City Council Archives 2011-12 council sessions

Our Archive of developments at Prince Rupert City Hall, providing the agendas, minutes, recordings and news items relating to developments with the City of Prince Rupert.

City Council meetings are streamed live and available from this link to the city website.

As part of our scorecard of City council meetings, we provide the attendance record of each member of council at the council gatherings, those listings are found below.

Total sessions 26 (as of most recent minutes December 10 2012)

Mayor Jack Mussallem  24 attended, absent for 2
Councillor Anna Ashley 25 attended, absent for 1
Councillor Judy Carlick-Pearson   19 attended, absent for 7
Councillor Gina Garon   24 attended, absent for 2
Councillor Nelson Kinney  21 attended, absent for 5
Councillor Jeniffer Rice  24 attended, absent for 2
Councillor Joy Thorkelson  23 attended, absent for 3


** January 19-- Councillor Ashley attended by phone
** January 23-- Councillor Carlick-Pearson attended by phone
** February 13-- Councillor Thorkelson attended by phone
** March 12-- Councillor Thorkelson attended by phone
** April 30-- Councillor Rice attended by phone 
** May 14-- Councillor Rice attended by phone
** August 20-- Council session was cancelled
** November 26--  Councillor Thorkelson attended by phone

Past meeting archives can be found from the following dates..

December 10 2012
December 3 2012 (Special Session, closed to public)
November 26 2012
November 13 2012
October 22 2012
October 9 2012
September 17, 2012
September 4, 2012
August 20 2012 (cancelled)
July 30 2012
July 9 2012
June 25 2012
June 18 2012
June 11 2012
May 28 2012
May 14 2012
May 7 2012
April 30 2012
April 23 2012
April 10 2012
March 26 2012
March 12 2012 
February 27 2012
February 13 2012
January 23 2012
January 9 2012
December 12 2011
December 5 2011

Years later, the Brooks Bank fire continues to haunt the city

It's a tragic anniversary for Prince Rupert, 21 years having passed since a downtown fire claimed the lives of four family members living in the Brooks Bank building.

The three storey structure located across from the  Totem Theatre was the scene of an early morning blaze on February 5th, 1990, one of many suspicious fires that had struck the downtown core in that era.

When fire investigators examined the Brooks Bank structure after the blaze was put out they made the tragic discovery of Helga Rochon and three members of her family, daughters Sherri and Pauline and grand daughter Kimberly but seven months old.

With those events still on the minds of many in the city, the RCMP has once again issued a call for assistance as they seek to gain more information on one of this city's saddest of days.

CFTK provided this video report on the call for assistance

The review of the cold case files was the subject of media reviews both near and far, some of which can be found below.

CFTK TV-- Prince Rupert RCMP hoping to solve 21 year old Quadruple homicide
Opinion 250-- New leads sought in Prince Rupert Cold Case
Toronto Sun-- BC cops looking for help in 21 year old homicide
Vancouver Sun-- Police ask for help solving 21 year old quadruple homicide
Vancouver Province-- 1990 Prince Rupert fire haunts dad

More doctor woes for Northern Health

The list of communities facing doctor shortages grows for Northern Health, with Burns Lake facing a particularly challenging situation, in that community all of the doctors have expressed their desire to withdraw their services.

One by retirement, the other four by resignation.

Opinion 250 in Prince George has this story on the health care problems in Burns Lake

Last week we outlined the problems facing Houston, a review of which you can examine here.

BC Ferries seeking massive ferry rate increases

BC Ferries is floating a proposed ferry rate increase that should get more than a bit of attention.

According to Vaughn Palmer of the Vancouver Sun, BC Ferries is proposing a number of increases to ferry rates bridged over four years, the most dramatic being those charged on the Northern Routes, which will see the rates increase by 26 percent per year over four years, making for more than a 100 per cent increase by 2015.

The full report from Palmer can be found here.

Labour dispute may bring British Colubmia's ports to a standstill

A percolating labour dispute between the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association may see the Port of Prince Rupert as well as all other ports in BC idled.

With contract negotiations apparently not going well, warnings were issued this week of the danger to the Canadian economy that any labour disruption on the waterfronts could provide.  As the two sides settled in for the final discussions on the dispute, some shipping lines were already making their plans to re-direct their vessels to American ports.

The potential for labour trouble has provided for a number of articles on the situation on the BC Waterfront, some of those can be found below.

Vancouver Sun-- Labour dispute blamed on slowdown at B. C. ports
Vancouver Sun-- Port Metro Vancouver loses cargo to U. S. competitors
The Northern View-- Possible work stoppage threatens to close Prince Rupert Port
Aldergrove Star-- Ports already feeling pain of possible strike

Rainmakers set to host southern competition

In what will be the opening act to a great week of basketball action, the PRSS Rainmakers are playing host to two teams this week, with squads from the Fraser Vally and Terrace arriving in the city for some high temp hoops action.

The  Rainmakers senior  basketball team will face some stiff competition Thursday and Friday as the Robert Bateman Timber Wolves arrive in town for a two game series.

The Timber Wolves play in the Fraser Vally High School League, which is rated as AAA in the provincial basketball standings, the Rainmakers currently play AA ball, also in town for the series is Terrace's Caledonia Secondary Kermodes.

Tip off time for the two evening Rainmaker games will be at 7:30 pm at the PRSS Gym.

The Northern View previewed the basketball showdown with this article.

Friends of Shames outline what's required to buy local ski operation

If all their plans come together, the Friends of Shames hope to have a bid in place to purchase the local ski operation this April.

The path towards a co-op version of the operation is outlined in this item from the Northern View.