After a weekend of activities and activities in the schools today to serve as the prelude ... the Big Haunt comes tonight at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre as the 36th Annual Halloween Fest opens the doors to Fun, Treats and Fireworks.
To prepare for Night of Halloween Fun, the Recreation Centre for the most part has been closed to all events for the last two days so the volunteers and staff at the Centre could make ready for the ghouls, goblins, witches, warlocks and other entities of Prince Rupert
Halloween Fest organizers and the many volunteers that help out the much anticipated community event welcome the Trick or Treaters at 6PM, with a Costume Parade to set the night in motion at 615.
Games with prizes for youngsters will take the festivities to 8:15 when Mount Hays will be the backdrop for the Crowd pleasing Fireworks program.
While the young et are having their fun in the Civic Centre, Teens 13-18 can taken in the Earl Mah Aquatic Centre Pool Party which taks place from 6:30 to 8:30
Follow the Recreation Centre social media stream for updates on the way to events of the evening.
Some big changes to the Port Edward commercial footprint could be in the offing if all comes together for the District and the Gitmaxmaka'ay Nisga'a Society, which operates the Port Edward General Store.
A notice on the District of Port Edward website today, outlines the background to a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations towards potential redevelopment of the Store site.
The proposed redeveloped site if it moves forward would likely see an expanded grocery section, refrigerated goods, food service options and a laundromat.
As well it's noted that the Port Edward Post Office building would shift from its current spot adjacent to the Store, becoming part of the new facility that would come.
"On behalf of our Board of Directors and staff, we are excited to explore with the District of Port Edwardian how best to undertake a multi million dollar redevelopment of the community's sole storefront" -- Gitmaxmak'ay Nisa' Society CEO Blair Mirau
For Mayor Knut Bjorngal the prospect of added investment into the community is a welcome opportunity for Council and the District.
"We are please to build a new relationship with Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a Scotty, to enhance the services available for residents an visitors to the community. This MOU sets the stage for an important and welcome investment in Port Edward's future"
The forward momentum for the full proposed development appears somewhat contingent on a successful application to the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program towards partial funding for the plans.
No details towards what each of the proponents would invest into the development were disclosed in today's information release.
The Full statement today available here (or click on image below) today outlines some of the other particulars should the funding application be approved.
Mr. Mirau will share additional notes on the project as part of a Chamber of Commerce Luncheon at the Nisa'a Hall on November 22nd.
If you were away during Udderfest this summer, you probably have heard the buzz about The Caper Caper, the summer production was one of a number of well received shows from the popular summer festival in Prince Rupert.
The Good News for you today, or for those who may want to take it in again, is that The Caper Caper is making a return to the Tom Rooney Stage, with Two Shows set for Friday and Saturday with the show time set for 7:30 PM
Making it a Double Dip weekend of fun at the Tom Rooney, Hook, Line and Snicker will be providing their always entertaining improv as part of the line up for the weekend ahead.
Tickets for the Show go for 15 dollars at the door, Doors open at 7PM
The Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP will stick with their man whenever the next Federal election comes along, with the party on Saturday nominating the incumbent MP as their candidate.
In their statement today, the party outlined some of the achievements of the MP for the constituents of the vast riding that spans an area from the Bulkley Valley to Haida Gwaii and Central Coast to Yukon border
For four years, Bachrach has been a strong voice for Northwestern British Columbians in the House of Commons. He has been a staunch defender of rural and remote communities, standing up for the federal services and investments people need.
He’s also been a clear voice on climate action in the face of droughts and wildfires, and has stood up for workers in their fight for better wages and conditions.
Bachrach has worked alongside farmers to get financial aid; forced the government to open a passport office in Northern B.C.; stood with striking public servants, smelter workers and port workers; and continues to push for public dental care, pharmacare and affordable housing.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke to the commitment of the MP for the residents of Skeena-Bulkley Valley
“Taylor has brought a strong, unwavering voice to the House of Commons on behalf of his constituents. He works incredibly hard to represent a huge riding far from Ottawa, and in a minority Parliament he’s managed to deliver tangible wins for Northwest BC. I’m proud to call him a member of our team and thankful he will continue to work alongside us as we fight for all Canadians.”
As for the MP, he was appreciative of the support from the members and noted of the work ahead.
“It’s an incredible honour to represent Skeena-Bulkley Valley and the people who call this place home. In challenging times like the ones we now face when many of our neighbours are struggling with the cost of living, I’m more determined than ever to push for the solutions they need.” -- Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP and nominated candidate Taylor Bachrach
Barring the collapse of the Minority Liberal Government that the NDP is currently supporting, the next election is not due to be called until October 20, 2025.
Recent polling has put what has been a fairly reliable NDP riding for much of this century into play come the 2025 election period, part of a surge of polling results for the Opposition Conservatives which could be set to redraw the House of Commons map come election day.
In Skeena-Bulkley Valley, the NDP is looking towards the efforts of Mr. Bachrach to deny the Conservatives at least one BC seat in the vote to come.
The annual Business of the Month program from Prince Rupert based Northern Savings saluted the Terrace area retail service Skeena Valley Meats, the popular store in Terrace having recently moved into a new location.
As part of the Northern Savings program, a 50 dollar gift card was part of the recognition program.
However, while Northern Savings was celebrating a regional business, online spoofers were using that try to imitate the financial service's website, an issue that officials addressed today.
Northern Savings did not specify how far the spoofers progressed before the issue was taken care of, though the incident has resulted in the Business of the Month item to be removed for the moment.
The Gift card program will go ahead, with the winners to be contacted by Northern Savings.
Follow their Social Media page here, as they look to celebrated the Business of the Month program and other notes from their branches across the region.
Bill 39 is on the Order list for this week at the BC Legislature, the Provincial Government's Legislation towards Zero Emission Vehicles in the province and through the Monday afternoon discussion, BC United MLA's raised a range of concerns over the BC NDP Government's ambitious targets.
The Bill which is in its Second Reading stage at the Legislature made some news last week with its target for the sales of new vehicles in BC which would see a goal of 100% vehicle sales by 2035.
The ZEV Act amendments will require automakers to meet an escalating annual percentage of new light-duty ZEV sales and leases, reaching 26% of light-duty vehicle sales by 2026, 90% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, five years ahead of the original target.
“This updated ZEV target reflects the success of our measures to shift rapidly to cleaner transportation. We’re taking action to encourage a cleaner British Columbia, while making headway on CleanBC’s mission to reduce emissions by 40% by 2030. These changes also support rising demand for cleaner vehicles on the roads and will make it easier for more people to choose an electric vehicle.”-- George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Among those in the thick of the debate Monday was Skeena MLA Ellis Ross, who used some of the time towards concerns over how the province's goals on Energy are going to impact on LNG development in the Northwest.
To the theme of Electric Vehicles, the Skeena MLA relayed some of his research in the constituency towards interest in EV's.
Up in Skeena where I represent — Kitimat, Terrace, Nisg̱a'a , Kitsumkalum, Kitselas, Kitamaat Village — I've asked all around my riding about what the interest is in electric cars, and there's very little, to be honest. But the ones I have talked to have not talked about their ideal vision about reducing emissions.
It's all about the novelty of owning an electric car and how much speed it gets from zero to 60 as opposed to a gas-powered engine and all the electricity that goes into it.
Of course, everybody knows the downside of owning an electric vehicle when you're talking about batteries in cold weather or even some of the other issues that are affecting electric cars.
But it hasn't really affected us. We've got two new electric charging stations in Kitimat that nobody uses. They just sit there.
I'm not quite sure about Terrace, but nobody has come to me saying: "We have to accelerate the targets of electric cars being utilized in B.C. by 2030 or 2035."
Ross also noted of affordability concerns for British Columbians as well as an electrical grid that may not be able to meet the demand if the NDP's push towards it's goals by 2035 come to fruition.
The previous target was 20 percent by 2025, and the new target is 26 percent by 2026. The previous target in the previous bill was 30 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2030.
Instead of 100 percent by 2040, it is 100 percent by 2035 in this new bill.
Very ambitious, but really haven't addressed a number of things, like affordability. A lot of the people that I represent cannot dream of owning an electric vehicle, let alone trying to think about how to charge it, how to pay for it.
There are so many questions that I get asked about electric vehicles that I can't answer. Will it be charged in their garage at home? Will they be given free electricity?
I think right now the B.C. government is realizing they just can't give out free electricity anymore. It was good in the beginning to give it out as an incentive, give out free electricity, but you can't sustain that, especially with the amount of deficit that this B.C. government has incurred, and the debt.
You just can't keep giving out free electricity. You can't keep building free electric car infrastructure and not get a return. So at some point, we're going to have to consider the affordability factor.
The Skeena MLA continued on towards the Hydro infrastructure question, highlighting how the development of an LNG Industry could have been electrified, but infrastructure limitations have impacted on that potential carbon reduction tool.
I haven't seen the government yet talk about who's going to pay for all this. I understand that the consumer is going to pay for the vehicle, maybe through the additional subsidies. But who's going to pay for the infrastructure upgrades? I haven't seen that yet. Maybe that comes out in regulation. Maybe that comes out with higher rates through B.C. Hydro. Maybe it gets passed on to the taxpayer through higher taxes or deficit financing. We haven't really seen that just yet.
Why I ask that is because we've been talking a lot about B.C. Hydro upgrades from Prince George to Kitimat for the purpose of exporting LNG. We've been talking about that now for 15 years. I was part of two consultations in my community of Kitimat. And we supported it because we wanted to see that LNG get to Asia with as little emissions as possible.
Unfortunately, it didn't work out. And now LNG Canada will burn natural gas to operate its turbines for the first phase, which will be converting natural gas to liquid natural gas.
We're talking about 14 million tonnes annually. The emissions factor there…. So we missed the boat on electrifying that industry for the purpose of reducing emissions.
Ross also noted of emerging energy sources and how BC should consider those options towards carbon reduction; rather than increasing its push towards an all in EV Vehicle future.
But like I say, different parts of the world are moving to different energy sources, so while we potentially put the residents of B.C. in a very tough spot in terms of affordability and in terms of being forced to buy an electric vehicle, the rest of the world will be switching to different energy sources to achieve the same goals, like purchasing ammonia from Alberta, which, by the way, will get shipped through Prince Rupert. I think it's a great idea — ammonia.
By the way, I would love it if the B.C. government could cooperate with the federal government to relieve the liability issues on the CN Rail to make sure that the ammonia coming from Alberta and the Cold Lake First Nation, by the way, gets their ammonia shipped to Japan.
It's a great economic opportunity, and Japan will reduce its emissions without a zero emissions vehicles amendment act that basically forces residents of B.C. to buy an electric vehicle.
The Full presentation to the Legislature can be reviewed through the Legislature Video stream, starting at the 5:17 PM mark of Monday's session.
“These 70 new homes are part of our commitment to help more Indigenous Peoples live affordably, while being close to family, community and culture, both on and off reserve.
We are proud to work with organizations like the Lax Kw’alaams WAAP Housing Society and Indigenous developers like the Coast Tsimshian North Contractors to ensure more Indigenous Peoples have access to housing that meets their needs in communities throughout B.C.”
The Provincial notes also outlined the scope of the housing to be available once the building is ready for occupancy in the fall of 2025.
A design image for the now under construction Lax Kw'alaams Housing facility on 11th Avenue East
Located at 830 11th Ave. East, the project will provide much-needed off-reserve housing for Lax Kw’alaams elders, families and individuals, including people living with disabilities, with low to moderate incomes. The four-storey building will have a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, including 15 fully accessible homes.
The project has been designed by the Lax Kw’alaams community to accommodate multi-generational living and to provide a gathering space for activities that celebrate the rich local culture. This includes providing a place for Sm’algya̱x language classes and traditional art.
Once complete, the building will be managed by the Lax Kw’alaams WAAP Housing Society.
The Ground breaking ceremony took place October 12th at the 11th Avenue East site in Prince Rupert
Both MLA Jennifer Rice and Lax Kw'alaams Mayor Gary Reece shared some observations on the progress for the project.
“With construction underway, many urgently needed homes will soon be available for Lax Kw’alaams members so they can live near the community they know and love. Homes for Indigenous families and individuals that are affordable, culturally appropriate and inclusive are needed in our community. I look forward to seeing their benefits for years to come.” -- Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast.
“This 70-unit housing project has been a long time coming for Lax Kw’alaams, and we’re very excited to see this project move ahead. This project will really help our members in Prince Rupert who are facing skyrocketing rental rates in addition to the increased cost of living we all face. We have quite a few members who work in Prince Rupert, and access to safe and affordable housing has the potential to make things easier for them.” -- Garry Reece, Mayor, Lax Kw’alaams.
The announcement also provides a list of the financial contributions to the project, including that of the City of Prince Rupert and the 60 year lease for the parcel of land that the project is being constructed on.
The provincial statement notes that the Lax Kw'alaams project is among the nearly 300 homes that the province has invested in towards housing issues in Prince Rupert.
The full list of those homes and where they are located was not included in their information release of last week.
With no home games ahead for much of the month of November, the Prince Rupert Rampage left some memories for the home side fans to hold onto until the next drop of the puck at the Jim.
Saturday night the Rhinos kept their undefeated status a going concern collecting another two points in a hard fought battle with the visiting Nechako North Stars with the Rampage claiming a 4-2 victory before the final whistle and the final glove and stick had dropped on the night.
In a game that featured 104 minutes of penalty time, the teams still found some time to score some goals.
The first marker of the night coming early with a Hunter Johnson power play goal at 5:49 setting the pace and sending the Rampage to a 1-0 lead, the helpers coming from Judd Repole and Tyler Ostrom.
The North Stars pulled even just over two minutes later, with an answer from the Rampage at 10:56 when Tyler Ostrom put the team back ahead with assists to Judd Repole and Jared Meers, the goal the second Rampage power play marker on the night.
Nechako however once again found some twine, an equalizer coming at 15:34 which would hold through to the first intermission.
The rest of the score sheet belong to Prince Rupert, a second period goal from Judd Repole at 8:24 put the Rampage ahead 3-2 with help from Tyler Hamilton and Tyler Ostrom.
The 3-2 lead would hold through the rest of the second period and for eighteen minutes of the third, when Repole struck again providing for a fourth and final Rampage goal at 19:16, the assists going to Tyler Ostrom and Gurlivleen Sekhon.
Goaltender Kieran Sharpepicked up win number four in the 2023-24 seasonturning aside all but 2 of the 22 shots he faced on the night, the Rhinos were in the Nechako end frequently on the night, firing off 37 shots at Dixon Lowen, four of which found the mark..
The Nechako frustrations on the Scoreboard played out on the penalty sheet, the North Stars were assessed 56 minutes of penalty time on 17 infractions, including a couple of fighting majors in periods two and three.
The Rampage were certainly up for the rough stuff, they sat out 49 minutes of play on 13 infractions, as well as to answer the bell to some of the more physical play from the visitors.
651 fans took in the action at the Jim on Saturday night.
The Rampage may be in line for a thank you basket from the Terrace River Kings, the Saturday night showdown at the Jim sent the North Stars off to Terrace seemingly weary on Sunday.
Their Sunday afternoon contest saw the River Kings knock the Nechako side off by a score of 12-0
The Prince Rupert undefeated streak will be put to the test this coming Saturday and Sunday as the Rampage head out on their longest road trip of the year. That a journey that will take them to Williams Lake and Quesnel.
Prince Rupert heads into the Cariboo with some strong offensive stats to back them up with Judd Repole and Tyler Olstrom 1/2 atop the CIHL Scoring race.
Defensively and in the nets the Rhinos are strong as well, with Kieran Sharpe boasting of an .897% Save percentage coming out of the weekend.
Following their Cariboo trek, the Rampage will get a two week break.
They then will see action with a home game November 25 against Smithers.
Keep up to speed with all the news from the Rampage room from their Social media stream.
It won't be long until Northwest skiers hit the slopes of Shames Mountain, seen above from last year (From Shames FB)
The cold mornings make for a reminder for skiing enthusiasts that the 2023-24 ski season is just around the corner and for those who enjoy the slopes of Shames Mountain, this week marks the end of a couple of pre season savings programs.
Both Season Passes and Student pass opportunities are available.
The Seasons Pass savings close on October 31st, the Student pass savings November 1.
The Prince Rupert School District is sharing in the success of a new provincial incentive program that has helped towards recruiting new teachers for the North Coast region.
In an information release from Friday, the Provincial government outlined the scope of their initiative for the 2023-23 School year.
The Province, in partnership with the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the British Columbia School Superintendents Association (BCSSA) northern chapter, launched the teacher-recruitment incentives in spring 2023 with $400,000 in funding to address the immediate need for teachers in the North.
Part of the funding was used to provide hiring incentives of $4,000 up to $10,000 per teacher. Of the 50 new teachers, 41 are located in northern B.C., seven on Vancouver Island and two in the Thompson-Okanagan.
The four North Coast School Districts include:
School District 52-Prince Rupert
School District
54-Bulkley Valley
School District
92-Nisga'a
School District
82-Coast Mountains
Teachers were also recruited for Stikine and Nehcako Lakes Districts.
“Teachers are valued members of our northern communities and I am so glad to hear that more teachers have been recruited to work in classrooms in Stikine and across northern B.C. This is part of our ongoing work to build stronger schools and ensure every student has what they need to thrive.”--Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen
As we noted earlier today, at their October Board Meeting, officials with SD52 also outlined their hopes to see a teacher recruitment program in place with UNBC for the North.
A day of travel through the Streets of Prince Rupert and Port Edward and an evening os Socializing at the Seal Cove Curling Club has gone a long way to helping out the Salvation Army Christmas Program this year.
The final tally for the Harley Riders delivered a cheque for 10,000 dollars for the local agency that serves those in need in the community, another successful year for the Riders who have been running their popular ride for decades.
The September 23rd ride also saw a good volume of toys collected for the Christmas campaign.
The Registration period for the Annual Christmas Hamper program began in mid October, it will continue through until the end of November.
You can register in Person at 25 Grenville Court or call the Prince Rupert Salvation Army at 250-624-6180 Extension 4
Hamper Distribution will take place in December
The Salvation Army will soon be ramping up on the next fundraising plan for their Christmas campaign with the annual Kettle campaign in the final planning for the 2023 season.
The work site has been a busy one downtown as the ILWU 505 Hall continues to take shape
Work continues forward on the new ILWU Hall spanning half a block between First and Second Avenues West at Eight Street, with Foundation work the focus after some slope stabilization work of earlier this year.
In addition to the hosting duties for the ILWU Hall, the near 10,000 square foot project will bring a new three storey commercial development to the downtown core, the first major project in years for that part of the downtown area.
In addition to ILWU Local 505, funding support toward the project has been provided by contributing partners BCMEA, PRPA, and DP World Prince Rupert
Members of the union are currently using the basement of a Prince Rupert Boulevard church as their temporary location as the construction work continues.
Some of the past history of the project and more notes on Labour themes and issues in the Northwest can be reviewed here.
The Prince Rupert School Board met in their October session on Monday the 16th, with the Board Members opening their meeting with a moment of reflection on the passing Barb Gruber, with Board Chair Kate Toye noting of her importance to the Board and the community,
The first bit of business for the session was a review of the elements of Implementation Day at the end of September, with some background into the range of presentations that are provided from mental health planning for the schools, to Indigenous studies as well as to review some of the engagement with stakeholders in the community.
The scope of the Board's Leadership Team's work and how the School Board is exploring the climate for each of the schools in the District was key to the discussion on Mental Health strategies.
The Board members paid tribute to the work of Implementation Day and the programs that they have put in place for the school year ahead, with the work on Mental Health key to their commentary.
"It fills my heart that this is such a priority for our District, and I hear all the time across our country where people are truly struggling and suffering and it's wonderful that we have such a dedicated team and list of presenters, a dedicated community to really supporting best outcomes for all of our kids"-- Board Chair Kate Toye
Towards some of the Agenda work on the evening, a review of the Field Trips approved by the District for the first two months of the school year was reviewed. With Acting Superintendent of Schools Sandra Pond noting of the extra curricular sports and trips taken on and how they prove valuable for the students.
On enrolment, the Acting Superintendent observed that as of September 29th which was count day at the District , there was a total of 1,818 students in the schools, four of them International students.
That count is much the same as last year when the District counted, 1,822.
Ms. Pond observed that of the student body in the School District 1,118 students are Indigenous, which makes up 62% of the Student body.
The Before and After School program was also of some note from the meeting, with Ms. Pond noting that spaces are still available at Conrad, Pineridge while there are waitlists in place at Lax Kxeen and Roosevelt with the programs at those locations both full at this time.
Discussion on approval towards it will come at a future Board session, following some workshops related to it.
Ms Pond then spoke to the situation on recruitment of Qualified Teachers in the Northwest, with the Acting Superintendent speaking towards an initiative in the North that will seek to keep people in the North, by way of a proposed northern cohort Bachelor of Education program out of UNBC.
That focus would be on teachers who are currently not certified, providing them with a program that would allow for a program while they are in the classroom, serving as their practicum work experience towards further certification.
She noted that the Northern Superintendents were writing letters of support towards the program.
Trustee Horne then added a motion, which was supported, to have the Board of Education also write a letter of support, noting of the benefits of the proposed program.
The Secretary-Treasurers Report and Committee Reports were next up for review
Among some of the notes, when it comes to the EV Charging stations in place, two are now in operation, one has been used just once as of Mid October.
Trustees also noted of some of the technology purchases in recent months for the District.
In other Committee reports, Trustee Beil observed of some funding opportunities towards some capital work in the schools, through the Feeding Futures program, which offers a grant of up to 100,000 dollars.
She noted of the aging infrastructure in the District and some potential uses that the Board could direct funding if provided towards.
The Board reviewed some of the Policy work that was up for consideration, among those that gained some commentary included the Multimedia Devices policy and Communicating Student Learning and Reporting Policy.
Both will be forwarded to Stakeholders for approval.
A review of some of the recent meetings both regional and provincial that some on the Board or Senior Administrators attended and other information items brought the session to a conclusion.
The SD52 Board members will be voting on their election for roles on the Board and committees will take place on November 7th.
The full Board meeting can be reviewed from the video below:
There were a few changes to the list of ten this week, with two departures from the accounts, the return of a previous listing and a new property..
The distribution of our property listings did not impact on the balance of seven properties listed on the west side of McBride, three to the east.
The real estate review below is purely a snapshot for information purposes and reflective of our weekly check on Sunday evening.
Properties can ebb and flow from the listings through the week, for further background on the properties recorded, see our links pages for access to the individual real estate listings, to consult them on a daily basis.
Interest in a career opportunity with the Prince Rupert Fire Rescue Department generated a lot of interest in our story this week, propelling our notes to the top of the list of the five most read items of the last seven days.
Progress on a housing build also proved popular with our look at the work of the Gixaala Nation towards a townhome development on Kootenay gaining a large number of views.
Three Civic items also claimed much interest, for the week, with our articles on the Mayor's recent Facebook video on plans for a roundabout, the delays in work on the 4th Avenue West walkway and some roofing work at the city leased Canfisco Warehouse all finding large readership on the week.
The top story of the week however, found much attention on the job posting for a new Firefighter opening at the Fire Hall.
Fall Hiring Call for the Prince Rupert Fire Hall -- Our look at the latest career opportunity with the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Department gained a strong readership and some commentary as well. (posted October 24, 2023)
That article was followed by:
Gitxaala Nation gets to work on Kootenay Avenue Housing project -- The first steps towards some new affordable housing on the city's west side got underway this month. With the Gixaala Nation breaking ground on their Townhome project on Kootenay (posted October 23, 2023)
Mayor Pond's TED Talk on Roundabouts, wasn't the TED Talk Prince Rupert really needed last week -- With some lively discussion on social media taking on the recent announcement of a Roundabout for McBride and Second, the Mayor hosted a whiteboard session on his own Facebook page to outline his case for the project. Though a more concerning situation of the same week, that of the city's water issues at the Reservoir still have yet to be shared with the public. (posted October 23, 2023)
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 updates on new items posted daily to the blog, we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post notification of new stories as we post them.
Efforts continue across the Northwest as the Vanderhoof RCMP and Indigenous leaders with the Saik’uz First Nation continue to raise awareness toward two members of the First Nation who have gone missing.
On Friday the Prince Rupert RCMP posted some background information in the search for the two, a female and male both in their late 20's who have gone missing in 2023.
Chelsea Anita Quaw. Cholmes-Heronj was reported missing in early October, while Jay Preston Raphael has been missing since late February.
The pace in the pool has been fast and furious through Friday night and Saturday morning as the Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club plays host to a three day swim meet at the Earl Mah Aquatic Centre.
The first Regional meet is sponsored by the BC Maritime Employers Association, marking an early start for the competitive swimming season for 2023-24, with competition getting underway on Friday evening.
The Schedule for the competition looks as follows
click to enlarge
The activity at the Pool ends at Noon on Sunday
You can drop in through the day to cheer on the Northwest swimmers as they hit the water
