MP and MLA hosting Community BBQ today

It's time for the Annual Cullen/Rice
Community BBQ at Mariner's Park

A chance to catch up with two local politicians is available today as MP Nathan Cullen and MLA Jennifer Rice host their annual Community BBQ at Prince Rupert's Mariner's Park.

It offers up an opportunity for North Coast residents to learn more about Mr. Cullen's work on reforming the Canadian electoral system, a project he has been involved with for much of the summer.

On the provincial side, the public can ask questions of the North Coast MLA about the recent summer session at Legislature and what plans the NDP have for the fall and heading into next year's provincial election.

The event being held in support of North Coast Community Services takes place from 11:30 to 1:30 PM.

Burgers and hotdogs will be on the grill available by donation towards the work of the NCCS.

Notes on today's BBQ can be found on the Facbeook page created for the event.

With both politicians active on Social media, Updates most likely will be found through the day through their various platforms.

Nathan Cullen Facebook
Nathan Cullen Twitter
Jennifer Rice Facebook
Jennifer Rice Twitter

More background on their work in Ottawa and Victoria can be found below.

From the Legislature
From the House of Commons

Exxon-Mobil/Imperial Oil gains fifteen year extension to LNG export licence

Exxon Mobil/Imperial Oil have
received an extension to their
export permit for LNG shipments
from British Columbia
(map from WCC LNG website)

The proponent of an LNG export facility for Tuck Inlet north of Prince Rupert has found success in its bid to gain an extension to its original 25 year export licence.

In late July, Exxon Mobil/Imperial Oil received approval from the National Energy Board for its request to extend the WCC LNG export licence, with the NEB allowing for another 15 years to be added to the export licence, giving the energy giant a 40 year window when it comes to access  and shipment of the gas reserves of Northeastern British Columbia.

The Decision listed at the NEB website offers up one note of significant interest for Prince Rupert, with one of the background items noting that WCC LNG has the option of locating a gas liquefaction terminal in the vicinity of either Prince Rupert or Kitimat.

The increase to the export licence also requires that gas must begin the process of export by July 28 of 2026, or the licence will expire.

Terms of an extension of the Export permit for Exxon-Mobil/Imperial Oil
(from NEB website)

The Full letter of Decision from the NEB can be found here.

The City of Prince Rupert has been making use of money received from Exxon Mobil for access to the Tuck Inlet site through the city owned Legacy Corporation, with some of the money in that account directed towards the city's planning for major projects and infrastructure needs.

Exxon Mobil/Imperial Oil have proposed an export terminal for
Tuck Inlet just north of Prince Rupert
(image from the WCC LNG website)

When it comes to the proposed development for Tuck Inlet however, there been little in the way of new information as to the progress of the pre development work.

The most recent update from Exxon Mobil, that of a newsletter provided a look at the community initiatives that the company has taken through 2015 and early 2016 as it explores the North Coast.

WCC LNG also delivered its Public Consultation Report to the province's Environmental Assessment Office, you can review that document here.

More background on the proposed development can be found on our archive page here.

Alternative transportation options outlined as Lax Kw'alaams Ferry in refit

The Spirit of Lax Kw'alaams is off for a retrofit and with its departure comes a change in the ways that residents of the community transit Tuck Inlet to and from Prince Rupert.

A Water Taxi Service will be in place to take 12 passengers per trip with three trips scheduled per day and tickets are required to make use of the service.

Sailings will leave Prince Rupert's Metlakatla Dock at 8 AM, 12 Noon and 4:30 PM; with trips departing Lax Kw'alaams (Tuck Inlet) at 8:30 AM, 12:30 PM and 5 PM

Reservations must be made to secure a spot on one of the three trips, the regular rate charged for the ferry service will be in place for the three sailings per day.

The community will also have a barge service in place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with Wainwright Marine providing space for 100 passengers and 15 passengers per trip according to the following schedule.

Tuesday and Thursday

Departing Aero Point Prince Rupert -- 8 AM and 5 PM
Departing Tuck Inlet Lax Kw'alaams  -- 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM

Sunday

Departing Aero Point Prince Rupert -- 11 AM
Departing Tuck Inlet Lax Kw'alaams  -- 12:30 PM

Rates for use of both the Water Taxi and Barge Service are as indicated below:

Water Taxi -- Adults 21 Dollars, Seniors/Students $15, age 5 and under free
Barge rates -- Vehicles 32 Dollars, Walk On same rate as water taxi fees

The replacement service will be place until further notice, more information on travel between the two communities can be found through the Lax Kw'alaams Band Council Office at 1-877-725-3293

While the Nicola (Spirit of Lax Kw'alaams) is being retrofitted for future use, the Lax Kw'alaams Band Council is also discussing with the Provincial Government the prospect of replacing the aging vessel with a larger ferry for service between Prince Rupert and the community.

In their summer newsletter, the Band Council outlined its desire to see the new transportation option in place to provide for more space for passengers and vehicles for the trip along Tuck Inlet. So far there has been no update on the progress of those talks with provincial officials.

More items of interest related to developments at Lax Kw'alaams can be found on our archive page.

Items of note on Transportation on the North Coast can be found here.

Watermain woes to impact downtown traffic

City of Prince Rupert work crews will be tackling one of the city's infrastructure issues for the rest of this week as required work on the water main and service lines in a stretch of Third Avenue West takes place.

The area in question is directly in front of the Ocean Centre and with the work comes the need to limit the amount of traffic through the work site area.

Signs will be posted around the construction area and motorists are asked to be aware of speed restrictions and watch for workers and pedestrians as they travel through the work area.

As for the change to traffic flow, travellers heading westbound on Third will be required to turn right at Third Street (CityWest) to continue their journey along Second Avenue West, while eastbound traffic will be shifted into the westbound travel lane for the duration of the work project.

The City has some background on the work required posted to the City website, though no timeline is offered as to how long the project is expected to take to complete.

For more items related to Prince Rupert's infrastructure issues see our archive page here.

Udderfest! Prince Rupert's Mid Summer festival of mirth, music and more launches tonight

UdderFest, turns eighteen this weekend, the popular theatre festival that showcases the North Coast's theatre and musical community launches four days of events tonight with something for everyone taking place at Prince Rupert's Tom Rooney Playhouse.

This week's line up brings a number of the city's familiar theatre personalities together with three highlight presentations, an improv showdown, as well as the popular Kids Camp Review for Saturday.

Music will bring in the 2016 edition of the festival with the Orchestra North Summer Program making Prince Rupert their first stop, with a concert presentation starting at 6:30 Wednesday night at the Tom Rooney Playhouse. Learn more about the program and their summer travels here.

The festival stage presentations also launch Wednesday, featuring one last opportunity for North Coast residents to take in the local production of Stones in His Pockets, the two man show features Michael Gurney and Lucas Anders exploring life in a small village in Ireland sudden over run by a Hollywood film production .

Their Udderfest performance is also serving as one final run through for the duo as they prepare to take their presentation to Edmonton and that city's highly acclaimed Fringe Festival.

You can track their progress towards Edmonton from the Facebook page created for the performance.

Rudy Kelly and Chris Armstrong bring What Is? to the stage, exploring themes of love through song, improv work and scripted performance.

Improvisation skills will also make up much of the week's events as the Harbour Theatre community thinks quick on their feet  in Hook, Line and Snicker.

Saturday wraps up with a showdown of media personalities in the city, as Lucas Anders challenges Shannon Lough in a Celebrity Round of War of the Wits. That is followed by other members of Harbour Theatre taking to the stage to battle each other, with the audience holding the final vote on the fate of the night's participants.

Unless noted, all performances require ticket admission, or the purchase of a Tournament pass. Individual advance tickets are available at Homework for 10 dollars, Tournament Pass for 15.00.

Tickets are also available at the door at showtime

Wednesday, August 3

Orchestra North Wind Academy Concert -- 6:30 PM (Admission by donation)

Stones in His Pockets -- 8 PM

Thursday, August 4

What is? -- 7:30 PM

Friday, August 5

Stones in His Pockets -- 7 PM

What Is?  -- 9 PM

Hook, Line and Snicker -- 10:15 PM

Saturday, August 6

Tangled Tales from the Kids Camp  -- 1 PM and 3 PM (Admission by Donation)

What Is? -- 7 PM

Hook Line and Snicker -- 8:30 PM

War of the Wits -- 10 PM

You can learn more about Harbour Theatre's work in the community from a page created for the Group on Facebook.

Taking Stock: North Coast Business Scene -- July 2016

The mid point of the summer finds little in the way to report when it comes to new business opportunities on the North Coast, with the month just ended given over to a number of social and business events for the most part.

Our July report notes the prospect of a new dining option for Prince Rupert, while Terrace officials have heard of a postponement for one of the hotel projects proposed for the city.

Beyond those notes, the month was turned over golf, social events and a few announcements of changes to local business operations.

Some of our observations on the Commercial and economic scene in the City for July can be found below:

July

Prince Rupert's business community kicked off the month with a trip around the Prince Rupert Golf Course as the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of commerce hosted their first Beans and Jeans Golf Scramble, with a large number of Chamber members and residents enjoying the sunshine and opportunity to network.

We gained a new name for a familiar destination in the downtown core in July as Prestige Hotels officially hosted a Grand Opening for their latest property, the Prince Rupert Hotel. The North Coast location is just the latest in an ambitious expansion plan for the province wide hotel chain which provided for a major renovation it's Prince Rupert acquisition.

Along with the re-branding of the hotel, Prestige also announced that they had signed up the Mr. Mikes chain of restaurants to take over the space that once hosted the Johnny B's nightclub. The addition of Mr. Mikes finally offers a destination for the chain which had been looking for the right location for a few years, while no timeline for an opening was offered up, the pending arrival of popular chain will deliver one more option for Prince Rupert's dining enthusiasts to consider when it comes to their dining plans.

Terrace City Council has outlined some plans to update their business licence bylaw, something which could open up opportunities for a number of mobile food vendors to operate in the downtown core area of the city.

Prince Rupert's Cow Bay District celebrated the start of the month with the annual Cow Bay Days providing for fun throughout the city's tourist sector.

CityWest launched their search for a new phone book cover in July, beginning the process of accepting potential covers from the public. It's an annual tradition for the City of Prince Rupert owned communications company, one which has featured local photographers and their pictorial snapshot of North Coast life for a number of years.

July also saw one of the city's major employers announce a change to the listings of the Board of Directors, with Northern Savings Credit Union replacing Douglas Louis on the Board, with Trent Moraes stepping in to fill the remainder of Mr. Louis' term on the Board.

Setbacks in the time lines for North Coast LNG projects have had a spin off effect in the Terrace area, with the proponent of one hotel development putting plans on hold until the investment landscape in the region begins to become more clear.

One of the city's auto dealerships welcomed a new General Manager this month, as Kevin MacCarthy returned to the city to take the helm at the City's GM dealership. The New GM fills in a long time gap in the management ranks as he takes over the Prince Rupert operations. The Prince Rupert location is part of the growing business presence of Terrace based MacCarthy GM, with the company having recently completed extensive renovations to the Portage Avenue location in Prince Rupert.


North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice offered up a salute to the Wheelhouse Brewing Company in July, in Victoria for the short summer session of the Legislature, the MLA spoke in the Legislature delivering some background on the local establishment and its reception in the community.

The City's cruise ship schedule is set for a significant bump upwards in 2017, with the Prince Rupert Cruise Ship advocates outlining some background to the added number of port calls for next year, which will number 25. As well Cruise ship officials in the city have expanded on their plans on how local tour operators and services in Prince Rupert become involved in the summer cruise season activities.

Pacific NorthWest LNG continued to cultivate links in the community through July, with the LNG developer hosting a Business after Business event at the end of the month, providing an update for residents and helping to connect suppliers on the North Coast.

July came to an end with Prince Rupert City Council setting in motion the final steps of the process towards introducing restrictions where Liquor, Beer and Wine outlets can locate, with a Public Hearing schedule for August 22nd to offer opportunity for the public to comment on the city's proposed 1 kilometre rule.

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

Petronas said to be pondering Pacific NorthWest LNG delay

A story from yesterday's Wall Street Journal has added to the growing string of reports on the fate of the topic that has dominated the North Coast headlines over the last few years.

With the Journal exploring the theme that the Malaysian Energy Company Petronas is considering a delay when it comes to a final go ahead for its proposed LNG Terminal at Lelu island.

On Tuesday, the New York based financial paper noted concerns related to over supply, cheaper competing fuels, as well as lower oil and gas prices  as the main thrust to the prospect of a delay in their Canadian plans.

No indication was provided in Tuesday's overview as to how long any potential delay to the project would be.

You can review the Wall Street Journal article below:

Wall Street Journal -- Petronas May Delay Canadian LNG project

The American business paper article is the latest in a string of reports that suggest a delay may be in the cards for the much discussed North Coast project.

In July the Alaska Highway News reported that an industry observer in the British Columbia gas fields had suggested that Petronas would be holding off on any decision related to the project for at least a year.

The Pacific NorthWest LNG proposal is currently in the final stages of a CEAA process, with the Federal Government expected to announce its decision on the project in September or October.

Neither Pacific NorthWest LNG or its parent company Petronas have had much to say about the swirling rumours about the proposed development.

The next deadline to watch for any update from the Malaysian company is August 22nd when Petronas is scheduled to announce is second quarter results.

Items related to Tuesday's speculation on the fate of the proposed project can be found below:

Alaska Highway News -- Petronas considering Pacific NorthWest LNG delay: Wall Street Journal

Energetic City -- Another LNG blow: Petronas may delay project
The Edge Markets -- Petronas may delay Canadian LNG project

You can find more about the Pacific NorthWest project from our archive page here.