North Coast Review

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Emergency Service Files -- March 2016

Prince Rupert RCMP seek witnesses to East side altercation

The Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP is looking for the assistance of the public regarding an incident which took place outside of a residence on the east side of the city in mid February.

Upon arrival at 5:52 PM on February 17th to an address in the 1400 block of Piggot Place, the RCMP found the City's Bylaw officer requiring medical attention with the officer transported to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital for further examination.

At the same time a 28 year old female was taken into custody and subsequently released without charges, however Police continue to investigate the incident.

Prince Rupert RCMP are looking for the public's assistance
in relation to an investigation into an incident on Piggot Place

Should you have witnessed the incident or have further information to provide to Police related to it, you are asked to contact the RCMP at 250-627-0700 or through Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

You can review the media information statement from the RCMP here.

For more items related to Northwest Emergency Service files see our archive page here.

More financial pressures for Petronas as energy company outlines cost cutting plans

Malaysian energy giant Petronas, the parent company of Pacific NorthWest LNG is facing more cost cutting measures at its Kuala Lumpur head office, with two media releases in recent days highlighting some of the steps that the company is taking to address some of its financial pressures.

Yesterday in a media statement, Petronas outlined the struggles that 2015 provided to the company, a year which delivered lower revenue and profit amidst the environment of depressed oil prices. Noting that its financial performance will continue to be affected by those conditions through 2016.

Among the cost cutting measures that they plan to take this year, will be additional cuts to Capital and Operational expenses over the next four years.

Though Petronas President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin did not offer much in the way of guidance as to how they plan to achieve those cuts, other to state that they intend to put in place a new organizational structure effective April 1st.

Today, Petronas outlined the scope of that new corporate structure, something that will result in what Petronas calls the redundancy of under 1,000 positions, with those departures set to come into place over the next six months.

A Malaysian Report has Petronas
seeking additional partners or a larger
investment share from current ones for
it's proposed Lelu Island LNG project

There was no mention in either of the statements from this week as to the status of their holdings in foreign countries, including the Pacific NorthWest LNG project proposed for the North Coast.

One Malaysian news source, the Malaysian Reserve, notes that Petronas is expected to look for additional partners to join in on the Canadian LNG project, or ask that current shareholders increase their investment into the proposed development.

That publication also noted that the original plan for commercial operations for 2019 is likely to now be deferred until 2022 or 2024.

The Pacific NorthWest LNG project is currently in the final public comment phase of its environmental process.

After the March 11th deadline for comment the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will submit its findings to the federal cabinet, with the Environment Minister to deliver the government's final decision after that report has been received.

Some more notes on the news out of Malaysia can be found here.

Petronas May Cut 1,000 jobs as Oil Slump prompts reorganization
Petronas expects 1,000 redundancies under group-wide revamp
Petronas may lay off 1,000 staff
Petronas may need to raise funds
Malaysia's Petronas to cut about 1,000 positions after strategic review
1,000 positions in Petronas may be made redundant
Petronas announces overhaul affecting nearly 1,000 jobs, cuts over next 6 months
Petronas May Need to Raise Debt, Tap Cash Amid Oil's slump

More items related to the Pacific NorthWest LNG project can be found on our archive page.

North Coast Minor Baseball Association 2016

Our archive of items on the launch of the North Coast Minor Baseball Association, which is looking to bring the game back to the region, focusing on children from ages 4-9 in the 2016 season.

North Coast Minor Baseball Association website
North Coast Minor Baseball Association Facebook page

2016

October 17 -- KidSport funding for Prince Rupert (video)
October 12 -- KidSport options for the North Coast to be revealed at information session October 17 NCR

June 22 -- Sunday tournament set to celebrate the strong reception for Minor Baseball's return NCR

March 8 -- Minor baseball returns to the North Coast
March 1 -- Play Ball! Local group working on bringing Baseball back to the North Coast NCR

Play Ball! Local group working on bringing Baseball back to the North Coast

It's been a long time since youngsters in Prince Rupert and area have had the chance to play organized baseball.

The once popular sport in the area lost ground to soccer a number of years ago, with the baseball scene for the most part surrendered to the recreational softball groups for those of older ages.

That it seems is about to change though, with a local group having formed the North Coast Minor Baseball Association, a start up league that is accepting registration for this season starting today.

The new sports option for the community will see three levels of play created as they prepare to bring the game back, featuring baseball for youngsters Ages 4-5, 6-7 and 8-9.

The youngest group will be playing a starter version of the game called Blastball making use of the Crestview field for this first year.

The 6-7 Age group will be playing the more familiar Tee ball, while youngsters ages 8 and 9 will be participating in a full Baseball program, though primarily with the coaches doing the pitching.

Both of those divisions will be using a field provide by the District of Port Edward at McKeown Park.

The need to make the short drive out to Port Edward would seem to suggest that there is a shortage of available space in Prince Rupert.

That was an issue that Councillor Niesh raised In January at Council when he first noted that there were plans in motion to start up the Association, highlighting how one field at the Civic Centre has been turned over dog walkers, something which Council may wish to review in order to give the baseball organizers some assistance in developing the sport.

While the City seems to have other
plans for the Mckay Stree/Kootenay field
it would seem to be a logical location
for a new baseball league in the city

Another option that might be considered is the currently unused baseball field located at McKay Street.

A location that the City seems determined to make use of for one of its place making projects, having outlined some ideas for that space at a recent conference in the community.

That might be a proposal that the City might wish to review as well, perhaps finding an alternative spot for its place making plans, returning the McKay Street baseball field to a purpose it was originally designed for, located as it is in a large residential area on the west side of the city.

While the generosity of the District of Port Edward is a welcome bit of community building on the North Coast, for a number of Prince Rupert's young people, the ability to get out to Port Edward might prove to be a issue when it comes to registration.

The advantage of baseball is that of the many sports available for youth to play, it's relatively inexpensive, with the cost of a glove for the most part the only required piece of equipment.

For those on a limited income, the idea of baseball in the community could provide for a sport that is accessible to all, something that the City of Prince Rupert should be looking to encourage.

As for the action on the field for the season ahead, once they have a better idea as to their registration numbers, the North Coast Baseball season will be a short one. With sessions taking place through May and June, organizers hope to schedule times as best they can to avoid conflicts with Minor Soccer in the community.

There is also a Minor Softball program being set up in the region that will focus on youngsters over the age of eight, adding to the options for youth in the community.

You can find out more about the rebirth of baseball from the Website and Facebook Page .

As the plans come together and the season gets underway we'll archive more information on the launch of the Association on our archive page here.

Northeast petition seeks to build support for Pacific NorthWest LNG project

Residents of Northeast B. C. are
taking a keen interest in the fate
of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project

As most resident on the North Coast are aware, the Pacific NorthWest LNG project is currently working its way through the final days of the Comment period with Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, one final opportunity for those that either support or oppose the proposed development to make their views known.

And while the project would offer the opportunity for major investment for the Prince Rupert region, this area is not the only part of the province which has an interest in progress of the proposed mega development.

The Northeast corner of B. C. also has a number of residents looking to make their views known, with over 500 in the Fort St. John area signing a petition of support in recent days.

The Group known as FSJ for LNG set up shop in front of a local store in the Northeast city, collecting signatures for the petition which will forwarded to the Federal Government, urging approval of the project.

The Federal Cabinet will make its decision once the CEAA has wrapped up the comment period and forwarded the final documentation to Ottawa.

The Fort St. John advocates began their work in December, creating a Facebook page to explain their petition and to seek out the assistance of those in the Northeast to share their support.

The group is hoping to expand its initiative to communities along the pipeline routes from Prince George through to Prince Rupert.

A similar style Facebook page, Say Yes to Lelu Island LNG has popped up in Prince Rupert seeking to bring together supporters of the proposed development for the Port Edward area.

That portal has been urging residents to take part in the comments phase of the Pacific NorthWest LNG process.

As we noted on the blog last week, the pace of building support for LNG and other industrial projects has picked up over the last few months, most recently with the announcement of a luncheon hosted by the Chamber of Commerce set for today, that event will hear from a number of speakers and look for ways to raise awareness of the support for responsible development in the region.

That lunch time meeting is taking place at the North Coast Convention Centre.

You can review the story on the Northeast petition plans from this item from the Alaska Highway News.

For more items related to Pacific NorthWest's LNG terminal see our archive page here.

Taking Stock: North Coast Business Scene -- February 2016

The start of the year has been a fairly slow period for the launch of new business ventures in the City, with no new projects making their presence known in Prince Rupert through February.

The early part of the year has however provided for some disappointing news for those who like to shop in the Cow Bay area of the city, with word of the closure of the Posh Pirates store, a popular location that had created quite a bit of buzz during the last few years.

February did provide for a few interesting items to take note of, with a change for a familiar name in the city and the entry of a new financial institution into the Northwest among the reviews for the month, some background on those developments and more can be found below:

February

The month started out with word of an expansion plan from a financial institution in the province's Northeast, as North Peace Savings and Credit Union moves into the Northwest.

Air Travellers on the North Coast will be looking forward to May, as Air Canada adds a third flight to its Prince Rupert schedule.

February was the month that saw Overwaitea fade from the city's business sector, as the Jim Pattison Group re-branded the local store as a Save On Foods location.

A local transportation group received a bit more attention, as the Thrive North program noted the success of Silver Grizzly Transportation.

February was awards month, with the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce hosting its annual Business Excellence Awards at the Lester Centre on Saturday night.

And while success was celebrated, the business community lost one of its more popular shopping options, as Posh Pirates made note of the final day of business taking place over the weekend.

You will be able to find the archive for Taking Stock as a part of our larger page dedicated to the commercial sector of the North Coast found here.

We imagine we probably have missed a few here or there, so if you know of a business having opened, or seen the Going out of business sign appear somewhere in the area, drop us a line at our email account of northcoastreviewpr@yahoo.ca

Or send us a short message through our twitter feed of @CharlesHays