The Holiday period makes for shifting collection dates for garbage
You've got bags of leftovers fermenting in a garbage can at the back of your house and you're probably wondering to yourself, when will I next see the Garage truck?
As it does after every long weekend, the City's Garbage collection schedule makes for a bit of a shift, this time around compounded by the Holiday period which can leave anyone a little confounded as to when to haul your tubs to the curb for the weekly pick up.
Today marks the final day of rest for the garbage collectors, who return to work on Tuesday.
For those living on the harbour side of the Northwest sector of the city, along with those in Haysvale and the Taylor and Borden Street areas (see the area in yellow from the Map above) Tomorrow is the day to bid farewell to your Holiday trash.
Residents of remainder of the city will shift their calendars by two days for their final pick up of 2020 and the introduction to the 2021 schedule.
The Ridley Island Road Landfill site is open for regular hours this week, closing at Noon on New Years' Eve Thursday December 31st.
The facility will be CLOSED on New Years Day and through the weekend, reopening to the public on January 4th. Updates on the City's landfill can be found through the City of PR Facebook page.
The North Coast Recycling Centre on Kaien Road will reopen to the public tomorrow with regular hours, it will be Closed New Years Day and over the weekend ahead, reopening on January 2.
Sometime after Canada Day, residents of Prince Rupert may have cause to wonder if they're being watched by City Council and staff, with a pair of city provided garbage cans ready to report if asked, of any of your transgressions when it comes to the weekly collection of our refuse.
As we previewed on Monday morning, Garbage was set to be one of the key items of note for the first Council session for April, with the Council membership listening keenly in the evening to a presentation from Operations Manager Richard Pucci.
At the Monday session, the City's Garbage Czar provided for his view of the brave new world of refuse collection that is soon to be upon us.
The focus for his presentation was his recommendation to council to move forward with a contract bid from Rollins Machinery and IPL to provide for the garbage cans for the new approach to community collection the cost of the contract award to come to $564,850 plus PST and GST.
As part of his overview for Council, Mr. Pucci observed how the new Garbage collection program is part of an agreement that the city has signed with Recycle BC for curbside recycling in the community for the summer of 2021.
While little was explained about that agreement, the terms apparently require that the city will supply two garbage bins to all 4,300 households in the community, the new hinged lid bins will be compatible with the tilt assist mechanism on the new garbage truck that the city has recently purchased
One bin destined for regular garbage and the other for use for recyclable items.
Of the three options towards financing the garbage bin purchase, Council decided to go with the recommended option number two from staff, which will see residents billed 22 dollars through their garbage fees for a one time levy on the 2022 utility bill and the remainder of the cost to come through the gas tax.
As part of his presentation, the City's Operations Manager also noted that if residents were to lose their bins, or they become damaged the replacement would be 41 dollars for garbage and 65 for the recycling bins, plus assembly and delivery.
As for questions from Council members, Councillor Blair Mirau opened up the discussion asking if there was a plan for apartment buildings and multi family residences, to which Mr. Pucci advised there was not at the moment as they are not covered by the program, though he did add it could be added in the future.
Mr. Mirau also asked about the potential for any uptick in recycling costs through Regional District and if there would be a increase in taxes on recycling, Mr. Pucci did not have an answer to that for the night, but did say he would research it and forward his findings through an internal memo.
Councillor Mirau followed up with comments expressing his enthusiasm for the project, noting of the benefits he believes will be found by taking up the recommendation from city staff, offering up the belief that if no fee is charged the impression of the provision of what he describes as a free service may be taken for granted.
"I think they have struck a good balance here, where you know a small levy makes sure there's a bit of buy in from the community and skin in the game so to speak. Where we know, that you know where some services that are provided for free sometimes can be taken for granted. Where as the number they have set, twenty dollars at a one time fee is not cost prohibitive to any homeowner and there's no debt required, so its not going to increase the operating costs" -- Councillor Blair Mirau
Noting of the impact that such a charge as 20 dollars could have on seniors in the community, Councillor Cunningham asked for the cost of option three which would see the city absorb the full cost through the gas tax.
He was advised by the City's CFO Corinne Bomben that the total cost through that option would be 86,000 dollars, a figure which seemed to eliminate his enthusiasm for that approach.
Mayor Brain also echoed a theme from Councillor Mirau, observing how having a charge in place will develop a sense of ownership for residents towards the city supplied bins.
"I just think some of the points here for the twenty dollars, it also gives people ownership that it's their bin and I think that even though it is a smaller fee, I think it's important that people feel like they own their bins. Sometimes when things are just given out, you know people, I don't think they respect it as much as if they have a small contribution to be made to that. And these are going to be very good solid bins that they'll use for a long period of time. Personally I'm very excited about this initiative this is something that from even when I first got elected back in 2014 that I've wanted to see" -- Mayor Lee Brain
Councillor Adey also had some themes to explore on the topic, agreeing with much of what Councillor Mirau had stated calling it a significant forward step, recounting his own observations on a recycling program that is in place in Victoria with the councillor noting of some of the benefits that he can see from the program.
He did have a question related to the bins to be purchased and asked if residents would be allowed to put out their own bins as well, or if this marks a transition away from that process.
Mr. Pucci noted that with the new system only the city supplied bins would be allowed to be used, noting that the bins are large and he doesn't see any issues related to that changeover.
The Councillor also asked if there was any plan for what residents should do with their current bins once the changeover takes place. Mr. Pucci noted that the city hasn't determined what will happen to the old bins, observing that the city plans a major messaging campaign in the weeks to come.
He then outlined how the new bins will feature a computer chip that will allow for monitoring of the refuse that goes into the bins.
Councillor Cunningham followed up on that theme, asking if there was s structure for the fines that would be in place, as well he asked for an explanation as to how the monitoring of the recyclable material would work.
Mr. Pucci, did not have any timeline on what amount the fines would be or when they would be put in place noting that thither would come with the introduction of the required bylaw.
As for the monitoring process he explained that with each bin having an RFI chip, when the bin goes up to the truck the items in the bins will be reviewed by electronic means to assess whether any non compliant materials were in the bin and if a fine would be required for the residents.
He noted how the city is just moving into the process and that Prince Rupert will be looking at how other communities have approach the issue to learn what they've done right and what they've done wrong.
Monday night really made for the first mention for the public of what the city has in mind towards its new approach to garbage and recycling.
With Council deciding to select option 2 and award the contract first, rather than discussing it at a previous session and perhaps even seeking feedback from the public when it comes to their current plans; they now will launch an information campaign designed to, as the Mayor put it, educate the public on the path ahead.
"I do think that an education campaign is definitely required, I know that's in the works and in the plans. But this will be a large enough change for the community that some clarity multiple times over and over and over again will be necessary. You know flyers in the home, videos on the internet that type of thing to explain to people what the process is. I think it's going to make peoples lives a lot more, a lot more convenient ... I think it's going to make it easy for people to do the right thing, So I think we're doing our part to help them do the right thing as well" -- Mayor Lee Brain
As for an introduction for the program, Mr, Pucci noted that a soft start would take place following the Canada Day weekend with the full impact of the program to be found later that month.
Mr. Pucci's report to council is available for review from the City Council Agenda.
The presentation to Council can be viewed from the City's Video page starting at the six minute mark.
Another garbage truck is among the items on the purchase list for Civic Operations
Prince Rupert City Council will be asked tonight to approve the authority for the city borrow just over 1.6 million dollars towards a number of equipment purchases for the Operations Department.
A report for council for tonight's session notes that the list of equipment to be purchased would include a Gravel Truck, A Garbage Truck, a Dozer and an Excavator.
The money for the purchase would be received from the Municipal Finance Authority.
In order for the City to move forward with the purchases, a resolution from Council giving staff authorization is required.
A tip assist garbage can as used by the City of Richmond
If you need a new garbage can, maybe hold off on a purchase for the next little while, for it appears that the City of Prince Rupert will be changing the way that garbage is collected at the curb; as well it seems to introduce a blue box recycling program this summer.
The plan ahead is detailed somewhat in a Request for Bid post to the BC Bids website from last week, which includes some documentation that outlines the city's focus for waste collection for 2021.
"The City of Prince Rupert is launching a new curbside collection program for recyclable materials beginning in July of 2021.
As a part of this program, the City must provide each resident a bin for collection of their recyclable materials.
In 2020, the City received a new split- bay rear-loading collection vehicle with a tip-assist mechanism.
To reduce strain on the City’s operators, the City will also be providing residents with new solid waste bins compatible with this tip-assist mechanism." -- From City of Prince Rupert RFP with BC Bid
The program which is being coordinated by the City's Building Services Manager, Hans Seidemann will offer the following as the scope of service towards the collection bin project.
The services will comprise supply and delivery of collection bins for the Project including, without limiting:
(i) Supply of 5,000 blue recycling bins (approximately 65 gallon size),
(ii) Supply of 5,000 black or grey solid waste bins (approximately 35 gallon size),
(iii) Supply and affixing of InnovaTrac RFID transponders to all bins,
(iv) Printing and affixing of three City of Prince Rupert decals to all bins,
(v) Printing and affixing home address label to all bins,
(vi) Distribution of bins to 4,200 households within the city, and;
(vii) Logging of bin deliveries in the InnovaTrac database. -- From City of Prince Rupert RFP with BC Bid
Sample of a 65 gallon blue recycling bin (photo from Uline)
Mr. Seidemann is hosting an information meeting for proponents, scheduled for Friday, February 19th at 2PM
The timeline from Bid to pick up at your curb is pretty short.
That as the Bids request is set to close on March 5th, followed by the awarding of the contract on March 9th and the collection bins being distributed to city households by June 18th.
The topic of curb side recycling has been occasionally mentioned as a goal for City Council over the years,
The most recent nod towards themes of garbage collection and recycling wishes came as part of Mayor Lee Brain's New Years Eve Facebook message to residents, though he limited his notes to the prospect of curb side recycling, with no hint of the larger plans ahead.
The addition of city supplied garbage cans is somewhat of a new addition to the garbage collection concept; with this the first real notice or indication that our current home garbage can may soon be obsolete and how we will require the City supplied cans for use past mid June.
It's a topic which residents may have some questions to ask of their elected members, such as if there will be any additional costs to residents and any other changes to policy that may come from the new plans.
If nothing else, the members of City Council should at the least provide homeowners with some details of the plan moving forward before the request for bids process comes to an end.
While we await some background from the Mayor and Council towards the brave new world of garbage collection seemingly ahead, some interesting reading on similar themes from Richmond might be of some help to get a feel for where Prince Rupert may by heading in its new waste disposal policies.
The City of Prince Rupert is looking to begin the process of fleet replacement for its garbage collection service; with the City posting their request for bids to the BC Bid site this week, seeking RFP's for delivery of a 2018 or 2019 Haul-All Super 14 Curbster collection vehicle or similar equivalent.
The Bid package for potential suppliers runs eleven pages and includes a range of specifications that the City requires as part of the delivery of the new refuse truck.
In it's notice for suppliers the City's Public Works Department outlines some of the challenges of garbage collection in the city.
"The intent of this specification is to provide for the purchase of one new 550 or 5500 series compact refuse truck for the manual collection of refuges bags in the city's Downtown area. As the truck operates on narrow city streets and lane ways, a compact design is required that is ergonomic and easy for the operator to complete the daily tasks. This tender uses the Haul-All Super Curbster 14 specifications, however the intent is to provide the same or comparable to accomplish the above tasks."
Haul-all which manufactures the vehicle under consideration hosts much in the way of information when it comes to the features of its product, included in that is a short brochure with some of the key points.
A wider overview of their product line can be found from the Haul-All website.
You can get a sample of some of the features of the Super Curbster line of trucks from the video below:
The deadline for bids is July 6th, with the bids to be opened on July 10th.
Key to the submissions, any successful applicant must deliver the truck within 24 weeks of the contract award.
More items of interest related to Public Works bids can be reviewed here, while other elements of the City of Prince Rupert can be found from our archive page here.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Prince Rupert City Council members had a marathon of a Zoom day on Monday, with the Council settling late in the afternoon, hosting three separate elements before their work day was complete.
The day began with a Closed Session followed by a Public Hearing at 5:30 PM, with Council receiving feedback from the community towards the overhaul of the Official Community Plan and the Bylaws to go with it.
The Public Hearing would also provide for the largest portion of the Regular Council session on the night, with the Council members using the 7PM public meeting to review the comments from the hearing and to do a little message making of their own over the course of an hour and half discussion.
They also found some time to fit in approval of a contract to purchase new garbage bins for a new garbage/recycling program to launch in the summer.
Some land variance and Temporary use requests gained their attention, as did a request for approval towards the loan authorization process for the Landfill expansion and the Shawatlans Dam project.
The night also provided for the final public consultation update from the City's Chief Financial Officer, who provided a report on the final steps towards the City's Budget and Five year Financial plan.
As the council continues to met at a distance owing to the COVID pandemic, the Public hearing and Public Council session was streamed live through the use of a Zoom conference.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the council minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
Public Hearing -- Official Community Plan, Zoning Bylaws related to it
You can find the review of the Public Hearing from Monday evening, as well as the follow up discussion by City Council from the Regular Session later that night from our article here.
( 0:00 - 1:30) Regular City Council Session for Monday, April 12, 2021 -- Mayor Lee Brain called the session to order, adopting past minutes and the Agenda for the session underway, noting of one change to the document, advising that Final Reading of the Official Community Plan and Bylaws associated to it would not take place on the night, but at the next Council session.
( 1:30 --6:00 ) Budget Presentation -- The City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben provided another look at the City's Financial Plan and Budget preparation. -- Ms. Bomben noted that so far the comments process required for the Budget period has delivered no contributions either by comments or questions from the public.
Following the review of her snapshot of the budget planning, Mayor Brain asked for an update on the next step of the budget process.
Ms. Bomben noted that with the consultation period now at an end, Council will discuss the budget findings at their next Session at the end of the month.
( 6:00 -- 25:00 ) Report from Director of Operations -- A report and recommendation on a contract award for garbage bins. for the City's plans for garbage and recycling collection in the community -- Richard Pucci provided the overview of the request for tender process and a recommendation of the proposal from towards the awarding of the contract for bins for garbage and recycling, with the Operations Manager recommending that Rollins Machinery and IPL be awarded the contract.
He then provided a short overview of what the new Garbage collection program would look like with the city to supply two garbage bins to all 4300 households in the community. One for regular garbage and the other for use for recyclable items.
Of the three options towards financing the garbage bin purchase, Council decided to go with the recommended option from staff, which will see residents billed 22 dollars through their garbage fees for a one time levy on the 2022 utility bill and the remainder of the cost to come through the gas tax.
He also noted that if residents were to lose their bins, or they become damaged the replacement would be 41 dollars for garbage and 65 for the recycling bins, plus assembly and delivery.
As for questions from Council members, Councillor Blair Mirau asked if there was a plan for apartment buildings and multi family residences, to which Mr. Pucci advised there was not at the moment as they are not covered by the program, though he did add it could be added in the future.
Mr. Mirau also asked about the potential for any uptick in recycling costs through Regional District and if there would be a increase in taxes on recycling, Mr. Pucci did not have an answer to that for the night, but did say he would research it and forward his findings through an internal memo.
Councillor Mirau followed up with comments expressing his enthusiasm for the project, noting of the benefits he believes will be found by taking this action now.
Councillor Adey follows up with his own thoughts, agreeing with much of what Councillor Mirau had stated calling it a significant forward step, recounting his observations on a recycling program that is in place in Victoria. He outlined some of the benefits that he can see from the program.
He did have a question related to the bins to be purchased and asked if residents would be allowed to put out their own bins as well, or if this marks a transition away from that process.
Mr. Pucci noted that with the new system only the city supplied bins would be allowed to be used, noting that the bins are large and he doesn't see any issues related to that changeover.
Councillor Adey asked if there was any plan for what residents should do with their current bins once the changeover takes place. Mr. Pucci noted that the city hasn't determined what will happen to the old bins.
He then outlined how the new bins will feature a computer chip that will allow for monitoring of the refuse that goes into the bins.
Councillor Cunningham followed up on that theme, asking if there was s structure for the fines that would be in place, as well he asked for an explanation as to how the monitoring would work.
Mr. Pucci, did not have any timeline on what the fines would be or when they would be put in place, as for the monitoring process he explained that with each bin having a chip, when the bin goes up to the truck the items in the bins will be reviewed by electronic means to assess whether any non compliant materials were in the bin and if a fine would be required for the residents.
He noted how the city is just moving into the process and that Prince Rupert will be looking at how other communities have approach the issue to learn what they've done right and what they've done wrong.
Prior to their vote, Councillor Cunningham asked for the cost of option three which would see the city absorb the full cost through the gas tax, he was advised that the total cost through that option would be 86,000 dollars.
Council then voted to approve the contract and accept option 2 as the way of moving forward with the purchase and introduction of the new approach to garbage and recycling in the community.
Both Mayor Brain and Councillor Mirau observed that by putting a small charge in place for residents that they would take some ownership of the program. Both also observed that this was something they were looking forward to and something they were excited about.
With Mr. Brain also stating that an education campaign will be required to explain the process to the community. And how the new process would make it easy for people to do the right thing and that that Council is doing their part to help them do the right thing as well.
Council then voted to approve the contract and accept option 2 as the way of moving forward with the purchase and introduction of the new approach to garbage and recycling in the community.
As for an introduction for the program, Mr, Pucci noted that a soft start would take place following the Canada Day weekend with the full impact of the program to be found later that month.
Mr. Pucci's report to council is available for review from the City Council Agenda
( 25:00 -- 26:00 ) Report from Planning -- A request for a development variance permit for a property on Sixth Avenue East -- Following the short review of the proposed tool shed for the property, Council moved the process forward towards the notification process. Later in the evening the Mayor would return to the file noting that Council had already moved the proposal to public notification and a change would be required to approve the variance permit.
( 26:00 -- 27:00 ) Report from Planning -- A verbal report providing a review of an application for a Temporary Use Permit for property at 225/227 Second Avenue West -- Chris Buchan from IPlan Planning Ltd. provided the background to the proposal to create an Urban Farm on the site. Mr. Buchan noted that they had not received any feedback from the public on the proposal and recommended that the permit be approved.
With no comments from Council, the members of Council carried the motion.
( 27:00 --28:00 ) Report from Planning -- A request for a development variance permit for a property on Eighth Avenue East for inclusion of a carport. It was recommended that the proposal be forwarded towards public notification. Council followed that guidance and move the process forward.
( 28:00 -- 32:30) Report from Planning -- A variance request for a property on Parker Drive -- Following the explanation of the variance request to increase the building height, Mr. Buchan noted of a mix of comment from the public in opposition to the proposal.
Councillor Niesh spoke against the proposed height variance and noted of the opposition to it from the neighbours, noting how other residents of the area had requested similar variances and had been denied.
Councillor Randhawa also shared similar concerns on the variance request and asked for some clarification from the contract planners on the reasons for refusal of past variances. The planners noted that they were not aware of the reasons for the past refusals. Mr. Randhawa then outlined that he would vote in favour of the motion.
Councillor Cunningham came back to the concerns of the neighbours in the area and spoke against the motion.
From that point Council voted to oppose the variance request.
( 32:30--33:30 ) Report from the Chief Financial Officer -- Authorization for Security Issuing resolution related to the City's Solid Wast Loan process, Authorization for Security Issuing resolution related to the City's Woodworth Dam process -- Ms. Corinne Bomben outlined the background to the borrowing process that the city is required to follow in relation to its loan requirements for the two infrastructure projects, which also involves the Regional District.
Following her comments, Mayor Brain noted that the Council has discussed the topic a number of times in the past, the Council membership then carried the motions forward for both Authorization requests.
( 33:30--2:13:00 ) Report from Planning -- Zoning Bylaw Amendment, Official Community Plan
( 2:13:00 -- 2:19:00 ) Questions, Comments, Reports or Inquiries from Council
Councillor Randhawa took the opportunity to salute the opening of the Pembina LPG Terminal, which opened for operations earlier in the day.
Councillor Niesh also shared his enthusiasm for the start up of operations for the new shipment terminal calling it a monumental day and observed how he looks forward to more things happening at the Watson Island site to help build on the city's tax base even more delivering more revenue to assist with their infrastructure needs.
Mr. Niesh also returned to a theme he has raised in the past on the city's approach to road painting, calling for the council to consider delaying the road Line painting process until the late summer period.
Councillor Cunningham also returned to some past business asking what the progress was when it came to the city's plans for enforcement of the downtown property clean up. Ms. Miller's reply was unfortunately lost for the audience into the deep space of the digital atmosphere.
Though Mayor Brain did follow up by observing how the City needs to follow a process of reasonable notification before the city can do it's own enforcement and putting the charge on peoples taxes. He further noted that multiple letters and notifications will be required before the bylaw enforcement team can move forward.
Mr. Brain reinforced the city's commitment towards its clean up program, noting that if the downtown efforts prove successful, that the city would then move the enforcement moves towards residential areas, stating that it's multi year plan with a team dedicated towards achieving their goals.
Councillor Mirau also spoke towards the opening of the Pembina LPG terminal offering his own congratulations and noting how heartening it was to see how far that site has come and how it is now set to make the community millions of dollars in tax and lease revenues for decades to come, congratulating staff for their hard work on the file.
Mayor Brain also spoke to the path that council followed towards the Pembina opening.
With no other comments or inquiries, the Council session came to a close and council returned to their suspended Closed session from earlier in the day.
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.
Official minutes of the Regular Council Session from April 12, 2021
(not available yet)
The next City Council session will take place on Monday, April 26, 2021
Port Edward to the rescue! The District's garbage vehicle has been helping out around Prince Rupert
Sharp eyed residents, who may be home these days when the garbage collection comes by have probably notices something a little different than normal ... with the City of Prince Rupert making use of a variety of collection options.
With the city's regular truck sidelined since mid month, the City has been making use of smaller collection vehicles; some they own, one they appear to have borrowed or rented, with the District of Port Edward collection truck spotted around the city the last few weeks.
The need to downsize came with the apparent breakdown of the main truck, last seen on the east side of the city on June 16th.
The City of Prince Rupert's main garbage collection vehicle was last seen sitting on the side of Frederick awaiting its own retrieval
Since then, the collection process has used pick up trucks, the smaller refuse collector which the city owns and the Port Ed helper along the way.
So far the Operations department has not made use of the extensive social media presence that the city has to relay any notes of the fate of the once reliable collector of refuse or if the new strategy will be a long lasting one until the arrival of the shiny new model.
As we move a little further into 2019, the prospect of the introduction of curb side recycling to the community appears to be picking up a bit of speed.
It's a topic that has come up at a few of recent Prince Rupert City Council sessions, with Councillor Barry Cunningham along with Councillor Adey keeping the proposed initiative on the radar, the latter speaking to the topic in December.
At that time, Mr. Adey reminded council of the work currently done by a private individual in the community and indicating his hope that somehow that work can be included in the city's review process whenever it is launched.
How that process will move forward still seems a bit unclear, however some indications towards how it might come together were noted at a recent Regional District Session of the Recycling Advisory committee in late January.
Attending the session on behalf of the City of Prince Rupert were Tanya Ostrom and Hans Seidemann.
Mr. Brendan McShane, a Field Specialist with Recycle BC outlined where the program sits at the moment.
In his notes, Mr. McShane indicated that Recycle BC is increasing its expansion program and intends to have additional
information for the City of Prince Rupert with respect to onboarding scheduling in the summer of
2019. It was discussed that a vehicle purchase by the City to accommodate curbside recycling would
likely be complete by the end of year with a goal to implement operations into 2020. Further
discussion has been flagged between the NCRD, the City of Prince Rupert and Recycle BC with
respect to operational requirements and additional funds to cover education and administration
support.
The prospect of a vehicle designed to provide for curb side recycling was also part of that December 10th council discussion, at the time the City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben observed how the City will need to replace its large garbage truck.
"Staff is investigating the possibility of implementing curb side recycling through the purchase of a multi-purpose vehicle. This purchase along with the delivery of a flusher truck will be funded through an equipment loan. This loan will be repaid through equipment reserve funds."
So far, it does not appear that the truck purchase has been put out for tender by the City.
Once it has, residents may gain a bit more information from Council as to the fate of any launch of curb side recycling in Prince Rupert.
Health care has made its way towards the top of the attention list for Prince Rupert City Council, which announced plans this week to invite members of Northern Health to an upcoming council session to hear concerns over the state of health care services in the community.
Our list of the five most read items also had a few other civic related stories to make note of, with the city's plans for road repairs and paving and the upcoming changes to garbage and recycling of significant interest for readers.
The concerning accumulation of a three million dollar deficit at the School District dominated much of the weeks news as well, with the city's teacher's union expressing its concerns over the potential of layoffs to try to address the budgetary situation.
And the March vaccination program in Prince Rupert received some attention from the province's top health official this week as Doctor Bonnie Henry made note of the success of the community wide vaccination and how it has had an impressive effect on reducing new cases of COVID in the region.
However, by far, the most attention from the readers for the week was on Health Care and City Council's interest in responding to community concerns.
City Council ready for Road Repairs and New Paving program for 2021 -- Travellers of the roads of Prince Rupert may soon see a bit of relief in some areas of the city, with Council members discussing road repair and the annual civic paving program at this weeks Council session. (posted May 13, 2021)
You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.
You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page.
For 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. It can be found underneath the Follow the North Coast Review by Email indicator.
As well, those who use Twitter can get updates as we post new items from our twitter feed
The Board of North Coast Regional District is looking to go shopping for a new garbage hauler for Island Solid Waste in 2022, and in order to move forward with the plan, the Regional District is looking to borrow up to 250,000 dollars through the Municipal Finance Authority.
The loan proposal if approved would be repaid within ten years, with no rights of refusal
Towards that spending plan the RD is going to the public on the Islands through an Alternative Approval Process, the scope of that process and who will be involved in the approval requirement is outlined below:
Click to enlarge
In their notes, the District outlines the communities of interest for the AAP process, which is where the truck would be put to use, that list includes: Village of Masset, Village of Port Clements, Village of Queen Charlotte, NCRD Electoral Area “D”, and NCRD Electoral Area “E”.
The Alternative Approval Process is one engagement instrument that is being used more frequently of late by both Regional and Municipal governments in the region.
In this case it will allow the NCRD Board to proceed with the action unless at least 10% of the eligible electors state their opposition within a prescribed period. In this case, the Board has opted for the latter process.
If at least 10% of the eligible electors state their opposition to the proposed action, the matter requires the Assent of the Electors if the Board wishes to proceed.
NCRD notes that the Alternative Approval Process under the Community Charter replaces the Counter Petition Opportunity under the Local Government Act that some may have been familiar with.
Should you have more information, you can contact: Howard Tsang, Corporate Officer at the North Coast Regional District office at 14-342 3rd Avenue West, Prince Rupert, BC or by telephone at 250-624-2002, ext. 2.
Any plans to express opposition to the purchase must be delivered through the AAP process by no later than 4:20 PM on Monday, January 31, 2022.
The launch of the City's recycling program made for some short conversation as part of the final portion of Monday's City Council Session, with the topic introduced by Councillor Nick Adey who asked for a review for the debut of the program.
Providing Council with the first week talking points on the much anticipated start up of the curbside program was Operations Director Richard Pucci, who sketched out how the roll out went despite the challenging weather situation of the first week of January.
"The first couple of days were a bit of a challenge and we ran a bit long, but we knew we were going to do that, and you know I think the crews are just getting better and better as they get more familiar with the routes ... it was probably one of the worst days to start this program, but I know that the community was excited for the program as was I, and I think all of us were.
And we just said, you know what we just have to do it and get out there and not postpose anymore and we were able to complete the routes, it was a little long, but yeah we did it.
I think as this program moves forward over the next weeks and months, we will get better and better and get into a rhythm. So I'm really proud of the guys and proud of the crews and our staff down at Public Works for understanding that this is a new service and all getting behind it"
Operations Director Ricard Pucci provided Prince Rupert City Council with an overview of the launch of the curbside recycling program on Monday evening
"It's the same as the snow and ice, we will be doing a look back after we've run it a few weeks we've already made headway on getting a little bit better"
For their part both Councillors Adey and Cunningham praised the work of the city staff in the launch under challenging conditions.
The program which was originally scheduled to launch in September was delayed three months to allow for more preparation towards the city's new service, the collection now features a crew of three per truck working the city's routes to collect both residential garbage a range of recyclable materials.
The City is making use of its newly purchased garbage truck which features an assist mechanism to dump the blue bin material into recycling side of the split bays.
