24 hours of the session concluding.

You can review the Regular Council Session Agenda package here.  

Council will also host a Special Council Session  

The 5:00 PM meeting is closed to public for the  elements of the Community Charter cited below:

The acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interest of the municipality; 

the receipt of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

That meeting tonight marks the   Tenth Closed Session hosted this year by Council to date.

The outline of Council's work ahead for the evening can be reviewed below:

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

REGULAR SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL

Adoption of Agenda and Past minutes -- The Mayor will review the agenda for the evening and Council will adopt the minutes of past meetings.

Reports and Resolutions

Report from Communications Re: Application to UBCM Awards for Branding project  -- Council will receive a report from the Communications Office that outlines the plan to submit the City's Municipal branding program for consideration as part of the UBCM Awards process.  (see page 8 of the Agenda package)

Report from Planning -- Re: DVP 22-12   -- Council will receive a report from Planning related to a proposal for window signs for a property at 255-257 Third Avenue West   (see page  10 of the Agenda package)

Report from the Corporate Administrator - Re: Cannabis Regulation     -- Council will receive a report from the Corporate Administrator related to the research and preparation of bylaws to regulate, prohibit or impose requirements on controlled substances and to lobby the Federal government to address the issue of regulation through Federal legislation   (see page 17  of the Agenda package)

Bylaws

City of Prince Rupert Zoning Amendment By-law 3492-2022 -- Having held a Public Hearing earlier in the evening, Council will consider a proposed amendment for the zoning of a property on Fraser Street to allow for a Distillery and Tasting room  (see page 20  of the Agenda package)

The evening will come to an end with any Additional Items as well as Reports, Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council.

Council members can  take advantage of the period to offer up any items or concerns that they have for consideration on the night. 

The Live broadcast of the City Council session can be found here, a video archive of past sessions is available here.

Our items of note related to the May 30th session can be reviewed here.  

While our archive of all sessions for 2022 for Council is available here.    

City Council Session: Monday, May 30, 2022

Our archive of items from the session can be found below.

Regular Session of Council for  Monday, May 30, 2022

Home page and archive of sessions can be found here.   

Live Broadcast of session can be found here

Notice for Public Hearing for Property on Fraser Street (6 PM)

Agenda for the Regular Council Session for Monday, May 30, 2022 (7 PM)

Agenda for the Committee of the Whole Session for Monday, 30, 2022 (7 PM)

Notice of Closed Session (5 PM)

Preview of the Council Session for Monday, May 30, 2022

Attendance

Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Absent
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa -- Present

Minutes of Regular Session of Council, Monday May 30, 2022

Video Recording for Monday, Monday May 30, 2022 Council Session 

Council Timeline, Monday, May 30, 2022

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

North Coast Review Items related to the Monday, May 30, 2022 Session of Council 

Prince Rupert and District Hospice Society seeks advocacy to move end of life care into Health  Care element

Prince Rupert's Pentecostal's make plans for new Community Church in Downtown area of the city

Council moves forward on path towards recognition of rebranding project at UBCM awards time

Container use in Residential areas again on the mind of City Council

Community petition on health care reaffirms Council's concerns over health issues in Prince Rupert

Public Hearing brings support for Port City Spirits proposal, moves zoning application forward 

Council Cannabis Discussion one of Challenges, Direction and Deflection 

City Council to hear pitch from staff to seek recognition at UBCM for recent Civic rebranding project

Council to receive report on Cannabis Regulation and what City may or many not be able to do about it

Public hearing tonight makes for latest step for proposed Port City Spirits Distillery

Further notes, as well as any Media items from other sources for the May 30, 2022 session can be found in our Discussion Points from City Council Feature.   

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

Real Estate Tracker: Week ending May 30, 2022

There is one addition to the list of ten or the week, which adds to the number of homes from the city's east side  for our compilation of high end properties in the city.

Three of our ten top the million dollar mark this week, one bubbles just under, while the majority of the week's listings are in the 800,000 mark.

The distribution of our list of ten has six homes for sale on the West side, and four on the East side.

The real estate review below is purely for information purposes, for further background on the properties recorded, see our links pages for access to the individual real estate listings.

The Archive for our weekly review can be found here.  

Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending May 30, 2022 can be explored below:

Real Estate Listings for the West Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending May 30

Real Estate Listings for the East Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending May 30

The lowest mark for the review of the week is at 777,000  while our top end is marked  at the price point of   $1,550,000 

Total value of the listings for our ten increased this week noted at $9,990,000

Below find our findings as of the Week ending May 30, 2021

2130 Graham Avenue                    $1,550,000 --   Remax

160  Van Arsdol Street                   $1,295,000 --   Remax. (new) 

1042 Edward Avenue                     $1,150,000 --   Realty Executives

975 Edward Avenue                       $995.000 --      Realty Executives 

1320 Overlook Street                     $890,000 --      Remax

219 4th Avenue West                     $849,000 --      Remax

112 Collart Place                            $849,000 --     Remax

124 Silversides                               $825,000 --     Realty Executives (new)

197 Vanarsdol Street                      $810,000 --     Remax 

1845 Atlin Avenue                         $777,000 --      Remax 

For more items related to Real Estate see our archive page here. 

For background on Housing issues in the Prince Rupert area see our past items here. 

Blog Watching: Week ending May 29, 2022

The ink was barely dry from the final vote tally of earlier this month before the City had the 2022 Tax Bills into mailboxes across the city, the annual call for payment coming with an increase for the year, one that will be impacted by rising assessment rates for many property owners. 

Our look at the Tax bills and the announcement of a Community Presentation with mayor Lee Brain in June made for the most read item of the week.

Also gaining a strong readership this week was some political controversy out of Victoria as the NDP announced plans for a near 800 million museum project for the Capital, a political talking point that the BC Liberal in particular is making good use of this month.

Northward expansion plans for the DP World Facility at Fairview Terminal continue to make for commentary  on the city's waterfront, with the Port Edward Harbour Authority now seeking feedback from the public on the plans.

With the regional tourism industry looking for a more normal season ahead than that of the last two years, Tourism Prince Rupert has launched a marketing plan to try to highlight the city's attractions as well as those around the surrounding area.

And our look at some of the recent training put in by Firefighters in Port Edward found a large number of interested readers.

However,  when it came to the top item of the week the city's annual call for payment of Taxes provided for the largest volume of readers these past seven days.

Tax Bills arrive in mail, State of the city presentation invites as well; with Mayor to host public forum June 28th at Lester Centre -- The City's financial office has been quick to get the Taxes Due notices out to the public, with Tax Bills arriving across the city this past week. As part of the information package is also an invitation to a Public presentation by the Mayor to update the community on a range of civic initiatives.     (posted  May 25, 2022)

That article was followed by: 
 

NDP Museum plans could be long running gift for Opposition -- An announcement from mid May that will see the Royal BC Museum close its doors for up to eight years as part of a near 800 million dollar rebuild has become the main talking point of late for the Opposition Liberals. With the local BC Liberal association making sure to localizing the debate for North Coast Residents.    (posted  May 26, 2022)

 

Port Edward Harbour Authority looking for public feedback on Port Expansion plans and impact on Fairview Floats  -- A port expansion project that would see the movement of the southern part of the Fairview Floats docks to points north has generated a fair bit of commentary, with the Port Edward Harbour Authority now seeking the opinion of those who may be affected by the project. ( posted May 24,  2022)

Tourism Prince Rupert looks to rebuild marketing of attractions following COVID interruption  -- A look at some of the features and four key initiatives to draw attention to what Prince Rupert and the North Coast has to offer visitors.  (posted May 26, 2022)  .  

 

Port Edward Volunteer Firefighters take on range of scenarios in May training program -- Our look at some of the training of the last few months for Port Edward's Volunteer Firefighter Department also found a large audience.   ( posted May 27, 2022)

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.

A note for those that previously used our email alert delivery option, Blogger has discontinued that feature, so we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post updates to the blog as we post them.

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.    

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