Is there a future for a fish market type of endeavour for the Cow Bay dock? Ecotrust Canada will be seeking public feedback on the issue this Saturday as part of Cow Bay Day
Residents of Prince Rupert will have a chance to weigh in on plans for some form of a public fish market for the community this Saturday, as Ecotrust Canada shares some of its early plans and collects information as part of Cow Bay Day tomorrow.
As part of their participation in the afternoon events in the Cow Bay area, the North Coast Innovation Lab will be looking for more background on how North Coast residents can buy and enjoy seafood from local waters.
Ecotrust Canada to seek comments from public Saturday on how to best increase options to buy and eat local sea products
The prospect of some kind of Fish market, similar in nature to the Terrace Farmer's market has been of some focus for City Councillor Barry Cunningham, who has floated the topic a number of times since this council collective took to their duties in 2014.
Mr. Cunningham's interest picked up some steam over the course of the last two years, as he offered up his own suggestions for the concept, that of allowing local fishing boats to tie up at the community dock on weekends to sell their catch to the public.
From that suggestion, the process of development has been handed off to the group at Ecotrust Canada who have included it into some of the focus for their North Coast Innovation Lab.
Some background on the progress for Mr. Cunningham's long held quest for the public fish market concept can be found below:
Prince Rupert and area residents may soon learn more about plans for an Urban Garden as part of a partnership between the City of Prince Rupert and Ecotrust Canada (photo from Ecotrust Facebook page)
The recent announcement of funding success for a local urban garden program has seemingly gotten the town to talking and as a result, one Prince Rupert councillor would like to see a public presentation provided towards plans from Ecotrust Canada for the city's downtown core.
As we outlined last Friday, the Northern Development Initiative Trust approved on a grant request from the City of Prince Rupert towards the Northwest Food Systems Initiative, providing 100,000 dollars towards the project that will build local food access, literacy and security for social and economic resiliency in Prince Rupert and Northwest BC.
At Monday night's Prince Rupert City Council Session, Councillor Barry Cunningham noted that there had been some confusion in recent days over the awarding of the funding for the Community Garden Grant to the City of Prince Rupert, with the councillor recommending that Ecotrust Canada be invited to Council to provide a presentation to the community on what is planned for the project.
"There seems to be some confusion about the urban grant and the city's involvement in that and what they're going to do and how they're going to do it, so I would like request Ecotrust come before the next meeting to sort of put out what their plans are and explain it to people" -- Councillor Barry Cunningham
As Mayor Lee Brain outlined on Monday, Council at a previous session had passed a resolution to apply for a grant on behalf of EcoTrust and now that the grant has been approved believes that it is a timely moment for the organization to appear at council to further outline what it will look like.
"I think, just for clarity's sake, Council passed a resolution to apply for grant funding on their behalf at one of our previous council meetings, but now that the grant has been received ... but I think that it's warranted that Ecotrust would come to Council and maybe do a presentation on what the project would look like and see some more details on the ground" -- Mayor Lee Brain
When exactly the City passed that resolution to apply for the grant was not outlined by the mayor on Monday evening and there does not seem to be a mention of it in the past Council Agendas packages for this year.
You can review Mr. Cunningham's talking points a the seventeen minute mark from the Video archive for Monday's Council session.
For its part, Ecotrust Canada released some additional information with a media release on November 10th that filled in some of the details on their initiative
Among the key elements of their update:
This year, after experiencing how the COVID-19 crisis exposed cracks in the sea- and agri-food supply chain in
rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, Ecotrust Canada pivoted its innovation lab to steer more directly
toward finding sustainable solutions for food systems.
The Northwest Food Systems Initiative is a pilot project
with the City of Prince Rupert that will build more local food access, literacy, and security for social and
economic resiliency in Prince Rupert and the Northwest BC region. This month, the initiative received critical
support from the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) — Strategic Initiatives Fund (SIF) program to
bring the following two project activities and objectives to fruition in 2021.
First, the initiative will establish the Kaien Island Urban Farm, a demonstration farm based on a vacant lot in
downtown Prince Rupert. This will be a space for local growers, workshops to increase food literacy, donations
to local food programs, and research activities to inform policymakers and planners.
To scale up the urban farm, the second activity will involve building the Northwest Food Network across
Northwest BC. This network will be based in Prince Rupert and will facilitate sea- and agri-food trade and
procurement in the region. The network will aim to build local, resilient, food economies by creating more
employment, trade agreements between communities, and increasing domestic demand for food products
"When Ecotrust Canada came to the City to assist with finding funding for
this project, we felt it was a good fit in supporting two key goals that we’ve identified in recent community planning
efforts – the revitalization of our downtown, and supporting broader aims of food security for our region. With their
capacity and experience, we believe they are well positioned to deliver a project with lasting community impact.” --City of Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain
"After listening
and learning from the Prince Rupert community through the work of the North Coast Innovation Lab, it became
apparent that food security is a priority for the people who live here. We’re excited to work with the City of Prince
Rupert, and to have the support from NDIT for Northwest Food Systems initiative, which is another step toward
building local, resilient, economies in this region.”-- Alexie Stephens, Ecotrust Canada’s Program Manager of the Skeena Region at Ecotrust Canada
Ecotrust Canada's North Coast Innovation Lab has released a report that outlines its plans for the next few years
The North Coast Innovation Lab has released some background on its work since setting up shop through the offices of Ecotrust Canada in the Capitol Mall.
With the latest group to take up the challenge of building the community delivering a 36 page report last week which explores some of the themes of note from their community engagement work to date.
The document provides for a blue print for their future plans and explores a range of issues that they have taken note of through their work so far in Prince Rupert.
The wide ranging overview offers up key ten insights from their work and among some of those themes are the creation of networks around the community to share information on issues in the community, address communication gaps, the celebration of Indigenous cultures in the community and a look at some of the challenges that have been found to improve Prince Rupert.
Mayor Lee Brain, who has been a strong supporter of the Ecotrust Canada plans and has welcomed the concept of the Innovation Lab from its introduction to Council a few moths ago, gets a significant shout out in the ten key insights from the document.
With some words that might just find their way onto some campaign literature, or a Facebook post or two later this year, as we head off to the voting booth.
In the opening notes for the report the Mayor is hailed as "a beacon of hope and inspiration for many community members, who see his leadership as welcoming change to status-quo government and share his "vision" for a strong independent Prince Rupert."
A review of the report does seem to offer up how much in sync that Ecotrust is with the current City council, with many of their themes making for topics that have been championed over the last four years not only by Mayor Brain, but by Councillors Mirau, Thorkelson and Cunningham.
As you review the document, it at times, almost serves as a echo chamber for many of the initiatives that have been introduced, or suggested by City Council since the current collective took office.
Among some of the concepts that have made for Council Discussion contributions that are mirrored in the North Coast Innovation Lab's report are:
Waterfront development, Downtown revitalization and residential housing and affordability also make for some of the currents of the report as does the call of the community for better access to seafood, something which will fit in nicely with City Councillor Barry Cunningham's often mentioned desire to see a Fish Market set up at the Cow Bay Marina Docks.
The report for the most part provides for an explanation as to what the North Coast Innovation Lab is all about, which puts the focus on how the Prince Rupert model will be based on social change labs found worldwide, with one in the Downtown Eastside used as an example of how the initiative could be able to deliver results.
The lab which is led by Nathan Randall at Ecotrust Canada, will follow five guiding principles as it moves forward with its work.
They include: Tangibility, Recognition, Ambition, Inclusion and Integrity
The Innovation lab has a long term goal to increase social and economic resiliency for the community and over the first three years will be looking to achieve six objectives.
1. Spark innovative, collaborative, community-led projects using Social Innovation Lab methodology to address complex systemic problems 2. Acknowledge, complement and activate existing community-wide development initiatives 3. Prototype and nurture small, rural and remote community partnerships with academic institutions 4. Develop student talent for social innovation in rural, northern and industry-dependent communities and economies 5. Enhance the capacity of new and existing businesses, community organizations, and local “champions” to realize their own potential 6. Build a culture of social innovation and collaborative community development within Prince Rupert
The report recounts a number of takeaways compiled through interviews with 45 local residents, ranging from civic employees and elected officials, to union leaders, members of local social and community agencies, First Nations leaders, as well as business, media representatives and other community members.
Their collection of contributors explored themes of Challenges and Barriers, Strengths and opportunities, how to build a thriving, vibrant and sustainable Prince Rupert and the roles of culture in community building.
How the Innovation lab hopes to have an impact on the community and some of the other innovative and collaborative projects that they may wish to explore are also outlined, with a focus there on place-making, small business and entrepreneurship, information and resource sharing and projects for youth.
Building on the past work of Redesign Rupert also makes for a large portion of the reports review, as the Innovation lab explored some of their findings.
Looking ahead the NCIL will put its focus on nine Key areas, they include:
Co working information and resource sharing Growing the local economy for fish and marine products Downtown revitalization, place-making and livability Economic diversification through entrepreneurship Creating low barrier income opportunities through social enterprise Cultural economy building Youth engagement and participation Bridging the socio-economic "divide" Enhancing and supporting volunteerism
From those Key areas, the plan ahead for the first year is to explore four major themes.
How might we grow the local economy for fish and marine products in Prince Rupert? How might we enhance co-working, information sharing and resource sharing? How might we develop social enterprise and entrepreneurship in Prince Rupert? How might we engage youth in downtown revitalization and place-making?
The completion of a study from EcoTrust Canada, which was conducted in collaboration with the City of Prince Rupert met with mostly glowing reviews, as well as a few tough questions on Monday evening from City Council members.
Josephine Schrott from Ecotrust Canada provided for a thorough overview of their report for council
The presentation to Council from Josephine Schrott from EcoTrust Canada serving as a companion piece to the extensive overview on Energy saving opportunities that was relayed through the document which is available on the City of Prince Rupert website.
As part of her overview for council, Ms. Schrott touched on many of the themes from the report, focusing on the cost benefits for residents towards home improvements and how they can improve their energy efficiency in their homes and reduce emissions in the community.
Much of that focus was put towards the savings possible from the use of heat pumps and improved insulation as part of retrofits to local homes.
The presentation also included an update towards their work on a fully funded upgrade support program which would be run by EcoTrust, in collaboration with city staff which would assist to get the word out towards it.
Upon the completion of her overview, Council members had a few comments towards the report.
Councillor Nick Adey led off the council participation, noting of the opportunity that EcoTrust offers towards consultation for the public when ti comes to what would be their best fit to get their energy costs down.
Councillor Cunningham had questions related to the impact on the call for electricity that would come should a large volume of residents switch over to the electricity model that is proposed, noting how with the city's industrial base also putting a demand on electricity, there may be an unforeseen environmental impact on the province.
"From the other side of it, if we've got 5,000 residents in town here, if half of them were to switch over to heat pumps ... where would all this electricity come from?
I was at a convention a little while and I actually asked an Engineer from BC Hydro about the grid and what it can support and can't support, and they readily admit we would need another Two Site C dams just to keep up with what is projected.
We're a small rural town that is already encouraging industrialization which is a lot more electricity and so this is all fine and dandy but the environmental impacts of two more Site C dams, when one Site C dam is so controversial ... I'm looking farther down the road I like this idea I would like to put a heat pump in my house an save some money.
But the environmental impact on the rest of the province and the rest of the country to upgrade to these things, we don't seem to be looking at the whole picture ... We're always pushing this new technology without really looking past at the impact its going to have ...
I just wonder where these thought processes go when we're just looking at just Prince Rupert and we don't have the electrical grid right now to support this. And you know we've had industry come here and look at it and say we need more electricity and things like this, it just boggles my mind that we keep looking at the small picture not the big picture. "
Ms. Schrott countered some of those concerns by noting of the significant impact of natural gas on the environment and how that has to be weighed, a swell as to how some of the savings that would balance out some of that energy consumption and how BC Hydro continues to work on the supply side of delivery of electrical service.
On the theme of the impact on the electrical grid, it was somewhat surprising that no one from City Council made mention of the City's recent investment in the Woodworth Dam, a project that was completed earlier this year at some additional cost so as to have the capacity to generate electricity if the city wishes.
Though at the moment there is nowhere for any of that electricity to be directed, if it were to be generated.
Councillor Forrester noted of the conflicting information available related to heat pumps and how some contractors suggest that they don't work well in the climate conditions found in Prince Rupert, she followed up by asking where residents could find the best source of information towards that.
"I found a lot of conflicting information when I researched it. I came into reading the report with an assumption and I don't know where I got it that heat pumps don't work well in Prince Rupert as a climate and it might be because I heard that in Terrace, that our temperature doesn't have a lot of highs and lows to make it economically viable and this report said something different ...
Where would I find the most accurate information, because a lot of this does suppose that people would move if they went with this to an electric heat pump, but when I talk to contractors when I talk to different people they say that won't work here.
So I'm just wondering where I can find the best source of information for that "
Ms. Schrott observed of the improved quality of the current options from Heat Pumps, noting of some of their installations on the Central Coast and Vancouver Island where the product works well, she also stressed that if you have the right heat pump for the conditions for the area and it's properly installed they would be a good solution.
Councillor Randhawa asked towards any future plans towards sharing information towards their energy savings programs.
Towards that, the EcoTrust analyst suggested their blog as a good resource and plans for future information rollouts to come, as well as the work that they have done with the city's director of Communications Veronika Stewart which will see some of that information relayed through the City of Prince Rupert information streams.
“We’re excited about the opportunities for home energy retrofits in Prince Rupert, and appreciate the work that our partners at Ecotrust Canada have done on this project. Retrofits have been shown not only to benefit the environment, but also the pocketbooks of our residents.”
The City and EcoTrust have partnered in the past, along with the city Council also providing for both moral and some funding support for some of their work in the Prince Rupert area.
Sone snapshots of that engagement can be reviewed below:
Prince Rupert's historic Capitol Mall is the new hone for the North Coast branch of EcoTrust Canada
A local organization dedicated towards community development will be gaining a strong presence in the city this month, as EcoTrust Canada moves their operations into the city's Capitol Mall in the downtown core, putting the group within easy access of those looking to take advantage of their experience and access to assistance for economic planning.
Devlin Fernandes is the Senior Manager for the Prince Rupert operation and she noted that through their work with North Coast communities, organizations, First Nations and industry partners Ecotrust Canada has been designed to be "solutions-focused to support communities benefiting from the values that are around them".
So far in 2017, Ecotrust Canada has continued to support fishermen through innovative ideas such as the crab gear recovery project that they have ongoing off Haida Gwaii, as well as through the development of technology tools with the Area C gillnet fishery, as they help those in the local industry gain improved and faster data for fisheries management.
The organization has also introduced a recreational fisheries monitoring project to generate more accurate estimates of harvests.
Ms. Fernandes also has introduced a new member to the North Coast offices, with Nathan Randall set to introduce the design of a new initiative, the North Coast Innovation Lab.
That will be a project that Ecotrust will be reaching out to community partners about in the months to come.
The place-based initiative is designed to help people invest in the future of Prince Rupert and to prioritize and work together on tangible projects that will build a resilient economy as a tool for community well being.
In celebration of the move into the new digs Ecotrust will be hosting an Open House and Holiday Party later this month to celebrate their move to the historic downtown building, the event is scheduled for November 30th from 5 to 7 PM. The Ecotrust office can be found on the second floor of the building, unit number 200.
Charles Gerein has joined the staff at Ecotrust Canada to serve as coordinator of their Food system Program
With Spring just around the corner and growing season almost upon us, Ecotrust Canada's Prince Rupert office is putting the final touches in place towards their next community initiative of an urban farm to be located somewhere in the downtown core.
While still keeping some of the details to themselves for the moment, the local office of the national organization has provided for an introduction for a new member of their team and the new coordinator for their Food Systems program.
In their short profile Ecotrust Canada observes how his travels across Canada and the world will help towards his role as part of the Northwest Food Systems Initiative.
As we noted last November, they provided some background information on the project, noting that the Kaien Island/Kxeen Urban Farm would be located on a downtown lot in Prince Rupert.
"This will be a space for local growers, workshops to increase food literacy, donations to local food programs, and research activities to inform policymakers and planners.
To scale up the urban farm, the second activity will involve building the Northwest Food Network across Northwest BC.
This network will be based in Prince Rupert and will facilitate sea- and agri-food trade and procurement in the region. The network will aim to build local, resilient, food economies by creating more employment, trade agreements between communities, and increasing domestic demand for food products." -- From the Ecotrust Canada statement of November 2020
The initiative is a partnership of sorts with the City of Prince Rupert, with the city accessing the funding for Ecotrust Canada through the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
A move by BC Hydro to end customer crisis funding for residents has raised a few alarms with Ecotrust Canada, with the national organization with offices in Prince Rupert calling the BC Hydro plans in the midst of a pandemic a "cynical move".
The organization adding that the plan by the Hydro company is a step that will cancel an important lifeline program with the potential to put the most vulnerable customers at risk just when help is needed most.
In a correspondence to the North Coast Review, Ecotrust Canada outlined some of the key elements of the current program and how it has served the province to date, as well as to relay their concerns over its future:
BC Hydro's Customer Crisis Fund (CCF) is designed to protect customers facing unexpected economic hardship, by providing a one-time grant for bill payment.
The BC NDP government directed BC Hydro to implement this program in 2018, after failing to deliver on a promise to create a permanent "lifeline rate" for qualifying households.
Now, in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, BC Hydro is proposing to terminate the CCF at the end of March 2021, leaving BC with no utility bill support programs at all.
This would leave the over 270,000 BC households that face energy poverty with nowhere to turn for assistance, and at risk of having their power shut off if they fall behind on their bills.
Ecotrust Canada is a national charity that works with communities to ensure that everyone can affordably access clean energy to meet their basic needs, including heating, lighting, cooking, and communication.
The fund was designed as a three year pilot program, with BC Hydro collecting five million dollars per year from residential customers to fund the program.
"We recognize the financial impact COVID-19 may have on our customers due to changes in employment from workplaces closing, or reducing staffing levels and want to provide some relief during this challenging time. In addition, some customers may experience higher electricity bills due to increased consumption from spending more time at home."-- Chris O'Riley, BC Hydro President and Chief Executive Officer.
Their final report on the Customer Relief program was submitted to the BC Utilities Commission in October of this year, you can read it here.
In May Ecotrust Canada conducted a survey which showed that one on five British Columbians were having a harder time paying their utility bills since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Towards further research on the topic an August report from Ecotrust's Geneviève Doiron and Dylan Heerema explored the issues of energy protection further, providing for five key recommendations towards Crisis Funding.
Among some of the other concerns about the proposed move by the Hydro Company, the organization notes how BC Hydro’s planned move would be out of step with several other provinces including Ontario, which provides not only crisis support funds, but ongoing bill relief for those that need it.
As well they observe that while there is a small but vocal minority that opposes these critical measures, by BC Hydro's own estimates, 88% of British Columbians approve of continuing the CCF.
Among the many concerns towards the fate of the program for Ecotrust is that one of BC Hydro’s justifications for canceling the program is a result of low rates of participation.
However, as Ecotrust notes that is likely a result of needlessly restrictive criteria and limited awareness of the program.
The national organization states that instead of canceling the Customer Crisis Fund, BC Hydro could adopt more inclusive application criteria similar to other successful crisis programs in Canada — and more actively promote the program.
Adding how The Customer Crisis Fund has certainly not been perfect in its design or execution, but canceling it entirely, in the midst of a crisis, is not the answer and will only serve to further harm those most impacted by the pandemic.
You can contact Ecotrust Canada at their Ocean Centre Office at 250-624-4191 to learn more about their campaign and how to lend your support towards their initiative.
An urban gardening initiative from Ecotrust Canada will be moving ahead after the awarding of a grant from Northern Development Initiative Trust (screenshot from Ecotrust Canada video)
The City of Prince Rupert and Ecotrust Canada will be creating an urban oasis of gardening in the near future, that project getting the green light following the award of 100,000 dollars from the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
The project was announced by NDIT on Thursday as part of a wider release of funding for a range of projects across Northern British Columbia.
$100,000 was approved for the City of Prince Rupert to implement the Northwest Food Systems Initiative pilot project, which will build local food access, literacy and security for social and economic resiliency in Prince Rupert and Northwest B.C.
The Northwest Food Systems Initiative aims to mitigate the economic impacts of a changing economy by enhancing the local food production/distribution network in the region and increasing employment opportunities in the food production sector.
So far, there's not much to share from Ecotrust Canada about what the initiative may look like or where it will be located, though food security has been a bit of a passion for the local group through the North Coast Innovation Lab.
As for Thursday's announcement, Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain expanded a bit on the program noting how they will make use of one of the many vacant lots downtown to bring some energy to the city's core area.
“We are pleased to be working with Ecotrust Canada to develop a pilot garden project in the city’s downtown, to both breathe energy into a vacant lot, and build literacy and access around locally grown food. Ecotrust has been conducting significant research and offering supports for similar programming in the community over the past few years, and we are happy to have them leading this project.”-- Mayor Lee Brain on the awarding of 100,000 dollars from Northern Development Trust for a public garden and literacy program in Prince Rupert
That forum making for the debating platform as to whether the City is working outside of its core mandate for delivery of service, with concerns expressed that City Council is picking and choosing special interest groups to lend a hand up in a less than transparent way.
While they celebrate the goals of redevelopment of a vacant downtown lot, City Council may wish to help clear up some of the concerns from the public that are starting to percolate on a number of their recent moves.
The commentary to the Mayor's page also serves as an early warning for Council that they seemingly are not doing a very effective job when it comes to community engagement and transparency.
The North Coast Innovation Lab part of the EcoTrust presence in Prince Rupert is the recipient of $100,000 in rural dividend funding
The North Coast Innovation Lab is getting a good head start towards its plans of spurring on economic development in the region, with the EcoTrust Canada led project set to receive 100,000 dollars in funding from the British Columbia government.
The money comes from the BC Rural Dividend Program and for EcoTrust it will be used as part of their Innovation lab project, a place-based program that is designed to generate and implement innovative community designed and driven ideas for a vibrant and inclusive local economy.
In an information release from Doug Donaldson, the Minister for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development and relayed by North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, it was noted that the Prince Rupert Innovation lab will build on the work of Re:Design Rupert, which had been the recipient of rural dividend funding in previous years.
The concept of the North Coast Innovation Lab recently was reviewed as part of a public presentation by EcoTrust Canada, which hosted an information night earlier this month at Northwest Community College
One of the more prominent projects that may now move forward through the work of the EcoTrust office is a plan for a Cow Bay Marina Fish Market, a long sought after addition to the Prince Rupert waterfront that Councillor Barry Cunnnigham has championed for over the last few years.
With additional funding in place for EcoTrust Canada, Prince Rupert residents may see some progress on the concept of a fish market for the Cow Bay Dock
Some further background on the work of EcoTrust Canada in the community can be reviewed here.
Two other North Coast communities received funding for projects yesterday as well:
The District of Kitimat has been awarded 90,000 dollars to work with the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce on development of a community brand.. The Kitsumkalum Indian Band is being awarded 78,600 dollars to complete a feasibility study and business plan for a commercial food processing facility.
The province has been busy this week rolling out Rural Dividend Announcements across the province, with some 42 projects sharing in close to six million dollars in funding.
More items of interest related to economic development and sustainable city initiatives in Prince Rupert and around the North Coast can be found on our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Devlin Fernandes and Nathan Randall from Ecotrust Canada were in attendance Monday evening, delivering a presentation on their upcoming plans and the launch of the North Coast Innovation Lab
Council members took in a presentation Monday night from the community group Ecotrust Canada, with Devlin Fernandes and Nathan Randall from the Prince Rupert office providing a bit of a preview of where their plans will take them this summer, as they continue to build up their presence in the community.
It was a return presentation for the EcoTrust group, which had previously appeared in 2016, with Monday's review retracing some of the history of the organization and the nature of some of the fishery related projects that they have taken on since that time.
As for what the future may hold, Ms. Fernandes noted how Ecotrust Canada is looking to build on the previous work of the Hays 2.0 plan and ReDesign Rupert initiatives. And outlined how a program that their Vancouver office operates in the Downtown East side may make for a good fit for the Prince Rupert region.
Towards those goals, the organization has created something called the North Coast Innovation Lab, which Ms. Fernandes noted is looking to work on tangible projects that will build a resilient economy in the community, with the lab designed to provide for research, facilitation, design, incubation and project coordination capacity to activate community-led projects.
To deliver on those ambitions, the local office will build community capacity for social innovation through workshops, partnerships, events and other forms of interactive learning.
Mr. Randall provided for the review the Innovation Lab concept and how it will be introduced into the community, with Ecotrust having held consultation sessions in the past with community members to determine some of the initiatives that they may be able to work together on, with more in the way of consultation to come through the Spring and Summer.
He made note of such areas as growing the local economy for fish and marine products, downtown revitalization, place making and livability, and economic diversification through entrepreneurship.
Ecotrust hopes to have project incubation underway this summer with two graduate student positions to be filled to provide for supports for their work.
On Monday night they also outlined the nature of the fundraising options that they have access to, as they look to move their projects forward.
As part of their overview they noted that they had recently received funding from the Rural Dividend Fund, something which we provided some background on last week with this item from the blog.
As they look to secure further funding, they also asked for the support from the City of Prince Rupert as they look to access grant funding for 70,000 dollars from the Northern Development Initiative Trust, their request was one that really only requires the approval of council to approach NDIT for the funding, with no financial commitment required by the City.
In the follow up period to the presentation, Council members then asked a range of questions, with Councillor Randhawa inquired about the level of businesses interest in their programs and supports.
Monday's Presentation from Ecotrust Canada gave Councillor Barry Cunningham one more opportunity to push for the development of Fish Market sale location for the City's Cow Bay Floats
Councillor Cunningham had one question for them, inquiring about the prospects of a project that he has long been looking to see developed, that of a Fish Market location for the Cow Bay Marina floats.
The answer he received didn't quite deliver the blue print for development that he might have been hoping, with Mr. Randall and Ms. Fernandes noting that some study would be required with one of the two grad students to be tasked with looking into marine options and what might be required to deliver on that project and what hoops may be in the way before it could move forward.
Mr. Cunningham noted that the only hoops that should be faced would be those put in place by the city by way of permission, which he suggested should damn well be approved by the City.
The Councillor then recounted some of the history to his attempts to move the fish market initiative forward, adding how he would like to see that project in place by this summer.
"The only hoops I see is getting permission from the city which they bloody well better give you cause it enhances tourism, as well as brings people from down the line to buy our product, one complaint I get all the time is, we live in a port city and you can't buy fresh seafood from the fishermen. This is something that I started asking well over a year ago, I know you're only involved in it now, but I would really like to see something up and running by this summer, so that when people do come from Smithers, Terrace or wherever they can actually walk down to the dock and buy crab, shrimp or prawns" -- Councillor Cunningham continuing his quest for a public fish market to set up at Cow Bay Floats during the Summer.
You can review some of the background to that proposal from the councillor below:
As part of his push towards seeing his Fish marked concept come to life, Mr. Cunningham outlined that from his conversations with fishermen they would be quite receptive to the idea of being able to set up on the dock and sell their product
He also made an observation as to the local economy and the fishing industry on the North Coast, making note as to how the current herring fishery was now underway, and with it that a large volume of the fish that has been caught in the region is now being sent to the south for processing, a theme we explored on the blog on Tuesday.
Ms. Fernandes made a note that the first person that their grad students will contact for research will be Councillor Cunningham to learn more on the fish market proposal, she then outlined how ecotrust Canada does have concerns as to the nature of the adjacency of the fishery and the best way to address local jobs related to fish industry.
To bring the presentation to a close, Mayor Brain noted that he had been working closely with them, and then offered his praise for their work to this point and thanked them both for their efforts and looked forward to working collaboratively with them.
Council then voted to approve their support for the bid for a grand from NDIT.
You can review the full presentation from Ecotrust from the City's Video Archive, starting at the thirty six minute mark.
ecotrust Canada in the Capitol Mall is looking for a Senior Manager
A wide range of duties makes for the outline to a new employment opportunity with the Prince Rupert office of ecotrust Canada, as the North Coast community organization seeks out he skills of Senior Manager for its Skeena Program.
The Prince Rupert based position will start out as a one year contract, with the potential for annual renewal after the initial term, with the main scope of the job that of fostering and holding community and partner relationships; overseeing office staff and advancing strategic decision-making and planning for Skeena programs; ensuring high quality project delivery;
As well the successful applicant will be tasked with identifying and pursuing funding opportunities to achieve Ecotrust Canada’s mission.
Among the projects that currently take place as part of the ecotrust Canada operations in the city are the North Coast Innovation Lab and community fisheries programs, along with plans for other projects as the need arises in the community.
The full list of responsibilities for the Senior Manager position can be explored here, the deadline for applications is April 26th, with the position remaining open until it is filled.
One recent project was a wide ranging study into the British Columbia fishery which ecotrust Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation put together releasing their findings last November.
