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Sunday, December 31, 2023

Blog Watching 2023: The Year in Review

YEAR IN REVIEW 2023

For our Blog watching feature for year's end we offer up four headings to provide for a glimpse of some of the news highlights of the year soon to end.

Category number one will be the Overall Top story, as determined by the amount of views the article received over the course of the last 365 days.

Category Two will feature those stories of note from Prince Rupert City Hall.

Our third category explores some of the key topics of the year from the Business or Industrial footprint in the community.

A new addition, a fourth category for the review, will focus on the work of Emergency Responders from across the Northwest 

All of our results have been determined by the viewer count for the stories through the year.

At the bottom of each section you will also find links to additional blog resources to review themes in more detail, listed by the month.

Our Lists of the year, unfold as follows:

Overall top stories

As 2023 comes to a wrap, the prospects for the Port and how it relates with the city dominated much of the conversation for the community in the year just about to end.

From the latest data reviews from the Port Terminals, a month long labour dispute and the ongoing focus on how much the Port should give back to the community by way of taxes or grants continues to make for many a conversation around the region.

The City's focus on infrastructure and a keen interest on the revitalization of the city's downtown area, most recently through some high profile demolitions also was of much note for the public this year.

As well, themes of Emergency Service responses, whether by the RCMP, Fire Services, BC Ambulance or BC Conservation Service officers frequently found a fair bit of interest through the year.

Our look at how the months unfolded can be reviewed below:

Most Read -- All Inclusive



January

Port Response to City's PILT Report and discussion takes issue with a number of Council's findings

February

Vancouver Sun article highlights the now over one year incident of a tragic death at Prince Rupert Hospital, as well as other concerning issues of safety at facility

March

New Tourism initiative prepares to take to the streets of Prince Rupert 

April

Ken Cote bids farewell to the skies as he brings his decades of aviation to a close on the North Coast

May

Apartment building proposal for Frederick and Hays Cove to be revealed at tonight's Council Session

June

Belmont Hotel Demolition could be on the horizon

July

Moby Dick's Goats make for Prince Rupert return 

August

Prince Rupert's newest lounge opens its doors on Fraser Street 

September

Proposed change for Second Avenue Building on the list for Planning notes for Council tonight

October 

West side structure fire Tuesday claimed one life, sent others to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital

November

SD52 starts PRMS replacement planning with Management contract through Vancouver School Board

December

Drake Crescent Housing returns to the forefront, as Pacific Aurora Construction seeks variances for property in question


See our right hand column feature North Coast Review Backgrounders for links to archives of the year on a range of topics of note for the region.

Also as part of our right hand column options we have a North Coast Review Extra Edition feature which offers more in depth reviews of some of the larger issues of the Northwest this year.

Tracking the year in politics is fairly easy as well from our right hand column listings as well, just check out our archives for both the House of Commons and Legislature for items of note from the North Coast and Northwest in 2023.

Those who have deeper interest in the federal and provincial scene will find our companion blog D'Arcy McGee of interest, where we have archived notes from both Ottawa and Victoria.  

*************************************************************************

Municipal government

As noted above, action on derelict buildings and the ongoing work on infrastructure can be counted on to capture a large bit of interest by the public.

With Two Budget processes this year owing to a change in how City Council puts together their financial planning, any notes related to how the City plans to spend our money and how much they want found a good audience this year.

Housing plans, those currently underway, proposed or in some cases seemingly abandoned also were of much interest for readers as the twelve months of 2023 passed us by.

What municipal themes caught the interest of the readers through the year looked as follows:

Most Read -- Municipal Government


January









*************************************************************************

 Industry/Retail/Tourism 

The engine that is Prince Rupert is the port and 2023 saw the engine stall a bit, that mostly through the reduced volumes of goods through the DP World Container Terminal at Fairview.

The  years challenges meant significantly less work for many of the workers, both with the economic malaise in shipping and a summer labour disruption that brought Port operations to a near standstill for most of July.

There were some positives in the port related economy, some of the other terminals had strong years with the Grain and Trigon among those with positive throughput sheets, the new economic generators of energy resources also continue to build up their presence on the north coast.

While 2023 was a year of reflection for the industry, port officials continue to move forward with ambitious expansions plans for the Container Terminal and adjacent logistics terminals to service the port.

The Tourism industry saw an improving situation, with the Cruise sector delivering a good year of increased passenger counts, locally the commercial sector continued to see Prince Rupert's focus on the local small business operators, with some openings and some closures along the way in the year just ending.

Some of those closures continue an erosion of services that many took for granted over the years, with the town currently without an autobody shop and short of mechanics.

The lack of services and shopping making for more traffic eastbound to Terrace which has clearly become the shopping/service centre for the region, while parcel delivery services in Prince Rupert probably make for the largest growth business in the service sector. 

 

Some of the stories of the year are as follows:

Most Read -- Business/Industry

January

Port Response to City's PILT Report and discussion takes issue with a number of Council's findings

February

Wainwright Marine Services and Director Bates facing eight charges on 2021 Ingenika sinking

March

December

Terminal Build complete, Wolverine Marine Fuelling looks to 2024 start for Prince Rupert Operations 

For more background on the region's industrial, tourism and commercial sectors see the following:

Industrial Archive




Most Read -- Emergency Responder Files


January





For more background on the work of Emergency Responders across the Northwest see our archive below:

Emergency Responders Archive 2023


To all our readers, we hope you have a very happy and enjoyable New Year's Eve as we all provide our own farewell to an unforgettable twelve months of 2023. 

We offer our wishes for all the Best in 2024. We're looking forward to seeing what stories will be the ones that resonate through the year when we do this all again on December 31st, 2024!


Our archive of weekly Blog Watching for the year now ending can be found here.  

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Friday, September 22, 2023

Thursday sentencing for Wainwright Marine official brings $310,000 in fines, community service


The final stage of the trial for Wainwright Marine coming from the tragedy of the sinking of the MV Ingenika in February of 2021 took place yesterday in Prince Rupert.

That as the sentencing portion of the long running trial process came to a conclusion.

The listing of the charges facing owner James Bates and Wainwright Marine on the Court calendar made  for over three pages of reading material for the 3PM session at the Court House.

click on images above to enlarge 

James Geoffrey Bates, who had earlier pleaded guilty to one of eight charges under the occupational health and safety provisions of the Workers Compensation Act, received word of his fate as part of the Thursday afternoon Session.

Judge Nina Purewal imposed a fine of $15,000 on Bates, because he failed to provide essential information, instruction, training, and supervision to the workers.

 In addition to the fine, Bates was also assigned 100 hours of community service. 

 Bates' company, Wainwright Marine, was also charged and pleaded guilty to three of the eight charges against it. The company was handed three fines amounting to $295,000. 

As we outlined last month, the remaining charges against Wainwright Marine had previously been dropped by the Crown. 

The February 2021 sinking of the tugboat claimed the lives of Captain Troy Pearson from Prince Rupert, 58, and deckhand Charley Cragg, 25 from the Vancouver area. 

A  third crew member, Prince Rupert's Zac Dolan, was rescued after an extensive search of the Gardner Canal area south of Kitimat, he was subsequently hospitalized for hypothermia and frostbite. 

A thorough recap of the Thursday events and a review of the two year period for the trial can be reviewed here.

More media notes on the sentencing process can be reviewed below:

BC tugboat owner and company fined $310K for fatal sinking that killed 2 workers 
Tugboat operator finally sentenced with $310,000 fine, more than two years after the fatal sinking of the Ingenika 
Tugboat sentence handed down (audio)







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Sunday, August 20, 2023

Blog Watching Week ending August 20, 2023


 Our first Blog Watching feature since our return from our break, finds Housing and the City's water infrastructure issues among the key items for the list of five.

On Housing, our readers found much interest in our look at some progress on 11th Avenue East where the proposed Lax Kw'alaams led apartments are to be constructed.

As well, our look at the lively conversation over Makola Housing in Prince Rupert through a local social media forum also attracted a large audience

Prince Rupert City Council can move forward with their plans to borrow 45 million dollars towards water infrastructure use, that following a successful outcome of their recent use of the Alternate Approval Process. 

More than a few of our readers explored the outcome of a recent court trial at the Prince Rupert Court House as Wainwright Marine and its President faced charges related to the sinking of the MV Ingenika.

And the ongoing quest for employees came up short this week for BC Transit in Prince Rupert, with one of the city's bus routes reducing service over a lack of drivers.

The top story of the week, takes us to the city's east side and perhaps some progress towards at least one affordable housing program moving forward.
 
Progress for site development for Lax Kw'alaams Housing project on 11th Avenue East  -- Some land clearing and staging is taking place on the city's east side at the site of the Lax Kw'alaams led apartment project.     (posted August 15, 2023) 

That article was followed by: 

MLA Rice weighs in on social media forum exploring status of Makola Housing in Prince Rupert --   The commentary was lively last weekend as social media provided a forum for those who live in the housing provided by Makola in Prince Rupert, it proved to be a topic that even caught the eye of the MLA for the region.  (posted  August 16, 2023)

Rupert Court hears guilty pleas from Wainright Marine and company executive  -- The Prince Rupert Court House served as the forum for the latest developments for Wainwright Marine, which answered charges related to the sinking of MV Ingenika.   (posted August 17, 2023) 
   
Driver Shortage makes for cancelled runs for Prince Rupert Transit's Route 51 -- Finding staff for many of the day to day jobs that keep the city running has proven to be a challenge for many organizations, more so for the provider of municipal transit in Prince Rupert.    (posted August 15, 2023) 

City of Prince Rupert water borrowing plans move forward following end of AAP process --   With over a month to register an opinion, not enough Prince Rupert residents spoke in opposition to derail the city's plans for borrowing through an Alternative Approval Process for the ongoing water infrastructure project. That meant that the City could provide quick approval tis week, for two bylaws to authorize the borrowing of 45 million dollars.  Those loan authorizations and other themes related to the fragile and at times failing water supply system made for much of the night's discussion on Wednesday at a Special Council session. Our notes on that council session can be reviewed here. (posted August 17,  2023) 

You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace. 
 
You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page. 

For updates on new items posted daily to the blog, we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post notification of new stories as we post them. 

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.

 To view the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
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Thursday, August 17, 2023

Prince Rupert Court hears guilty pleas from Wainwright Marine and company executive


Wainwright Marine was back in Prince Rupert Court on Wednesday, the latest hearing into the tragic sinking of the tug Ingenika delivering guilty pleas from the North Coast marine service as a business and from its president.

Wainwright Marine Services and James Geoffrey Bates, the president of parent company Bates Properties Limited,  were charged back in February on eight counts of violations of health and safety provisions.


Those charges came following an investigation into the circumstances of the sinking of the Wainwright Marine Tugboat Ingenika on February 10th 2022, that tragedy claimed the lives of Prince Rupert's Troy Pearson, the vessel's captain and crew member Charley Cragg of the Lower Mainland.

A third crew member, Zac Dolan managed to escape the sinking vessel, he was later rescued during the search response that took place along Gardner Canal near Kitimat.

In the Wednesday court appearance, the lawyer for Wainwright Marine entered guilty pleas for some but not all of the charges. 

The company pled guilty to three of the eight charges it was facing, while Mr. Bates pled guilty to one. The remaining charges were put aside after the Crown Agreed to a stay towards them.

Those guilty pleas were in answer to the following charges:

Failure to maintain protective equipment and devices in good working order. 

Failure to ensure the tow abort system and immersion suits were capable of performing their functions. 

Failure to provide workers with training, instruction and supervision necessary for the job. 

Failure to ensure new workers were given training specific to the use of personal protective equipment. 

Failure to hold annual drills to ensure awareness of emergency procedures. 

As part of the arrangement reached on Wednesday, Wainwright Marine and Bates could see fines of up to 310,000 dollars and the President, Mr. Bates would be required to perform community service. As part of the plea agreement he will not face any jail time.

The recent court appearances saw Judy Carlick Pearson, the wife of Troy and Genevieve Cragg, the mother of Charley provided victim impact statements to court. 

Their words conveying the sense of loss that was shared by the families in these months and years since the tragic circumstance of February 2022 as well as their determination to seek justice on behalf of the two men.

Judy Carilck Pearson, Genevieve Cragg and MP Taylor Bachrach
(from MP Bachrach's FB page)

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP, Taylor Bachrach has been with both families through much of their journey through the legal and safety board hearings processes, and on Wednesday he shared some of his thoughts on the courage that both families have shown through these last two years.


Bachrach and the families have stated that they will continue to push for increased standards on marine safety on the British Columbia coast and to hold marine service providers to account.

Some notes on the Wednesday court appearance and new information related to the February sinking can be reviewed below:

Tugboat owners plead guilty to safety charges connected to fatal sinking near Kitimat  BC
BC marine company and its owner plead guilty to safety violations in deadly tugboat sinking 


A look back at the history of the incident and the follow up investigations can be reviewed from our archive page.

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Friday, April 28, 2023

City of Prince Rupert, Mayor Pond and Labour community marking National Day of Mourning today


Today is the National Day of Mourning for those killed or injured while on the job, with commemorations taking place across the province and the nation, including here in Prince Rupert.

The City of Prince Rupert made note of today's solemn occasion earlier today, sharing some background on the history of the now eight year annual commemoration.


Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond also had some commentary towards today's events, noting of the local National Day of Mourning Celebration to take place tonight at Pacific Mariners Memorial Park starting at 6PM


The Province has also observed of today's commemoration, with Premier David Eby and Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, releasing this statement of observance.

As we noted yesterday, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach made note of today's event and highlighted the ongoing work towards safety for workers, reminding the House of Commons of the Ingenika tragedy of two years ago.

More notes on Labour themes on the North Coast can be reviewed here.
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Thursday, April 27, 2023

MP Taylor Bachrach continues push for stronger tugboat safety measures


Tomorrow is the Day of National Mourning,  an event marked Nationally across the country and dedicated to those who have lost their lives while at work.

Today during Question Period in the House of Commons, NDP Transport Critic and Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach once again, called on the Liberal Government to improve safety regulations for tugboats.

The MP speaking to the delay in implementation of recommendations from a Transportation Safety Board report from earlier this year following the 2021 deaths of Troy Pearson and Charlie Cragg on the tugboat Ingenika. 

That report, released on March 8th made four recommendations to protect mariner safety. 

Expand its surveillance program to include regular inspections of tugs of 15 gross tonnage or less to verify that these vessels are complying with regulatory requirements.

Require authorized representatives of tugs of 15 GT or less to assess the risks present in their operations, including the suitability of their tugs for the specific towing operations they are undertaking. 

The TSB also had recommendations for the Pacific Pilotage Authority: 

Verify that eligibility requirements are met before issuing pilotage waivers to companies operating tugs in compulsory pilotage areas. 

Implement a process to verify ongoing compliance with waiver conditions by companies operating tugs in compulsory pilotage areas. 

The full report can be reviewed here.

In his time in the House today, the MP reminded the Commons of the tragedy on the Gardner Canal two years ago and the lack of movement towards implementing safety recommendations that came out the Transportation Safety Board Investigation. 

 “Tomorrow is the National Day of Mourning — a day when we remember those who have been killed or injured on the job. Workers like Troy Pearson and Charlie Cragg who were killed when the tugboat Ingenika sank near Kitimat. 

It’s been a month and a half since the Transportation Safety Board issued four recommendations to prevent similar deaths. Every day, workers are boarding vessels just like the Ingenika. Their lives hang in the balance. 

Will the minister stand today and finally commit to implementing all four recommendations?”

The short reply from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra didn't provide for a timeline as to when the recommendations would be delivered by way of action as recommended.

Mr. Bachrach's Question and the reply from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra cane be viewed from the question Period video replay starting at the thirty minute mark.



More background on the 2021 sinking can be explored through our archive page.

Items of interest from the House of Commons can be reviewed here.

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Friday, April 21, 2023

Prince Rupert RCMP members among those honoured for valour, service in BC Awards Ceremony this week

154 members of law enforcement in British Columbia were honoured this week for their service to the province of British Columbia. 

With Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Mike Farnworth the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General noting of their commitment to community as part of the event.

“Day in and day out, police officers work hard throughout British Columbia to keep our communities, homes and roads safe by preventing crime and responding to a variety of calls for service. Over the past two nights, we recognized the brave people serving in police departments throughout our province. Policing is a difficult job, and the pandemic spawned a whole new set of challenges. I want to thank our officers for putting their lives on the line for the safety and security of our communities.” -- Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General

The Awards Ceremony, which were the first to take place since 2019 owing to COVID,  covered two nights April 18 and 19. 

It was on the second evening of the event that two members of the Prince Rupert Detachment were honoured. With Sergeant Wenda Leask and Constable Matthew Jones paid tribute for their work on a suicidal man call.


From their work they both were awarded the Honours for Meritorious  Service for Exemplary Performance. 

The honour is awarded to those that shown exemplary performance that enhances the image of police officers in British Columbia. It is awarded to police officers who clearly demonstrated that they acted in a manner significantly beyond the standard normally expected. 

A few other members of the RCMP from the northwest also were provided with similar honours as part of this years program. 



Members of the West Coast Marine Detachment were also given Awards of Valour for their work in searching for the missing crew of the tugboat Ingenika in Gardner Channel.


Learn more about the Police Honours program here.   

The full overview of this week's Awards ceremony can be reviewed here.

More notes on the work of Emergency Responders across the Northwest can be explored here.

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Wednesday, March 8, 2023

More calls for Federal Government to address safety issues in marine towing industry following Transportation Safety Board report on Ingenika

The Transportation Safety Board released its report into the sinkin
of the Wainwright Tugboat Ingenika today
(image from TSB)

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its findings into the February 10, 2021 sinking of the Wainwright Tug MV Ingenika. 

The marine incident one which claimed the lives of Mariners Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg and left a third member of the crew, Zac Dolan hospitalized.

The report from today provided some additional background towards the conditions of the day and the nature of the work that the tug  was taking on in its part of its transit of Gardener Canal between Kitimat and Kemano. 

A pair of paragraphs from the report notes of the lack of requirements currently in place and the dangers that continues to bring to the industry.

Since 2015, the TSB has investigated six occurrences involving tugs of 15 GT or less operating on the west coast of Canada that have raised concerns around the adequacy of regulatory surveillance, a systemic safety issue that has been on the TSB Watchlist since 2010.

The TSB has also noted that there is currently no requirement for towing companies to assess any of the risks that might be present in their operations. This means that risks in towing operations will continue to go undetected and unmitigated, placing crews, tugs, tows, and the environment at risk.

The TSB then identified four areas for action from the Industry and the Ministry of Transportation.

Expand its surveillance program to include regular inspections of tugs of 15 gross tonnage or less to verify that these vessels are complying with regulatory requirements.

Require authorized representatives of tugs of 15 GT or less to assess the risks present in their operations, including the suitability of their tugs for the specific towing operations they are undertaking. 

The TSB also had recommendations for the Pacific Pilotage Authority: 

Verify that eligibility requirements are met before issuing pilotage waivers to companies operating tugs in compulsory pilotage areas. 

Implement a process to verify ongoing compliance with waiver conditions by companies operating tugs in compulsory pilotage areas. 

The full report can be reviewed here.



The overview from the TSB of Canada left Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP quite angered at the final findings from the Safety Board officials.

“I’m infuriated at the details contained in the TSB’s report. It paints a stark picture of negligence by both the vessel’s owner and the federal government — negligence that cost two workers their lives. I won’t rest until there is accountability and justice.” 

One of the key elements of the Safety Board  investigations to note how the  Ingenika’s crew were not adequately trained, onboard survival equipment had not been maintained, and the vessel was underpowered for the barge it was towing

“For years, the TSB has warned the Transport Minister about safety concerns related to smaller tugboats, but the government’s weak response so far has included only voluntary measures. The fact that two years have passed without the minister putting in place stricter rules is nothing short of shameful,” 

The Skeena Bulkley Valley MP who participated in a press conference following the decision called on federal transport minister Omar Alghabra to immediately implement all of the Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations, which include mandatory inspections for tugboats under 15 tons. 

He also called for increased enforcement presence by Transport Canada, and higher fines for non-compliance.

 “We can’t allow this Minister to continue his government’s legacy of foot-dragging and corporate capture that has persisted for far too long. Protecting worker safety cannot be voluntary — it must be mandatory. The mariners who board these vessels every single day on our coast deserve to come home to their families.”

Participating in todays conference along with the MP were members of the ILWU along with the families of both Mr. Pearson and Mr. Cragg. 

Judy Carlick-Pearson, spoke to the need to ensure that companies are liable for their actions 

"For me it's to try to understand why the sentencing and the fines are so low for these companies, to commit something as heinous and be charged with something so minimal. 

In other countries, the fines are so much more than in Canada and they're protected under WorkSafe.

It's not good, we've got to get out that so that companies and corporations are being held liable and thinking twice about being negligent in their operations"

All of those speaking  highlighted the failure of the government to provide proper oversight of the industry and called for the Ministry of Transportation to take action on the recommendations. 

The press conference can be viewed below:



You can review the history of the Ingenika incident from our archive page.

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Sunday, February 12, 2023

Blog Watching: Week ending February 12, 2023

A week that made for one of remembrance of the sinking of the Tugboat Ingenika, also brought an appearance in court for owners Wainwright Marine to answer to eight safety related charges from the 2021 incident. 

As well, the last seven days saw a renewed  push for improved safety measures for those that work the waters. 

Our notes on the related events of the week,] had found a large audience as we reached the weekend.

The end of the regular season for the Prince Rupert Rampage and the CIHL playoffs ahead also resonated with readers.

As did some news on tourism with the Port's Interpretive Centre set to close for makeover until June.

The City announced a return to our main water supply of Woodworth Lake this week and a petition push and presentation at City Council on the issue of downtown parking also made for some strong readership on the week.

From the weeks review the most read of our pieces was the announcement of Court charges and a court date in March for Wainwright Marine Services.

Wainwright Marine Services and Director Bates facing eight charges on 2021 Ingenika sinking -- A Prince Rupert based marine towing company and one of its directors saw eight charges filed in court this week, setting a course for a next court appearance in Mid March.  This week also provided for a solemn remembrance of the deaths of Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg from that incident, with a rally of remembrance and call for better safety measures held at the city's Mariner's Park.  (posted February 7, 2023) 

That article was followed by: 

Rampage put a wrap on Regular season with fully of goals and first place finish in West, Second overall in CIHL -- An impressive output of offence brought the regular season to an and end for the Prince Rupert Rampage, securing first in the CIHL West and giving them a break until Mid February. The playoff season launched this weekend our notes on the post season can be reviewed here.   (posted  February 6, 2023) 

Big changes ahead for Port Interpretive Centre at Atlin Terminal, sending Prince Rupert Visitors Bureau into a virtual mode until May -- A new look and some new exhibits are part of the blue prints for work on the Port Interpretive Centre for the next few months, as a result of the renovations, Tourism Prince Rupert has gone into a virtual mode until they resume their operations with a bit of a twist for May.  (posted  February  8, 2023) 

City of Prince Rupert announces return to primary water supply at Woodworth Lake -- While it had been announced as completed in the fall, it was only this week that the City of Prince Rupert announced that its residents were now using the Woodworth Lake water supply.  (posted February 8, 2023) 

Petition push seeks second chance for comments on City's downtown parking amendments -- With a number of downtown merchants discovering that they had missed a public hearing on the topic, a petition was launched to seek a second opportunity for them to be heard. The topic made its way to Monday's Council session, which included a presentation to their request from Bruce Wishart and the subsequent decision by City Council to defer the city's parking plans until those seeking their chance to comment on it could meet with city staff.   (posted February  6, 2023) 


You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace. 
 
You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page. 

For updates on new items posted daily to the blog, we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post notification of new stories as we post them. 

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.

 To view the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
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Friday, February 10, 2023

Mariner's Park rally brings many together to remember lives lost, call for action to bring more safety to the marine industry

Some of those gathered today at Mariner's Park in Prince Rupert
(from MP Taylor Bachrach's office)

Prince Rupert's Mariner's Park, a place that at its heart is dedicated to those who lived and worked on or by the sea, was the marshalling point for a rally today to remember the lives of two mariners's taken from their families and friends two years ago.

The 11 AM gathering was organized to commemorate the lives of Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg, they were aboard the Wainwright Marine Service tugboat Ingenika on February 11, 2021 when it sank in Gardner Canal,  a third crew member, Zac Dolan was rescued following a search in the hours after the incident. 

The Friday rally found a good sized mixture of family and friends of the deceased, politicians, community members along with representation from the marine towing industry both at the park  and aboard some of the vessels which were stationed just off the docks below Mariner's Park.

The ceremony provided for remembrances of shared times, along with a resolve to continue the push to see more protection for those who work in the marine industry.  

Mr. Bachrach speaking at today's community rally
(image courtesy of the MP's office)

Of those attending todays event was Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach, who has been advocating for improved maritime  regulations  in the House of Commons, he touched on a number of areas of concern as part of his contribution to the event.

“Two years have passed and the federal government has done virtually nothing to address the risks tugboat workers face.  It is unconscionable that despite the loss of two lives and the many reported accidents each year, the Minister has dragged his feet on this issue. 

Too often we see the federal government bow to industry pressure and bring in weak self-regulation regimes, or worse, voluntary programs that don’t work. The mariners who go to work every day on these small tugs deserve no less than strong regulations, strongly enforced.”

Some of the images of today's rally at Mariner's Park
(courtesy of MP Bachrach's office)
click on all above to enlarge

Also on hand for today's rally, were members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union 400,   who joined the call for the Federal Government to address the safety inspection system.

A statement issued by the Labour organization mourned the lost lives of Mr, Pearson and Mr. Cragg and highlighted the frustration and concerns over the lack of attention to the issues of safety for  those who work on the water.

click to enlarge

As we outlined earlier this week, eight safety related charges  under the Workers Compensation Act were introduced at the Prince Rupert Court House against Wainwright Marine Services and Director James Bates.

You can review the latest items of note to towards the sinking of two years ago, as well as those reflecting today's rally through our archive page.
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Thursday, February 9, 2023

Rally to commemorate Mariners Lost at Sea planned for Friday morning at Mariner's park

Mariner's Park overlooking Prince Rupert Harbour will be the host
for a Rally tomorrow morning to remember the lives of Troy Pearson and 
Charley Cragg who perished at sea with the sinking of the Ingenika in 2021

The continued call for Justice for Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg will be the main focus for an 11AM Mariner's Lost at Sea Rally at Mainers Park tomorrow.

The pair of North Coast Mariners lost their lives on February 11th of 2021 when their tugboat the Ingenika sank in Gardner Canal south of Kitimat.

The focus for tomorrows gathering will be to remember them and to continue the call for more stringent regulations and enforcement of them for those who work on the water.


A number of guests will be taking part and speaking  as part of the late morning Friday rally.

Included among them will be Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach, who has spoken often of the tragedy in the House of Commons and continues the call for the Federal government to improve on the legislation governing the industry.

The Member of Parliament will be joined by joined by the President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 400 Marine Section, Jason Woods; National President of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Rob Ashton; Secretary Treasurer of the BC Federation of Labour Harminder Singh Kailey; and families of the victims of the sinking of the Ingenika.

To underscore the importance of the Rally at Mariner's Park tomorrow, just this week, charges were filed at the Prince Rupert Court  House with Wainwright Marine Services and its Director James Geoffrey Bates facing eight safety related charges under the Workers Compensation Act.

Notes on the tragedy of two years ago, along with recent updates to the incident can be found through our archive page.

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Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Wainwright Marine Services and Director Bates facing eight charges on 2021 Ingenika sinking


With the anniversary of the 2021 sinking of the Tugboat Ingenika just days away, Wainwright Marine Services and Director James Geoffrey Bates have seen eight Workers Compensation Act charges filed in Prince Rupert Court related to a number of safety related areas.

The counts which were introduced on Monday, include:

Failure to ensure the health and safety of workers

Failure to maintain protective equipment, which include immersion suits and a tow abort system aboard the vessel

Failure to train and supervise workers on safety procedures,  including how to use the suits designed to improve chances of survival in an emergency

Failure to give young or new workers proper health and safety training

Failure to have a written plan for a water emergency where rescue or evacuation might be needed

Failure to hold and record annual emergency drills 

The charges fall under the Workers Compensation Act and are not criminal charges.

The maximum amount that a fine could bring is $770,000, as well as a potential 6 months in jail, the charges have not been proven in court.

Wainwright was previously fined by Transport Canada in September of 2022 with three sanctions, along with one for Bates Properties.

Update: In an RCMP information release on February 10th,  the full listing of the charges was provided, as well as to release the date of the next court appearance which is set for March 15, 2023.

click to enlarge

The tug sank in the waters of Gardner Canal in the early morning hours of February of 2021, the tragic marine incident claimed the lives of tug captain Troy Pearson and deckhand Charley Cragg, a third member of the crew, Zac Dolan was rescued after an extensive search by Emergency Responders and others.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach made note of the charges that have been laid as part of Question Period in the House of Commons today, addressing his questions to the Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

“The charges announced today are an important step in achieving justice for the families of Troy Pearson and Charley Cragg. 

The government and justice system must use every tool available to hold negligent companies accountable and protect workers’ lives."

The MP  also reminded the government that the legal proceedings alone will not be enough to protect mariners who operate tugboats like the Ingenika on B.C.’s coast. 

“Holding one company accountable isn’t enough to protect mariners who work up and down the BC coast. For years, workers have been calling for stronger federal regulations, for mandatory inspections and for proper enforcement. 

Two years passed. Two workers dead. And this Minister hasn’t changed a single safety measure. Why?” 

A memorial event is scheduled for February 10th in Prince Rupert to mark the second anniversary of the sinking of the Ingenika. 

Details towards that event have yet to be shared publicly to this point.

Background on the incident can be explored from our archive page

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