Our weekly review of the listings of the local real estate agents, tracking those properties which appear to be driving the local price structure for the North Coast.
Every Monday, we look over the listing prices of the past seven days and outline the Top 10 asking prices in the area, providing a snap shot as to where the Real Estate market may be trending on a week to week basis.
Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending December 20 is below:
Prince Rupert Real Estate West Side December 20, 2015
Prince Rupert Real Estate East Side December 20, 2015
There were two new additions to our review of the top ten listings, with a property on Graham Avenue and another on Conrad now available for viewing for those looking for a new home.
The high end overall remains marked by a 2nd Avenue West Avenue entry, with a property listing moving on our list of ten on Alpine once again holding down the final position on the week.
The new arrivals to the top ten properties, we have seen a shift in our bottom, with the listing price rising slightly to the 469,000 dollar mark.
As for the geography of the market this week, there is more of a balance between the east and west in the city. With six of the ten properties listed this week found on the city's west side.
Below find our findings as of the Week ending December 20, 2015
1942-46 2nd Avenue W $659,000 -- Royal Lepage
160 Van Arsdol Street $649,900 -- Remax
2040 Graham Avenue $595,000 -- Royal Lepage (new listing)
333 - 11th Avenue East $575,000 -- Royal Lepage
1724 Graham Avenue $558,000 -- Royal Lepage
1229 Conrad Street $525,000 -- Royal Lepage
210 Heron Road $509,000 -- Royal Lepage
1253 Conrad Street $497,000 -- Remax (new listing)
1125 Summit Avenue $469,900 -- Remax
180 Alpine Drive $469,000 -- Remax
Our weekly review of the listings of the local real estate agents, tracking those properties which appear to be driving the local price structure for the North Coast.
Every Monday, we look over the listing prices of the past seven days and outline the Top 10 asking prices in the area, providing a snap shot as to where the Real Estate market may be trending on a week to week basis.
Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending December 6 is below:
Prince Rupert Real Estate West Side Dec 6 2015
Prince Rupert Real Estate East Side Dec 6 2015
December starts out much the same as November ended, with little in the way of change from the listings for the last seven days, with only a change in addresses on Alpine Drive making for a new listing into the top ten spots on this week.
The high end overall remains marked by a 2nd Avenue West Avenue entry, with the property listing on Alpine holding down the 10th position on the week.
For the rest of the notes for the week, the addresses will look rather familiar for those home listed in the top ten at points above the 469,000 mark.
Below find our findings as of the Week ending December 6, 2015
1942-46 2nd Avenue W $659,000 -- Royal Lepage
527 4th Avenue East $650,000 -- Remax
160 Van Arsdol Street $649,900 -- Remax
2126 Graham Avenue $595,000 -- Royal Lepage
331 - 11th Avenue East $575,000 -- Royal Lepage
1724 Graham Avenue $558,000 -- Royal Lepage
210 Heron Road $509,000 -- Royal Lepage
1229 Conrad Street $525,000 -- Royal Lepage
1125 Summit Avenue $469,900 -- Remax
180 Alpine Drive $469,000 -- Remax
With one councillor missing for the night and another participating by telephone, the remainder of the City Council Six and Mayor Lee Brain settled in for the final Council session of November on Monday evening.
Beyond the various zoning issues that were addressed as part of the Monday session, the bulk of the one hour meeting was taken up by a review of the city's plans to increase the recreation fees for city operated Recreation Facilities.
Ms. Willa Thorpe the City's Recreation Director provided Council with an overview of what the department hopes to achieve through their plan, which would see fees increase by five percent over the course of five years, while also putting money aside towards a capital expenditures fund.
Council also heard an update on the developments with the Housing Committee, a report from Councillor Mirau on his attendance at the Cities Fit for Children Forum this month in Vernon, while Councillor Cunningham noted the achievement of a local resident.
Mayor Brain had two notes to wrap up the night, with a short overview of the recent job losses from Canadian Fish and how residents can seek help in employment issues related to that announcement.
He also advised that the City is about to launch a major vision program, to provide residents with more background on the City's Strategic planning.
Monday was also a Committee of the Whole night, and four residents chose to make their thoughts to Council known during that part of the evening.
Council also had took part in the latest of their Special Closed Sessions which was held earlier in the day at 5:00 PM.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance November 23, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain-- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present (participating by phone)
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney-- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson -- Absent
Video Archive for November 23, 2015
( 0:00 -- 13:30 ) Committee of the Whole Session for October 26, 2015 -- Four residents took part in the Committee of the Whole session, the first a resident of the downtown area who had concerns related to a proposed development of a condominium complex at Bill Murray Way and Stiles Place.
The public was advised by the Mayor that the project, if it moves ahead would be the subject of a public hearing in December.
The next speakers were Michael Gurney and Lucas Anders who offered an invitation to their production of Stones in his Pockets set to take place in December at the Lester Centre.
The third presentation involved a request that the City create a Climate Change Committee to address Green house gas reduction and ways that the City could lead the community by changing perspectives on the issue.
The evening's contributor noted that there are ways for the city to reduce its contribution to the issue, by way of converting vehicles to other sources of energy. He also had comments related to the plan to increase rates for use of Recreation Facilities and made note of the current situation which sees reduced rates for civic staff and RCMP members in place.
Councillor Cunningham offered up a number of points on rebuttal related to that presentation addressing both the Recreation Centre issues and the theme of city employees driving around the city.
The final presentation also involved issues of concern related to the Stiles Place condominium proposal, with a question related to why the City was not adhering to the Quality of Life Official Community Plan bylaws, when it comes to the single developer proposal. She also noted that the new building if constructed would block Pillsbury House from public view.
The Mayor again made note of the prospect of a Public Hearing on the proposed development, directing the public to make their comments on the proposal at that time should Council move forward with the proposal.
( 13:30 -- 14:00 ) Regular Council Session -- Adoption of Past Minutes and Agenda for the evening. -- Council reviewed a number of past minutes and accepted the Agenda for the evening's Regular Council session. Petitions and Delegations
( 14:00--16:00) Report from the City Planner related to a property on 8th Avenue East -- Mr. Krekic then provided a short update on the nature of the request in front of Council, with the variance application to change the font set back of the property to provide for a covered entrance.
Council then voted to carry the motion and moved the process forward to the public notification process.
( 16:00--30:00) Report from the City Planner regarding the Bill Murray Way Development -- The City Planner provided some background to the proposal for a condominium development at Stiles Place and Bill Murray Way, as well as a review of the report previously delivered to Council over the summer.
Mr. Krekic then suggested a number of amendments to that initial recommendation, including that the property be the subject of spot zoning, with Mr. Krekic introducing a new zone to be known as C6 for that particular area of the downtown.
Councillor Mirau asked a few questions related to the aspect of parking related to the proposed development, looking for clarification as to how that would be examined.
Councillor Randhawa recounted the concerns of the presenter to the Committee of the Whole session, related to how the proponent of the development could address any issues of noise from the development.
Councillor Kinney asked for a clarification on what impact if any the project might have on Pillsbury House.
Councillor Mirau offered up his endorsement of the use of spot zoning for the proposed development and that he would like to see the project put to the people for their review.
Council then voted to give first and second reading to the motion and to move the process on to the Public hearing phase, with that hearing scheduled for December.
( 30:00--38:30 ) Report from the City Planner regarding rezoning for a proposed development for Prince Rupert Boulevard at Drake Crescent --Mr. Krekic provided a short review of the nature of the rezoning request and what some of the particulars of the proposed development might look like. With the new zoning allowing for structures of up to four stories, with the indication being that it would be a mixture of densities planned for the area in question.
Mr. Krekic noted that if the zoning amendment was approved, the proponent would be required to hold a public information meeting as part of the process.
Mayor Brain asked about the nature of the types of housing proposed, Mr. Krekic noted that the full overview would be outlined as the process moves forward, at the permit development stage.
The Mayor followed up that he believes it would be a good idea for the applicant to provide some indication as to what he might have in mind for the property in question.
Councillor Randhawa asked about any buffer zones between the proposed development and other housing in the area.
Mr. Krekic noted that the proposed development works within the guidelines of the City's Quality of Life Official Community plan.
Councillor Cunningham observed that the proponent was basically looking to create similar accommodations as to those that are found on the other side of Drake.
Mr. Krekic also made note of some subtle differences between the density levels that might be found on the proposed site.
Council voted to approve the motion, sending the proposal to the public information stage.
( 38:30-- 1:03:00) A report from the Recreation Director on the results of a study on fees at the Recreation Centre -- Ms. Willa Thorpe outlined some of the key findings from a recent staff review from 2014 regarding the Recreation Department, which explored areas such as usage, as well as fees and charges and how to streamline them to provide access to recreation options for a wide segment of the community.
The findings of the report included the three key results highlighting how 75 percent of the operations budget of the recreation department is subsidized by taxpayers.
Ms Thorpe noted that if the City maintains the same fees that are currently charged, by the year 2020 they will find themselves 27 to 42 per cent lower than the average of similar communities as Rupert, highlighting as well how there is a necessity to streamline the fees and charges to improve the ease of use and accessibility to the facilities.
She called attention of Council to two of those pieces that need to be keyed in on, the first is to maintain or improve the ability for low income residents to access recreation facilities and also to amalgamate the rates to provide opportunities for Seniors to have access to the facilities.
Staff is requesting that Council provide first, second and third reading to the bylaw as well as to establish a Recreation Capital Reserve Fund in the amount of five percent of all recreation revenues annually, which will be used towards facility maintenance and possible expansion of services.
The Mayor then provided a few observations on the nature of the request noting that the taxpayers are currently subsidizing the recreation centre by 2.5 million dollars, with council facing a challenge between a fair balance between fees and taxes when it comes to the Recreation Centre.
He also asked Ms. Thorpe to provide a short explanation of the Recreation Access Program which is in place to provide assistance to those families below the income cutoff rate threshold. It was explained that the program provides the opportunity for those in need to receive 53 admissions to the complex, as well as reduced fees for programs, up to 300 dollars per allowable individual.
She also provided the background to the proposed amalgamated rate which would in effect reduce rates for Seniors, with an increase of one dollar for adults as part of that plan.
The Mayor then asked for an update on the new recreation software to be put in place by 2016 and what it might be able to provide for the city as far as information on recreation centre usage.
Ms. Thorpe provided some anecdotal information related to usage and the public impressions of the Recreation Centre, noting that usage appears up and that those taking advantage of the facility are reporting that it is in better condition than it has ever been in.
As for Capital Improvements planning, the five percent requested would be directed towards putting aside money to work on issues as they arise at the various facilities at all of the city's recreation facilities.
Councillor Cunningham offered up some observations related to the five percent increase request, suggesting that the capital projects would in the end be required and the city will have to address them through taxation.
As well, as part of his narrative on the theme, he observed that the prospect of cutbacks to services and programs could be something to be concerned about, should the City not find additional streams of revenue for the facility. He also noted that there has never been a Capital Asset Fun in place for the Recreation Centre before.
Councillor Kinney complimented Ms. Thorpe on the report and then asked if a lift was among some of the plans for the stairs at the two complexes, he was advised that those plans were already in motion.
Councillor Niesh also expressed his thanks for the report and suggested that the public review the document to get a better understanding of the nature of the increases and what the incremental approach may provide for residents.
Councillor Randhawa expressed his concerns over the rates for youth and noted that with more job losses in the community families may have problems accessing money for recreation, asking for a rate break for youth and families.
With no seconder for the motion, that initiative found no traction, however the Mayor asked that Ms. Thorpe outline more of the background related to the initiatives in place for youth at the Recreation Facilities.
Councillor Cunningham noted that youth at risk and others with financial challenges have been well taken care of, he returned to his theme that unless the Recreation Centre was able to start to contribute to its own economics, the City might be faced with having to reduce services.
Mr. Cunningham also recommended that Council make the rate increase be put in place for all users.
The Mayor brought the discussion to a close by observing that at the end of the day the City won't be turning away any child away from the Civic Centre.
Councillor Mirau also voiced his support for the program noting the need to address the capital costs associated with the Recreation Centre, while Councillor Niesh asked for a bit more background on the initiatives that the Recreation Centre have in place to make the public more aware of their programs and assistance available.
The Mayor also noted that the city's Communication Manager would be using Social media to alert the public to the city's new plan and the programs of the Recreation Centre.
Council then provided first, second and third reading to the motion, with Councillor Randhawa voting against the motion.
( 1:03:00 -- 1:04:00) Report on the Housing Committee -- The Mayor updated Council on the latest developments, noting that through the Prince Rupert Aboriginal Community Services Society a new consultant has been hired to move forward the Affordable Housing process. He expects that more momentum on the issue will be found by March, with hopes to have plans to get something off the ground to be in place by March of 2016.
(1:04:00 -- 1:11:00) Reports, Questions and Inquires from Council
Councillor Mirau provided a short overview of the Cities Fit for Children Summit in Vernon, noting that he, the City Planner and Kate Toye from Success by Six took part in a number of sessions and workshops that related to Child Friendly options for cities. He in particular was impressed with the concept of the Children's Bill of Rights and suggested it would be a great statement for the City to make.
Councillor Cunningham called attention to the success of Lonnie Wishart, who has compiled a book of photography that has been selected by Scotia-Waterhouse for further distribution and mention across Canada.
Councillor Kinney offered up his congratulations to the newly elected Mayor and Council of Lax Kw'alaams and expressed how he was looking forward to working with them in their new term.
The Mayor commented on the recent announcement of job losses at the Canadian Fish plant in the city, noting that the City is still working with the company to determine just how many jobs will be lost. He also advised that a Task Force has been created to address the job losses being handled through the Hecate Strait Employment Centre, providing assistance in job searches and other aspects of the situation.
He also passed on best wishes to a resident celebrating her 100th birthday.
Mayor Brain also outlined that the City is launching a major community vision project for the public this week, teaming up with the city's weekly newspaper. The five part vision program will make use of social media and provide a media release to explain what the program is about, outlining some of the strategic planning and surveys that the city has conducted.
You can access the City Council Review for November 23rd here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review.
Council next meets in Regular session on December 7th in Council Chambers at City Hall. That will mark their final scheduled meeting of the year for 2015.
Our weekly review of the listings of the local real estate agents, tracking those properties which appear to be driving the local price structure for the North Coast.
Every Monday, we look over the listing prices of the past seven days and outline the Top 10 asking prices in the area, providing a snap shot as to where the Real Estate market may be trending on a week to week basis.
Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending May 31 is below:
Prince Rupert Real Estate East Side May 31 2015
Prince Rupert Real Estate West Side May 31 2015
There was one change to the listings for the last seven days, with a property on Sloan Avenue re-entering the top ten listings for the City this week.
As it has been for a while now, the west side is where the majority of the top end listings can be found with eight of the ten of our review this week found west of McBride, four properties located on Graham Avenue alone.
The east side of the city once again hosts two properties this week, one in the relatively new subdivision off of 11th Avenue East.
The high end continues to be marked by a Graham Avenue entry, with the Sloan Avenue property notching the tenth position
Below our findings as of the Week ending May 31, 2015
1724 Graham Avenue $669,000 -- Royal Lepage
1942-46 2nd Avenue W $659,000 -- Royal Lepage
160 Van Arsdol Street-- $649,900 -- Royal Lepage
2126 Graham Avenue -- $615,000 -- Royal Lepage
2230 Graham Avenue -- $579,000 -- Royal Lepage
2044 Graham Avenue-- $549,000 -- Remax
1025 Edward Avenue -- $549,000 -- Remax
1229 Conrad Street -- $525,000 -- Royal Lepage
524 Cassiar Avenue -- $499,000 -- Remax
1711 Sloan Avenue -- $480,000 -- Royal Lepage
Possible criminal activity, a boost to tourism opportunities and some decisions out of Prince Rupert City Council highlighted the week, with a number of our blog items finding a large audience as the week moved forward.
The item to catch the attention of most readers this week was our look at an early morning fire from last Sunday, an incident which has turned into an investigation into a possible case of arson, and provided for a strong surge of readers through the week.
With tourism season almost upon us, our look at the review of a number of Prince Rupert and the North Coast's attractions in a provincial magazine this week found a number of readers looking it up.
And three items related to Monday's Council session found an interested readership this week, with some concerns from the Board of Education and a recent appearance at a Public Hearing over zoning at the old Canadian Freightways yard finding much interest from our readers.
Rounding out the top five this week was our look at the progress of a housing proposal on the east side and news from the City as to how residents can notify the City about concerns related to pot holes this spring.
Leading off the review for the last seven days, last Sunday mornings fire of the early hours and the investigation that has followed it.
Pot Hole season a hot topic for Council on Monday evening-- Council received an update from city staff on how the city addresses the issue of potholes, with residents advised to call in trouble areas to the Public works department (posted April 16, 2015 )
You can find our Blog watching featured posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.
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. Underneath the Follow the North Coast Review by Email indicator.
With interest picking up when it comes to development of Tuck Inlet for industrial use, we figure it's time to keep an archive of items related to the city owned Legacy Corporation and its involvement in much of those development plans.
The City's Legacy Corporation page can be found from the City website here.
Below our listings of articles and notes related to the city controlled corporation.
Council members and city staff almost matched the number of people in the audience on Monday night, as the City took their March 9th Council session to the Lester Centre, part of their Budget Consultation program for 2015.
A crowd that perhaps numbered around 20 or so, took in Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben's Budget update and following her presentation, a few of those in the audience asked a number of questions related to some of the items from her review.
When they weren't offering up answers to questions, the Mayor and Councillors Cunningham and Thorkelson carried all of the commentary from the Council members. Making use of the evening to outline some of their thoughts on budget related issues, particularly on the impact of provincial and federal decisions that have made for a tough situation for the community.
Of particular focus was the theme of provincial taxation caps on industrial land and federal policies that Council members say reduces the opportunity for the City to benefit from industry in the region.
Monday also offered up the opportunity for the City to test out an new community engagement mechanism, making use of computer and smart phone voting for a list of four test questions to showcase the plan, something which the City hopes to use in the future.
Further information from our overview and permanent placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city Website.
In Attendance March 9, 2015
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham-- Present
Councillor Councillor Blair Mirau --Present
Councillor Wade Niesh-- Present
Councillor Nelson Kinney--Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa-- Present
Councillor Joy Thorkelson-- Present
Video Archive for March 9, 2015
( 0:00- 1:15 ) The Mayor started off the evening, by reviewing and having Council adopt past minutes and agendas, following which he turned the proceedings over to Ms. Bomben.
( 1:15--14:00 ) Report from the City's Chief Financial Officer, providing an overview of the 2015 Budget Preparations -- Ms. Corinne Bomben outlined a shorter version of her presentation from the 23rd of February, a Cole's Notes version if you will, of her financial blue print for the year ahead.
She offered up some explanations of the Budget requirements for the year ahead and the recommended increase on the mill rate of 1.9 per cent. Providing further background for the audience as to how the City works out its mill rate comparisons.
There was also a breakdown on the impact to Taxpayers and an explanation of the formula in place to determine the municipal levy. Providing a review as to how the money collected by way of taxation was allocated towards City Services and operations.
A fair portion of the presentation focused on the effect of Provincial Tax Caps and how they reduce the city's abilities to collect taxes on industrial properties that fall under those Cap areas.
Her video presentation highlighted the shift of the tax burden to the residential and commercial taxpayers as a result of those capped values.
She also introduced the prospect of engaging the community in a discussion on the creation of a fund for Asset replacement and reserves, observing that some communities have chosen to implement a two percent mill rate increase annually on a perpetual basis to address for asset replacement.
With that in mind she outlined the current infrastructure deficit for the City was in the range of 288 million dollars.
Included in her review was the recommendation from staff that the City give consideration to the two percent mill rate increase as a way of approaching the issue, though she stressed it was only a point for discussion at the moment and for engagement with the community for the year ahead.
As part of that engagement, she added that the Financial office welcomes alternate considerations on the issue as well.
For the most part her presentation at the Lester Centre offered less background on the nature of the Legacy Corporation, compared to her presentation to Council of February.
The Legacy Corporation was mentioned mostly by the CFO in passing, as part of her wrap up to the presentation, related to the need to address infrastructure concerns facing the community.
Ms. Bomben's Lester Centre presentation wrapped up after approximately twelve minutes.
For more background on the larger Budget overview, see her original Report to Council from February 23rd here.
Community Engagement on Budget Issues
( 14:00 -- 1:08:00 ) An Opportunity for residents in attendance to make comment and ask Questions related to Budget items
Our normal timeline approach was not used for this review, as the topics appeared at various times throughout the one hour opportunity for discussion. Instead, we've attempted to keep the string of comments related to specific areas of interest together, providing for a better consolidation of the nature of the discussion of each particular item of interest.
With few residents in the audience and of those numbers, even fewer it seemed inclined to discuss the issues it looked at times that the engagement period would be a pretty short event.
But as things moved forward, a few of those in the audience took to the microphone to offer comment and ask questions.
The first observation came from a gentleman who had thoughts on the declining population of the city and how it is resulting in a large tax burden for those that have remained in the community. With the speaker seeking to have Council hold the line on further increases to taxpayers.
Items of interest related to the Legacy Corporation and how it could be used
Former City Councillor Gina Garon provided for the majority of questions related to the Budget Consultation on the night, with concerns related to energy costs and the need to find ways to reduce them as well as questions on the city's staffing succession plans and some of the other items that have been identified under civic costs.
She also offered up some questions on whether the funding for the city's GIS mapping program could not come from the Legacy Corporation.
That question provided Mayor Brain with the opportunity to provide a thumb nail sketch of some of the particulars when it comes to the city owned corporation. Highlighting how the Legacy Corporation was developed to create a fund for the future of Prince Rupert and for the city's infrastructure requirements.
The Mayor suggested that with all of the demands required for the planned growth related to LNG industry development, some of the money from the Legacy corporation could be used for staffing requirements related to those needs.
Ms. Bomben did offer up caution on that theme, reminding Council that items such as the GIS mapping system are not related to just major projects.
And with that, some could be considered more towards the normal operating environment, observing that the City should not be using other funds that might be needed for infrastructure to augment operating costs for the future.
The Mayor then reviewed how the City is approaching its budget deliberations both for its usual requirements and with an eye on the prospect of increased economic activity in the community.
One other participant on the evening made a number of inquiries, the first related to the proposed mill rate increase related to the infrastructure issues and the need for a reserve fund and the impact that it will have on rate payers in the city. The Mayor observed that at the moment the concept is only something to be explored with the community and is not to be implemented this year.
She also had a number questions related to seeking more background on the Legacy Corporation and how it is designed to work within the civic structure.
Observing that there is some confusion in the community as to how the money should be directed or invested. She also suggested that there is a need for more information to be provided to the public regarding the plans of the Legacy Corporation and how the city plans to make use of it in the future.
The mayor provided a bit more information on the agreement with Exxon for Lot 444 and noted that Legacy will be collecting income for the city, he also directed residents to examine the incorporation documents on the City's website to review the checks and balances in place regarding its formation.
He offered up some examples of the infrastructure issues in the community such as bridges, dams and roads and how Legacy Corporation could assist with income for those concerns.
However for this budget period, the Legacy Corporation funding would be directed for staffing requirements for LNG development, with some of the income received to help fund extra staff for a period of time with a sunset clause.
The goal for the City when it comes to the Legacy Corporation, is to build up a bank account from Legacy, so the community has a fund to put towards large scale core infrastructure issues.
RCMP replacement building and recycling concerns
Later in the evening, Ms. Garon would return to the microphone to ask about the status of the situation related to the RCMP detachment, which now has returned to the forefront of civic concerns.
She was advised by the Chief Financial Officer that the city is picking up the project where they left it off at, with a plan to revisit the proposal that was in place in 2012. The previous contractor will be consulted and a report will be provided to bring things up to speed. There however at this time is no money in the budget to move the project forward.
A bit later in the evening, Councillor Thorkelson offered her own observations to the RCMP building issue and highlighted many of the challenges that the design of the proposed detachment offered, with a number of conditions in place by the RCMP as to the location of the building and the special requirements related to it.
Ms Garon also reminded Council of her past commitment towards recycling and associated issues and asked that Council address the issue with Regional District as the current process ins't working very well.
The Mayor provided a short update on the status of the recycling station situation at the Kaien Road facility to try and address some of the issues that have been made public in recent months. He also provided some thoughts on the impact that LNG development could have on the city's waste storage issues.
A need to look outside the box on infrastructure issues
One other item raised by a resident at the microphone was a concern that the city wasn't looking outside of the box, particularly when it came to infrastructure issues such as bridges. With a suggestion that council look at developing surface roads to work around those areas where bridges currently are located, providing for less cost in providing access to those areas in question.
Councillor Cunningham handled that question on behalf of Council, suggesting that the city would be examining such concepts as a bypass around the bridge if it was found that the financial burden would be insurmountable when it comes to any required bridge replacements.
Provincial and Federal issues related to Prince Rupert taxation ability
One recurring theme on the night involved the City delivering its position related to Federal and Provincial regulations, issues that some on Council suggest is leaving the City of Prince Rupert at a disadvantage.
The topic was introduced as part of Ms. Bomben's overview of the budget plan for 2015 and carried on further by the Mayor, Councillor Cunningham and Councillor Thorkelson.
All of whom offered up their thoughts on how there is a need to reinforce with both Federal and Provincial officials as to the burden that they are creating for municipalities.
The Mayor reviewed those conditions that the province has put in place related to industrial caps and how the City can't access a full share of taxation revenue. He stressed how this was not a port issue, but rather one of provincial legislation.
Councillor Cunningham also spoke to the issue, observing how he had it wrong last year when he was constantly addressing his concerns towards the Port Corporation, when it is apparent now to him, that the real issue is related to the provincial government's moves on the issue of industrial caps.
He made a point of reviewing the rates that industrial groups such as Maher Terminals are capped at, while the commercial and residential rate payers have to carry the larger burden. He stressed his desire to get the message across to the provincial and Federal governments to address the issues.
Councillor Thorkelson was by far the most adamant on the issue of provincial and federal impact, leading off her thoughts by observing that if residents want their taxes to go down, that the City would not be doing it by reducing city services any further.
Highlighting how the increases of 1 or 2 per cent or so of recent years, just cover off the costs of living that the city has to meet.
To work on the issue she suggested that Council and the city's residents need to contact the area's MLA to address the issues of the port cap in the Legislature. As well, Councillor Thorkelson also recommended that residents write letters of their own to both Provincial and Federal officials, to tell them that it's unfair how municipal governments are being put in the position that they currently are in.
She also outlined how the City, through its work with the newly formed Northwest alliance should work together with other communities in the region. Looking to get the attention of the Provincial government and to gain better access to revenue streams, through revenue sharing agreements from such regional projects as mining and other industrial developments outside of municipal boundaries.
She reviewed her time on Council over the years and how this issue continues to dominate their considerations and how she doesn't know where else the city can cut.
Her final point making for a strong declaration to the audience, that there is a need for the provincial and federal governments to understand the issues that municipalities face.
Potential Salary increases for Council members
One of the final comments on the evening related to the status of a previous salary increase proposal for Council and the Mayor and if it was included in this years budget considerations.
Councillor Cunningham observed that Council had looked at the issue, with a potential wage increase for Council members now off the table. Though he would still like to see the Mayor's salary increased to full time status and wage, but at the moment it is not part of the budget discussion.
After a comment from a resident of thanks for the work of council on the issues, the Mayor brought the public session to a close.
Offering up his closing thoughts, hoping that the Council had provided some clarity on the issues and how they are being pro-active to tackle them. He made mention on how well Council is working together, of the work of staff and how morale is up, as well he made mention of some of the positive developments in the community and the city's plans for the future.
( 1:08:00 -- 1:28:00 ) Introduction of resident participation platforms for Council events
As part of the evening's Budget Presentation, the City also debuted a new community engagement mechanism by way of seeking comment and registering votes on selected items as introduced by City Staff.
The Mayor outlined how the audience participation process would work and then listed four questions for those at the Lester Centre or at home to review and provide answers on.
1) Do You consider a 1.9 per cent increase to the mill rate to be reasonable? Yes ( 25 ) No ( 9 )
2) Do you agree that the City needs an asset management plan? Yes ( 29 ) No ( 1 )
3) Do you support using Legacy Inc. funds to provide the capacity the City needs to plan for major projects? Yes ( 29 ) No ( 3 )
4) Do you support a full time Mayor Yes ( 27 ) No ( 5 )
And while the audience sample was obviously not large enough to offer up a true reading of how the community may feel about the issues presented, the concept of seeking consultation from the public through the electronic options is something that could prove to be instructive once it gets wider acceptance.
With the first experiment in audience participation complete, the Mayor brought the Council session for Monday evening to an end. Reminding the audience that there is one more public consultation period taking place on March 23rd at the Regular Council session at City Hall.
He also provided a quick review of his plans to host more public community engagement sessions in the future, hopefully to start in April.
You can access the City Council Review page for March 9th here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to media coverage of it can be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to the website for further review.
Our weekly review of the most read items of the last seven days finds LNG items once again at the top of the listings, as a a pair of stories on the latest developments in the industry and the potential for impact on the North Coast captured the most interest.
An interesting approach to attracting new players to the sport of Curling also proved to be popular this week, as did our background piece on the current labour troubles at CN Rail.
Rounding out our five top items, a celebration of a Junior Girls Banner for CHSS gained a wide review from blog readers through the week.
Leading it all off this week however, was our preview of an LNG Open House held this past week, an evening that offered up the latest information on the proposed Digby Island Aurora LNG project.
Charles Hays Junior Girls claim NW banner; Junior Boys finish second in Terrace Zones battle-- A Jr. Girl's banner for the CHSS Gym and tough battle in Terrace for the Junior Boys found a wide audience this week as well. (posted February 17, 2015 )
You can find our Blog watching featured posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.
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. Underneath the Follow the North Coast Review by Email indicator.
Items of Note, both local and national about the work of Nathan Cullen, the NDP MP for Skeena - Bulkley Valley in the capital, as well as other items from the Federal Governments actions which may impact on the Northwest.
Items related to the 2015 Federal election Campaign through October can be found on our archive page, which will host both our original items as well as those notes from the media of the Northwest.
