About our City Council Timeline for this week ...

By now, regular readers might be wondering where the regular feature of our City Council Timeline might be.

In a normal situation, for the most part we try to have our review of the most recent council session up to the blog within a couple of days of the regular Monday evening get togethers.

As part of that review, those that follow our work know that we like to make use of the City's Video Archive on You Tube.  Taking advantage of that video documentation, to provide some direction to those areas of interest that we think our readers might find interesting in their quest for more information on Council developments.

However, this week, to this point, the City has not yet placed the Video of the April 27th council session into permanent archive on their You Tube Portal.  And while we have heard that it may have appeared briefly on that video channel earlier this week, we personally never saw it there and as of today it remains absent from its usual archival placement.

This of course provides for a bit of a problem for our usual efforts, we found the Video archive quite useful for our purposes of information delivery. And while at times, the one or two hours of council discussion could border on tedious, the video archive provided a permanent record of Council's work, without the spin or filter that perhaps the local media might provide.

Beyond the usual Council timeline feature, we also found that the Council video archive provided our blog with a number of other stories to follow up on from Council, many of which didn't make it to the other local media sources for days, or weeks following, if at all.

Obviously without the video record of events, it's rather hard to try and deliver that feature, so for this week our output on Council matters will obviously be rather limited, unless the city eventually provides the account of their work on Monday at some point in the future.

What is of some note regarding the absence of the Council video archive this week, is the lack of explanation from anyone at City Hall regarding the change in normal procedure.  With no background  on the delay to a  process which usually takes place less than a day after the meeting.

You won't find any information on the situation from the city's website, though if you look over that portal of late, you will realize that the city is not making much use of their Internet presence these days.  A shift in focus which makes the only official online access to the city a barely used instrument of late and certainly not one that could be used as best as it could.

For the most part, anyone looking for information about the work that city council is engaged in, is seemingly being directed to the Mayor's Facebook page. Which while a helpful bit of information flow, does seem to focus only on those items that the Mayor believes we should know about.

Frequently, his selections and featured links to that portal highlight some rather positive articles regarding his work from the weekly newspaper, which at times seems to be more inclined to be the communications delivery outlet for the city more than anything else.

However, while Mayor Brain's Facebook option provides for frequent updates on the Mayor's many trips out of town in the last few months, and snippets of information on some of his larger initiatives (his LNG Go Plan for instance, something which still has not been publicly delivered to the residents of Prince Rupert or provided to the city's website for review); we apparently won't find out much it seems as to why the video from Monday's council session has yet to make its way to the City's Video  archive site.

Likewise, considering how active some members of Council have been of late on twitter and other social media options, the lack of any kind of information, or answers to questions regarding the absence of the Monday session is a bit puzzling.

The You Tube Video page was created in June of last year, during the last term of Mayor Jack Musallem. Its development was a vast improvement from the previous archival system of Council sessions and one which made access to Council sessions that much more easier for local residents.

That move by the City should be celebrated for its approach at forward thinking and dedication towards a bit of transparency and accountability, words that seem to get used a bit too much from our elected officials.

On that theme however, hopefully a bit of transparency will follow in this case and we'll get an answer as to why Monday's meeting isn't making the list of must see viewing this week.

Even better, we'd prefer that they just put the video up, as it was recorded on Monday, so we can all review what Council discussed on that evening.

There are indications that Monday's session was a fairly controversial one, particularly when it came to discussion related to a housing proposal for India Avenue. However, so far for the most part there is only rumour and incomplete public information as to what took place in Council this week.

The best way to learn what our Council is doing, is through an unfiltered lens, the Council video recordings provided for that option.  It allowed residents to make up their own minds on what kind of job the elected officials and city staff are doing on our behalf.

Of course you can't make your mind up, if you have no knowledge of what was discussed.

Update: Please note that the video archive of City Council for April 27th has now been made available through You Tube, you can review it here.

Community Group to outline concerns over CBC programming for Council tonight

The topic of Public Broadcasting on the North Coast will get a review this evening at Prince Rupert City Council, as a local group makes plans to provide a presentation to Council.

The Northwest B. C. Citizens for CFPR have asked for an opportunity to outline their concerns as part of tonight's Committee of the Whole Session, where the group represented by Kathleen Palm will offer up some of goals and projects related to their oversight of public broadcasting in the region.

At tonight's session they will make their case for the restoration and maintenance of the CBC CFPR broadcasts in the area, with a particular concern related to news, programming and the delivery of emergency information.

You can review some of their talking points from the Committee of the Whole agenda from page two here.

It's not the first time that local residents have outlined their concerns over the state of the public broadcaster's efforts in the region.

In what seems like an almost annual event now, those dedicated CBC listeners in the region are making use of Prince Rupert city Council to share their message.

Last year, they appeared at council to express many of the same concerns, finding come common ground with many of the council members.  In addition to the local politicians, NDP MP Nathan Cullen also has been a frequent critic of the CBC's approach to news in the regions.

More on communications on the North Coast can be found here.

Some of the background on their thoughts at that time and other issues related to CBC programming can be found below:

September 8 -- Daybreak North adds features to website, providing more in depth coverage for Northern BC
April 2014 -- Nathan Cullen has rural concerns over CBC cuts
February 2014 -- CBC executives respond to Prince Rupert Council's concerns over local content
February 2014 -- City Council has concerns over CBC Programming on the North Coast
February 2014 -- Is a North Coast revolt brewing among CBC's Daybreak North listeners?

Well, we had so much fun, we'll do it again...

Such was the enjoyable nature of most recent break from blogging , that we're going to do it again.

Spring it seems, does get one to wandering a bit more.

We'll be away from our post for about a week or so, taking advantage of the chance to grab some sunshine and a change of the scenery out of town.

With our sabbatical, our regular review of Council issues and many of our other features that require attention on an ongoing basis will be in hibernation for that period.  

As we did a few weeks ago, we'll try to catch up as best we can, upon our return.

As we suggested earlier this month, feel free to wander through the various topics listed on the right hand column, you may find some items of interest that you may have missed when they first came out.

Hawkair launches Loyalty program

Hawkair to launch Loyalty program
(photo from Hawkair website)

Terrace based Hawkair is looking to reward Northwest customers, introducing a loyalty program called Hawkair Plus.

The program offers up  Hawkair Plus points each time you fly, with the opportunity to redeem them for complimentary travel in as few as five flights.

Once you set up your account you can earn Hawkair loyalty points on flights and redeem your HawkairPlus points at anytime.

You also can check your Points balance, store contact information for faster booking, manage your online bookings and get advance notice when it comes to seat sales.

Once you have earned 7500 points you can redeem your points for a complimentary flight.

The program is just the latest move from the Northwest airline to reinforce its place in the marketplace as competition in the region continues to increase.

The skies of the Northwest are finding a few new options these days, mainly out of the Terrace airport, which now is served by four regularly scheduled airlines.

Hawkair also serves the North coast, flying out of Prince Rupert with one flight per day  at the Digby Island airport

You can learn more about the HawkairPLUS program from their website here.

More background on the program is also available through their Frequently Asked Questions section.

For more on Air Transportation in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Auction House to set up shop in town for one day this week

A Quebec based auction
house is coming to
Prince Rupert this week

Somewhere in your house perhaps are a couple of shoe boxes, old binders, plastic tubs or cloth sacks all holding parts of your past, or inherited items you've been wondering what to do with.

This week, you might be able to find out if there's any value in all of your mementos.

North Coast residents with those hidden treasure troves of hockey and sports cards, coins,  jewelry and any number of other collectible items might want to dust them off, or polish them up. Getting them presentable for a Montreal based Auction House that is making its way to the city for Wednesday.

The visit from International Auction has been preceded by a local household mailer campaign, with their four page information sheet arriving in most mailboxes late last week.

Inside the pages they provide a thumbnail glimpse as to some of the items they are looking for and some background about their business and what they have planned for their stop in the city.

Those with items for appraisal can take them with them, ready to ask questions of the appraisers and receive an offer for those that may hold an interest. Part of the information from their mailer advises that they are ready to pay cash should you be looking to sell.

They will be set up at the Prince Rupert Hotel, on Wednesday from 9 AM to 5 PM.

You can learn more about their services from the International Auction website here.

NWCC to host Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art Exhibition this weekend

One final opportunity for Northwest residents to enjoy the work of the Freda Diesing School for this school year comes up this weekend, as Northwest Community College hosts an Art Exhibition on Friday and Saturday at the NWCC campus in Terrace.

The two day event called "Arts of the North" starts on Friday evening from 6 to 9 PM and again on Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Among some of the exhibits will be a number of carved pieces by those currently taking courses through the School at NWCC.

As well as an exhibition, those attending can also take advantage of the opportunity to purchase some of the works from the First Nations Arts students.

You can find out more about this weekends event from the Northwest Community College website or Facebook page.

You can learn more about the Freda Diesing program from this link to the NWCC Courses page as well as from this video on the NWCC YouTube channel.

For more on events and developments at NWCC see our archive page here.

Belmont Hotel looks to expand capacity

Prince Rupert's Belmont Hotel is
looking to increase its capacity
(from the Belmont website)

Prince Rupert's entertainment options continue to see some shifts, first with the opening of a new nightspot in the old Surf Club called The Hub and the more recent re-branding of the Chances Gaming Centre lounge as a Don Cherry's.

Not to be left out of the evolution in the area, is one of Prince Rupert's more established and popular night spots. As the Belmont Hotel is looking to increase its capacity, seeking approval of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for the planned expansion.

An application was submitted to the regulatory body, outlining a proposal to increase the capacity of the local club from 137 patrons to a maximum capacity of 215.

As part of their application, the Belmont has noted that no change to the hours of operation are being requested, the Belmont currently is licensed to operate from Noon until 2 AM  from Monday to Saturday and from 11 AM to Midnight on Sundays.

The application also notes that there is no structural change planned for the location at this time.

As part of the process, anyone that that lives or operates a business within a half mile of the Belmont has the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Those interest in submitting their comments can do so by contact the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch:

Any correspondences should be address to:

The General Manager
c/o Licensing Analyst
Liquor Control and Licensing Branch
PO Box 9292
Victoria, BC
V8W 9J8

Or those wishing to participate can do so by way of email at lclb.lclb@gov.bc.ca

Comments, your name and an address must be included with any submission.

The deadline for submissions is April 30th.

You can review more of the developments in Prince Rupert's commercial sector from our archive page here.

Carnival works its way west, with Prince Rupert dates of May 1-3

West Coast Amusements will be
setting up in Prince Rupert May 1-3

One sure sign of the shift from our winter thoughts to those of spring is the arrival of West Coast Amusements and the annual visit of the Carnival.

WCA is working its way across Northern BC this week,  setting up in Terrace from April 24 to 26 and the in Kitimat on April 28th.  

They then head for the North Coast towards the end of April with three days set for Prince Rupert from May 1 to 3.

The Prince Rupert set up will be at the Civic Centre Parking lot, with the midway opening on Friday May 1st at 3 PM.

Coupons and information on Wristband opportunities will be offered up shortly before the Carnival makes its way to Prince Rupert next week.

You can get a sneak preview of some of the attractions that West Coast Amusements brings to town from their website here.

For those that have plans to attend, a few suggestions on how to make the day an enjoyable one can be found here.

Terrace Business Expo underway today

Traffic heading towards Terrace may be on the increase today and tomorrow as the Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce opens the doors to their 22nd Annual Business Expo, a two day event  that will feature 83 exhibitors setting up shop at the Terrace Sportsplex.

Day one opens up later today with the 3 PM opening, with the Sportsplex welcoming visitors until 8 PM.

Saturday makes for a full day for exhibitors as the doors open at 10 AM, with visitors able to wander the exhibits until closing time at 6 PM.

The size of the event, makes the Terrace event the largest of the Trade show type of events in the region this year, with both the Main Arena and Hidber Arena to be in use over the weekend.

The Terrace Sportsplex is located at 3320 Kalum Avenue.

The Terrace chamber provided a helpful map and listing of exhibitors for those visiting the event for the Northern Connector of last week.

The Terrace Business Expo takes place Friday and Saturday 
at the Terrace Sportsplex (click to expand)

Business expos of similar scale were once a mainstay in Prince Rupert, however in recent years the size and scope of these types of events has been reduced on the North Coast.

Some background on this years event in Terrace can be found from this e-edition item from the Terrace Standard, it can be found on page A8.

For more items related to the Commercial sector in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Prince Rupert Council may have some fences to mend with the School District

SD52 officials are not happy with
the way their concerns were
received by Prince Rupert Council

The reception that the School District received as part of its presentation to the Public Hearing into the Canadian Freightways yard on Monday night seems to have provided for some disappointment for the Board of Education officials.

As we outlined on the blog yesterday, the School District provided its objections to the planned rezoning of the land along Highway 16 near Frederick Street, concerned over the potential impact that the planned increase in industrial activity may have on land that they are attempting to sell at the old Kanata School site.

During that Hearing process, Council members did not appear to accept those concerns as valid, with Councillors Thorkelson and Cunningham in particular taking up the talking points on behalf of the city and any impact that rezoning might have on the Board of Educations land sale ambitions.

In fact, at Monday's council session City Council moved the zoning issue forward and addressed it again in a special session of Council held on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, CFTK TV outlined that the reaction from Council has not been greeted well by School Board officials, with Chair Tina Last outlining the concerns that the Board of Education had with the reception.

The Canadian Freightways issue, marks the second time in recent months that the School District and City of Prince Rupert have been at odds over a proposed development plan.

Last year, the Board of Education raised its objections to the City's plan to develop the old dump on Wantage road into work camp like housing for proposed LNG and other major projects should they arrive on the North coast.

Similar to how events unfolded on Monday evening, during that December hearing, Council members seemed to suggest that the School District concerns did not carry enough weight to sidetrack their plans, though it should be noted that the proposed work camp site hasn't had much forward momentum since that time.

Still, that's two for two when it comes to contentious issues between the School District and City Council.  Making for a bit of an uncomfortable gap when it comes to Mayor Lee Brain's recent commitments towards better engagement between the City and other regional stakeholders.

It's ironic in a way, that while the City expresses concerns over how the Province is treating the city and seeks to build alliances with city residents and with other communities, that one relationship quite close to home seems in a bit of disarray at the moment.

In the past, City Council members have suggested the need for more frequent exchanges of ideas with School Board officials, noting that the two groups haven't of late had opportunity to get together and discuss issues of mutual concern.

After the last few months, it would seem that it might be timely for the Mayor and Council to reach out to School Board officials, looking to seek out some common ground on the growing irritations between to the two groups.

For more items related to School District developments see our archive page here, further background on City issues can be found on our  City Council Discussion archive page here.

CN Rail looks to expand infrastructure in BC and Alberta

A CN freight train travels along
the Skeena (from CN website)

Those remarkable turn around times for shipments in and out of the Port of Prince Rupert may soon be even more impressive, as CN Rail announces plans to improve and add to its infrastructure across Western Canada.

On Thursday, the national railway outlined the nature of a $500 million capital program to upgrade Western Canadian feeder lines, with a key focus on railway lines in the Peace area of BC and Alberta.

Those improvements should provide dividends for the Port of Prince Rupert, a large volume of grain and minerals travel the rails from that area to port facilities.

As well, CN will be upgrading the main line between  Edmonton and Winnipeg with double tracking and extended sidings.

That important stretch is a key portion of CN's gateway to the US, which provides container services from the Port of Prince Rupert to such American cities as Chicago and Memphis.

You can read the background on the upgrade plan here.

It's likely that more improvements will come to CN"s presence on the North Coast as well, with expansion plans now underway for Fairview Terminal.

The container Port at Prince Rupert has become one of the major selling points for CN's transportation strategy, recently hailed by the railway in a video presentation.

The announcement of Thursday is considered by many as an answer to recent derailments across Western Canada and as a way to improve shipment times.

April 16 -- CN Rail spending $500-million to upgrade network in Western Canada after string of derailments
April 16-- CN Rail to spend $500M to improve feeder lines in Western Canada
April 16 -- CN, beset by derailments, to upgrade Western Canada network

For more items related to CN's impact across Northern BC see our archive page here.

RCMP seek more information, or an owner, for recovered canoe

The Coastal Policing Section of the Prince Rupert RCMP is looking to reunite a canoe with its owner, this after members of the Prince Rupert detachment recovered an empty canoe floating in the Skeena on April 8th.

The canoe was discovered approximately half way between Terrace and Prince Rupert.

The RCMP responded to a complaint from the public, with concerns for the safety and well being of anyone that may have been in the canoe. After a search of the Skeena involving both the Air Service plane and the West Coast Marine Service the canoe was recovered, with no one discovered requiring any assistance in the area.

In the days that followed No missing person reports were received by either the Prince Rupert or Terrace detachments.

The RCMP are now looking to locate the owner of the canoe, in the event that there may be a missing person situation involved in the discovery.

The canoe which is in a well used condition  can be viewed below.

Photo of a canoe recovered by the RCMP on April 8th

Should the canoe belong to you, or you have information related as to who may be the owner of it, you are asked to contact the Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP at 250-624-2136

For more items related to Emergency Services files in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Councillor Thorkelson's historical review: City of Prince Rupert faced potential Provincial trusteeship in 2005

Councillor Thorkelson captivated
Council on Monday with her review of
some financial issues of 2005

An interesting account of the dark financial days of 2005 was recounted for City Council on Monday evening, as Councillor Joy Thorkelson, speaking as part of the discussion on the current bylaw process for the city's statutory funds, provided a bit of a history lesson on financials for her fellow council members.

The Current Statutory Reserve bylaw under consideration identifies four funds that will require bylaw motions, they included

Ms. Thorkelson as one of the veteran members of city council, gathered the young newcomers around the Council campfire, telling of a ghost story of ten years ago, where the city's financial predicament was apparently so dire, that we were perhaps on the cusp of being taken over by the province.

As part of her review of the events of ten years ago, Councillor Thorkelson noted how the city had been required to use up Statutory Funds in 2005 in order to keep the city afloat.

Councillor Thorkelson used the background information on those tense times for the city, to counsel the council members to approach their current Statutory Reserve Funds process with caution.

"Well maybe at the end of a long meeting, maybe what we can do is  just pass this. But  I would like for one to be clear, I was in a council that was at the end of a council and had to eat all of it statutory funds and there were some funds in order to keep the city afloat.  I mean you have to realize that in 2005, that we were on the verge of going into, being taken over and put into trusteeship by provincial government. And so went and used up all of our reserve funds and I believe dipped into funds we were not allowed to use which were statutory funds." -- Councillor Thorkelson providing a history lesson for Council members on past financial issues of some importance and the consequences from them 

She further stated that it's important that Council by name have knowledge of which funds are required by the Province for the city have on hand, with Councillor Thorkelson providing some examples of areas where some funds could lock up money that the city could not access.

The story related to those events of 2005 makes for some rather fascinating  background on those times and no doubt is a tale that perhaps more than a few residents of the city were  not aware of.

Perhaps Councillor Thorkelson,with her past experience on Council could offer up more background regarding that period of time not only for Council members but for the city residents as well. Providing more details on those tension filled times and expanding on that glimpse as to how close the city came to trusteeship status and what impact that would have had on the city.

As well, she might be able to offer up some notes as to what lessons, if any council may have learned from those dire moments of a decade ago.

More on her talking points and some background on the Statutory Bylaw discussions that preceded her review can be found on our City Council Timeline feature here.

You can review her history lesson for Council as part of the City's Video Archive, it starts at the 2 hour mark




For more items related to City Council discussions, see our archive page here.

Prince Rupert Council and Lax Kw'alaams Council meet in day long session

An extension of the Community to Community sessions took place yesterday, as members of Prince Rupert City Council and those from the Council at Lax Kw'alaams spent the day together, discussing a range of topics of mutual concern.

The planned session was first outlined by Mayor Lee Brain at Monday's City Council session, with the mayor making note of the opportunity to share ideas that the session would provide for.

Among the topics that were to be covered at Wednesday's session were regional partnerships, LNG issues and a follow up on some of the discussions from a recent Community to Community meeting.

You can get a glimpse of what value the Mayor attaches to these sessions through his update to Council of Monday evening, it comes up near the end of Monday's meeting at the 2 hour four minute mark of the City's Video Council archive.



For more items related to Monday's Council session see our Timeline feature.

Background on discussion topics at Council can reviewed from our archive page here.

Proposed Annunciation lane closure, prompts parking concerns from United Church

A delegation from the United Church
appeared at Council on Monday,
expressing concerns on a proposed
lane closure

It has become an ages old discussion between the two churches in the city and a proposal to close the lane between the two churches has once again stirred up the theme of parking in the area.

At the heart of Council's Monday discussions was a bit of housekeeping required regarding a land exchange between the City and Annunciation parish, with one of the items related to it the request of Annunciation to have the lane access closed.

Part of that request according to the city might be related to potential expansion of the School on the property, which is where the United Church seemingly has seen a red flag. With the prospect that those parishioners who used the school playground for parking on Sundays and for other events will suddenly be flooding the neighbouring streets with cars.

Council found itself in the midst of what appears to be an issue that has been a long running thorn between the two churches, and on Monday did its best to try and be a moderator of sorts on the issue, though while maintaining that the lane closure bylaw under discussion wasn't of particular concern to the larger issue of the parking concerns.

To try and deliver a bit of clarity on the topic, the City Manager Robert Long offered up some background on the past conversations related to the issue and noted that for the City the issue is a simple road closure issue and that Annunciation had made a fairly legitimate case for that to move forward.

A proposed lane closure between Annunciation and
the United Church is proving to be a bit contentious

The delegation from the United Church offered up their concerns and belief that Council is required to hold Annunciation to its parking requirements, regardless of the change of the status of the lane in question and any future plans that might take place.

On that theme Council heard from City staff, that should Annunciation have development plans in mind for the property, they would require a building permit and that the parish would have to address the parking requirement issue at the time of any development permit stage.

Monday's discussion provided for a range of potential scenarios that could be in suggested for Annunciation to address the parking concerns, a number of which might require the purchase of nearby property to keep to the spirit of the parking issue.

The topic of parking will most likely remain a lively one, not only between Annunciation and the United Church, but with City Council with a number of Council members looking for further clarification on the issue.

As for the lane closure bylaw, Council voted on Monday to approve the motion.

The topic receive two overviews on the night, the first came from the presentation from the delegation from the United Church, which can be found on the City's Video Archive at the 43 minute mark.

The second was the review of the report from the Engineering Department and the review of Council on the issue, it can be found at the one hour eighteen minute mark.




More background on the topic of Monday evening can be found from our Council Timeline feature.

For further notes related to City Council discussions can be found on our Archive page here.

India Avenue housing proposal moves forward to Public Hearing stage

Mr. Geoff Greenwell provided
City Council with an update on his
India Avenue housing proposal

Prince Rupert council received an update from the proponent of a proposed housing development on the east side of the city, as Geoff Greenwell from the  2 G  Group provided a short overview of the steps he has taken to this point to move his project further ahead.

Mr. Greenwell outlined the nature of his plans for the old Bethel Baptist Church, which should he receive the approval of council, will be turned into upscale housing known as the Mountain View Executive Estates.  A seventeen unit housing project that is designed to try and reduce the crunch on housing that might come from increased economic development in the city.

He outlined the nature of the housing in question and addressed a number of concerns from Council members regarding some of the past issues that had been noted about the proposed development.

Among those concerns, issues related to parking and the designation of the project as a boarding house, which as he explained was more the nature of the city's zoning designation than a definition of the proposed development.

You can get a wider overview of his presentation from our City Council timeline feature, as well you can watch the presentation to Council from the City's Video Archive  it starts at the 29 minute make and continues until the 43 minute point.



Later in the Council session, Council heard from the City Planner Zeno Krekic, who provided his final review of the process, making note of his observations on the property in question with his recommendation that, should it should go to the Public Hearing phase once the proponent addresses a few concerns from the Engineering department.

Councillor Thorkelson added one final observation to the process, noting that her earlier concerns regarding the nature of the housing to be created had been satisfied, as she no longer was worried that the project could at some point fall into disrepair.  She noted that at the price point that the proponent had set (1800-2500 per month for rent) she believes that the building would be well maintained into the future.

You can review all of those discussion points from the City's Video archive from the 1 hour eighteen minute mark, the conversation continues on for about ten minutes.

Council in the end voted to approve the second reading of the bylaw and move the process to a Public Hearing, that will taken place prior to the April 27th Council session, schedule to start at 7 PM.

For more items related to Housing in the community see our archive page here.

Additional items from City Council discussions can be found on our archive page.

Despite concerns from School District 52, Prince Rupert Council moves Quickload Terminals rezoning forward

On Monday Council moved forward
the process for zoning changes
required for the old
Canadian Freightways yard

The prospect of Quickload Terminals setting up shop in the old Canadian Freightways yard off of Frederick Street moved a step closer on Monday evening as City Council, after hearing a number of presentations in a Public hearing, voted to move ahead with rezoning of the property to allow for Quickload's operations.

The process of that approval started with the Public Hearing, a thirty minute session where those in favour of the project, including the proponents and those in opposition to the rezoning had a chance to speak on the issue.

On the against side was School District 52, with Cameron McIntyre representing the delegation at the table, outlining a number of concerns that the School District has with an expanded industrial zoning designation for the site in question.

The bulk of their concern related to the impact that increased industrial activity on the property might Kanata school property, a process that the School District hopes to see come to a successful conclusion soon.
impact their attempts to sell the old

A delegation from SD52
outlined their concerns related to
a proposed zoning change for the old
Canadian freight ways yard

Mr. McIntyre laid out the objections of the Board of Education, as the first speaker of the public hearing, his observations related to the impact of the zoning change found a bit of a challenge from Councillor Joy Thorkelson.

She pointed out that if the City were to hold back on its approval of the zoning change it would be reducing its opportunity to receive revenue from the site, while the School District worked to come to a decision on some undeveloped land.

Adding that in effect, if the city were to do that, the School District would it seems be asking the City not to draw any revenue from the industrial property in question.

"Are you asking us to sit on our property so that as your property increases in value, that we are not going to draw value from our property"  -- one of a number of observations from Councillor Thorkelson related to objections from the School District regarding zoning changes being considered for the Canadian Freightways yard. 

Also speaking at the Public hearing were the proponents of the shift of Quickload to the Canadian Freightways site, with the group of four in attendance highlighting how Quickload wanted to remain in the Prince Rupert area, providing revenue for the city and offering employment for the city's residents.

They also noted that there is not much in the way of industrial land within the city limits to choose from, noting that the Canadian Freightways site is one that they believe is the one that best meets their needs.

It was also noted that on adjoining property was already zoned at the M2 level, so the impact most likely would not be much different than what currently is in place, the proponents also advised that they would abide by any City of Prince Rupert Noise bylaws and would address any issues with neighbours as they came along.

When Council turned to the actual mechanics of the Bylaw, they received a report from the City Planner who provided a short overview of the process, noting that the City was still awaiting some feedback from the province, so approval of a development permit would have to be deferred until that information was received.

In the end, Council did not appear to find merit in the concerns of the School District and voted to approve third reading for the zoning application.  With further movement on the issue to come when they are to look at the Development permit phase.

You can review the Public Hearing related to the proposed zoning change from the City's Video Archive it starts at the very beginning of the evening, the Council discussion and vote on the zoning issue can be found later in the evening at the one hour



A full overview of both the public hearing and council review can be found on our City Council Timeline feature.

The appearance from the School District officials marks the second time in recent months where the Board of Education has found itself speaking against a proposed zoning change by the city.

The School District most recently appeared in late 2014, expressing concerns related to a proposed work camp housing project on Wantage Road, at the site of the city's old dump lands.

For more items related to City Council discussions see our archive page.

Popular ladies golf instruction sessions set to start on Thursday

While the wet weather of recent days may not suggest it, Golf Season is almost ready to launch and the Prince Rupert Golf Course is ready to welcome the golfers of 2015 to the eighteen hole course.

To show just how close we are to the new season, the popular Ladies Foreplay lesson program will launch tomorrow night at the Golf course.

Jackie Touchet will help newcomers learn the fundamentals of the game (though the sessions might make for a nice refresher course for the veterans as well) providing a fun and relaxing approach to instruction.

Four sessions are set for the first instalment: Taking place on April 16th, 23rd, 30th and May 7th.

A second session is scheduled for May 14th, 21st, 28th and June 4th.

Each week of lessons runs from 6 to 8 PM and a glass of wine and some entertainment follows each of the nightly sessions, so participants can unwind from the two hours of fundamentals and practice.

Cost for the sessions is 100 dollars, the program has proven to be a very popular event from the Golf course in the past, providing for a fun experience for those to get the basics to the sport.

You can find out more about this years schedule and other events from the Golf Course Facebook page.

Or you can call the Golf Course at 250-624-2000 to learn more or register for the Foreplay sessions.

You can find out more about Golfing in the Northwest from our archive page here.

CityWest advises that it's Wait and see when it comes to CRTC revisions to cable service

While the CRTC recently delivered its snapshot view of what cable television might look like going into 2016, for one of the Northwest's major cable television providers the details still need to be worked out a bit more, before they can outline for customers how they will meet the new guidelines.

Late last month CityWest provided some background on the new CRTC ruling and how the company plans to move forward with those new parameters.

Though any kind of timeline for deliver of the program has yet to be worked out.

With CityWest noting that as of now, nothing will be changing with their current packaging of cable services to the communities that it serves.

Key to the recent CRTC announcement is the need for some cable distributors to offer new entry basic level service, known as skinny basic, by March of 2016.  

As well by that same time some cable distributors will be required to offer small reasonably priced theme packs or channels on a pick and pay basis.

By December of 2016 some cable distributors will need to offer customers small and reasonable priced theme packs and all channels on a pick or pay basis.

At the moment, CityWest would appear to be waiting for further clarification on the rulings by the CRTC, particularly a definition of what is considered "small" and what is considered "reasonably priced".

The city owned company anticipates the mechanics of the new rulings to be further expanded on in the months to come, advising residents to continue to monitor their website for any changes to the current service delivery process from CityWest.

You can review the full media release here, included in their material is some reference items from the CRTC that pertain to the new direction that the regulatory agency has in mind for cable television in Canada.

For more items related to CityWest see our archive page here.

Exxon Mobil to provide Lot 444 site update in a couple of months

Mayor Brain provided a short
overview of a trip he and City Manager
Robert Long took to the Exxon campus
in Houston Texas

The tail end of Tuesday's Council session provided the Mayor with an opportunity to update Council on the recent trip he and City Manager Robert Long took to Houston, Texas.

A visit to the Exxon campus, where the two city representatives met with Exxon Mobil officials to get an update on their plans for the Lot 444 project at Tuck Inlet.

In his short review for council, the Mayor noted that the meetings were productive and offered up the prospect of more discussion in the future, as the company continues work on its plans for the LNG development.

Mr. Brain did offer up a timeline of sorts for future information for the community, as he expects representatives of Exxon Mobil to provide an update on the site design for the community sometime in the next couple of months.

You can listen in to his report from the City's Video Archive here, the Exxon Mobil notes come up in the last two minutes of the Council session.




Tuesday's brief outline to Council, was the second Exxon update for the Mayor this week.

As we noted on the blog on Tuesday, Mr. Brain appeared on the Vancouver based CBC Radio program Early edition on Monday morning. Through that appearance he outlined for host Rick Cluff some of the background for the City's LNG Go Plan, as well as a few of his observations from his and Mr. Long's trip to Houston.

Among the notes he relayed to Mr. Cluff and his audience, was the impression that Exxon most likely won't be making any Final Investment Decision for at least two to three years.

Mayor Brain also suggested to the CBC host that he is very confident that within the next three to six years that between Kitimat and Prince Rupert, there will be one or two proponents that will move forward with their plans and provide for a final investment decision on LNG in the Northwest.

You can review those discussion points and more on the Mayors LNG GO Plan from our item of Tuesday.

More background on the LNG files of the Northwest can be found at our archive of LNG items here.

For more items related to City Council discussions see our Council archive page here.