Alaska Marine Highway System to end Service to Prince Rupert on October 1st

The AMHS is Terminal at Fairview is set to close, after the
Alaska Marine Highway System could not reach an agreement to
satisfy security concerns of US Customs and Border Protection

The Alaska Marine Highway will end its service to Prince Rupert effective October 1st, the shocking declaration of the end of the long lasting marine connection that began in the 1960's came today through an information release from the State of Alaska.

The reason given by the Marine Highway System that led to the decision to end the service, is the inability to secure security staff at the Prince Rupert terminal.

A request that the US Customs and Border Protection Service had made last spring.

We outlined some of the background to that request in May, with the Alaskans having granted an exemption from the CBP request until the end of the summer travel season.

However, despite having worked with both the City of Prince Rupert and the RCMP on the issue, the lack of an agreement made for the key factor that led to today's announcement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is requiring AMHS to secure a Canadian law enforcement presence to protect CBP’s personnel in Prince Rupert while inspection tasks are performed. 

All avenues for local law enforcement were pursued, but AMHS was not able to secure the staff necessary to fulfill this requirement. The new requirement specifies a Canadian law enforcement presence with the ability to make arrests in Canada, which is not a duty that AMHS staff are able to perform. 

 Last spring, CBP began requiring a Canadian law enforcement presence in Prince Rupert. AMHS was granted a waiver through Sept. 30. 

Over the summer, AMHS worked with the City of Prince Rupert and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to meet this requirement, but neither of these entities have staff available to perform the duties necessary to comply with the new requirement.

You can review the full information release here.

The AMHS had only just resumed service to Prince Rupert after the late July labour dispute that left the vessels tied up in Alaska for over a week.

Today's announcement does not provide for any advice for travellers as to how they will access AMHS services after October 1st and what other plans that the service may have for the future.

So far the City of Prince Rupert has not issued any statement of its own to address the withdrawal of the marine service from the community. We will update the story as more information  becomes available.

For more items of note related to the Alaska Marine Highway service see our archive page here.

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Prince Rupert RCMP update notes on search for Lawrence Maitland

The Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP has provided an update on a file created in July, as they continue to seek the whereabouts of Lawrence Douglas Maitland of Lax Kw'alaams who was last seen in that community in  mid July.

The Update of today reinforces for the public that the members of the RCMP continue to remain dedicated to the file and have solicited further assistance from North District to aid with their investigation.

The disappearance is considered suspicious at this time, however no one has been arrested in connection this. While there are other active investigations in the community, and arrests made in relation to those files, they are completely unrelated to Lawrence’s disappearance. 

Police believe that Lawrence’s disappearance is an isolated incident and have no information to suggest that the greater public is at further risk.

As we noted in July, from the original call for assistance to the public by the Mounties, Mr. Maitland was described as a 42 Year Old First Nations man, five foot nine in height and 187 pounds. He has black hair in a slicked back mohawk and also has a black goatee.

Should you have any information to share with the Prince Rupert RCMP related to his whereabouts you are asked to contact the detachment at 250-627-0700 or through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477

You can review more from today's update here.

For more items of interest related to the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest see our archive page here.


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Nisga'a Information session to review notes on Elections Act and Regulations

Members of the Nisga'a nation living in Prince Rupert and Port Edward have an opportunity learn more about some proposed amendments to the Nisga'a election process tonight, as the Nisga'a Hall on Third Avenue West makes for the host venue for an Information session.

The information event which takes place from 6 to 9 PM will provide a review of the proposed amendments to the Nisga'a Elections Act and Nisga'a Elections Regulations, and will also feature an opportunity for those in attendance to offer their feedback.

The current Elections Act and regulations associated with it can be reviewed here.

A report released in 2018 (which you can view here) provided a look at some of the proposed amendments that had been brought forward to that point.

The Nisga'a are just one of a number of First Nation communities across the region which have held reviews of their Election code and regulation process in recent years.

For more items of interest related to the Nisga'a Lisims Government see our archive page here.


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Former Dog Obedience Trainer weighs in on Seal Cove dog incident

The themes of discussion on Social media related to Friday's dog call incident on the city's east side have featured a range of topics and emotions over the last number of days.

That as a large volume of Prince Rupert residents take to a number of forums to share their thoughts on the incident which saw the RCMP make a decision to shoot what was described as a dangerous and aggressive dog.

As we noted yesterday,  the commentary so far has indicated that the incident has clearly become one of the leading conversations in the community since the weekend.

One voice on the topic was found on the Facebook Page Prince Rupert Pets, where yesterday Katherine Spong, a former canine obedience instructor offered up some thoughts on the incident by way of her training.

Two key passages from her post stand out as perhaps a bit helpful for any review of the incident and how the City of Prince Rupert may wish to approach future calls and situations.

It doesn't help Choppo but it stands to reason that the city bylaws officer(s) are not trained or equipped to handle extreme situations. There should be people who are well-trained and equipped to handle these cases. I truly believe the BC SPCA should take over the animal control contract, and be funded to enable them to train a specialist. I also believe the RCMP should be provided tranquilizer guns for wolves, bear, and aggressive dog situations rather than kill first and ask questions later.

Acting in what I trust is good faith, the City validated this fear by declaring Choppo a dangerous dog. I am not sure why the dog was loose that day or why the family or person watching him was not available to corral Choppo but I am certain that a properly trained person could have managed a more peaceful resolution.

Her conclusion to her post, also provides the observation that she believes that an investigation into the incident will be conducted by the BC SPCA, as well as the suggestion that going forward that the City turn the animal control contract over to that agency.

Going forward, I expect a cruelty investigation will be conducted by the BC SPCA and that the City seriously consider implementing their recommendations. I would personally like to see the City of Prince Rupert consider turning the animal control contract back to the BC SPCA with the condition they train a specialist to diffuse situations and prevent further shootings which only traumatize everyone concerned, including the officer forced to kill a dog.

You can explore the full post from Ms. Spong here.

So far,  other than the original statement from the City of Prince Rupert from Friday, there has been no further comment from City staff, or the city's elected officials related to the incident, or the growing public reaction that has come from it.

More items of note related to the City of Prince Rupert can be found from our Discussion page archive here.


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1.3 million for Coast Mountain College to expand Mobile Training Unit program

The Federal Government dropped off some more cash in the Northwest on Tuesday, with Navdeep Bains, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development outlining the scope of 1.3 million dollars in funding for Coast Mountain College and their Mobile Training Unit.

With the Minister's statement noting how the additional funding will allow Coast Mountain College to expand the courses offered through the Mobile Training Unit and lowers the bar for women, youth and Indigenous peoples to receive trades training and to build a more inclusive workforce in a number of sectors.

The announcement of the funding also took note of the recent success of the AltaGas Training program, which was offered at the Prince Rupert campus.

The flexible and innovative MTU can be reconfigured to teach a wide variety of courses and programs from professional cook, to business to health programs. 

It also allows Indigenous and other students in remote communities to access targeted training, such as the successful Gas Process Operator program run in partnership with Alta Gas in 2018.

All 11 graduates of that program were offered full-time positions at Alta Gas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal.

Outgoing President and CEO of Coast Mountain College Ken Burt observed how the mobile unit allows the college to take its programs outside of the main campus locations.

“This mobile training unit is critical to ensuring that education is accessible and reaches people where they live. This is vital to bringing innovative programming to remote and Indigenous communities.”

It was noted yesterday that over the next three years the mobile trades training program at Coast Mountain College will train more than 100 students

The Federal contribution was in addition to the more than 700,000 dollars that Coast Mountain College and the CMTN Foundation also has invested into the mobile classroom initiative.

The full statement from the Federal Government can be found here.

For more items of note related to Coast Mountain College see our archive page here.


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BC's NDP government gets into some school spirit with some new school celebrations

It's a brand new middle school! ... For the Okanagan.
The BC Government has had a busy summer of new school announcements
to roll our pretty well everywhere but on the North Coast

As students made their way to their first day of classes on Tuesday, the BC Government was rolling out a few announcements to highlight their work in building new schools in a few areas of the province.

While students and teachers were returning to the classroom, Rob Fleming's Education Ministry shared some positive news for those living in Langley, the Okanagan and Surrey, with notes on recently completed new structures or important upgrades in others.

New RE Mountain Secondary brings modern learning to Langley students
Safer schools on the way for Surrey families
New Canyon Falls Middle School brings modern learning to Okanagan Mission students

The blitz of Tuesday announcements comes in the wake of a summer of good news for a number of British Columbia communities including the Langford riding of Premier John Horgan, which received word of two new schools from Minister Fleming. ,

You can be review the catalogue of new school announcements through the Ministers website listings.

The Middle school announcement for the Okanagan might catch the eye of parents in Prince Rupert, who may be wondering when a similar "good news" statement will come the way of SD52 and the often discussed, but yet unsuccessful quest for a replacement building for the aging and at times problem plagued Middle School on Ninth Avenue West.

Prince Rupert's aging PRMS begins a new school year

The call for a new middle school was one of the key themes to the 2017 provincial election, as North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice made the lack of progress by the Liberal government of the day one of her major campaign positions.

Yet two years into a new NDP government, which Ms. Rice is a member of, the topic has kind of faded from her social media presentations; with few updates on the urgency for replacement and more of a theme of patience to be found.

That theme coming from the MLA as part of an editorial page contribution to the weekly newspaper earlier this summer covering a wide a range of topics including education, where she observed that the province is still awaiting the completion of SD52's groundwork on the project.

The School District still had it noted it as the highest priority in June, and at that time had invited the Education Minister to make the trek north to see first hand some of the challenges faced by rural school districts, a visit that has yet to take place as far as is known.

The long sought after call for a replacement goes back many years and from our Education archives we note this entry from the start of the school year of September 2013 when the replacement was the number one priority for the District.

Six years later and with another new school year underway, that's the same building in the picture, and the same placement on the priority list.

Yet, we still seem no further ahead towards that goal of a new school today than we did then, with no timeline for replacement to make note of towards the arrival of a new facility.

Some of the history for that call for replacement can be reviewed from our notes of March of 2017

As the NDP continue to celebrate their work in building new schools across the province, locals will no doubt hope that the press release showcasing the plans for a  new Prince Rupert Middle School will be just over the horizon, as opposed to making for the narrative for the next election campaign.

Update: In an advisory through her twitter account North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice noted that the province is ready to build the school, but is awaiting further engagement from School District 52.

More background on eduction in the Northwest can be found  from our archives here.

More items of interest from the BC Legislature and the North Coast riding can be found here.

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Port of Prince Rupert appoints Frans Tjallingi to position of Chair of the Board

The Prince Rupert Port Authority has announced  that
Frans Tjallingi will serve as their next Chair

Just two years into his duties as a member of the Board for the Prince Rupert Port Authority, Frans Tjallingi has moved to the top position, with the Port appointing him to the position of Chair on Tuesday.

Mr. Tjallingi brought a wide range of experience with him to the board when appointed in May of 2017, his selection two years ago came from a recommendation by the Minister of Transportation in consultation with Coastal First Nations.

The scope of his career success, whether in the marine and shipping environment, his entrepreneurial leadership, or extensive experience and engagement with First Nations seems to fit into the direction that the PRPA is looking to take the Port in the future on the North Coast.

He replaces Bud Smith who stepped down from his position in June of this year; John Farrell held the post on a Temporary basis from June until yesterday's announcement.

In a statement released with the news of his appointment, Mr. Tjallingi paid tribute to the work of his predecessor on the board, while looking forward to his work ahead.

“I am excited about the future of PRPA and its role in developing the Port of Prince Rupert as a Canadian and global gateway. Bud Smith exemplified board leadership over the past seven years, and I’m honored to be following in his footsteps. I believe in this organization’s purpose and its people, and I’m looking forward to further serving it in this new role.”

Mr. Smith's tenure was celebrated in June when the Port Authority introduced Peter Lantin as their latest member.

For more items of note related to the Port of Prince Rupert see our archive page here.


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