Rainmakers to welcome Prince George guests in full weekend of basketball at CHSS

Fresh off their impressive run at the Vancouver College Emerald Tournament, the Charles Hays Senior Boys Rainmakers are back on the court this weekend, with a pair of challengers from the east arriving in town for two days of hoops.


The Prince George Polars and Duchess Park Condors will be bringing their game to the North Coast, both familiar competitors for the Seniors who were last in the Prince George area earlier this month.

The Senior Boys action makes for part of a marquee weekend for basketball fans in Prince Rupert, with a full schedule of play available for those who drop into the CHSS Gym today and tomorrow.

Six games make for the weekend with both the PRMS Storm and Junior Rainmakers also part of the mix

The Friday schedule looks as follows:

3:30 PM -- PRMS Storm vs Duchess Park Condors Junior B squad
5:00 PM -- CHSS Jr. Rainmakers vs Duchess Park Condors Jr Squad
7:00 PM -- CHSS Sr. Rainmakers vs Prince George Senior Polars

Saturday the teams get an early start to the play with three more games on the schedule:

9:30 AM -- PRMS Storm vs Duchess Park Junior B squad
11:00 AM -- CHSS Jr. Rainmakers vs Jr. Condors
1:00 PM -- CHSS Sr. Rainmakers vs Sr. Polars

Tickets go for 2 dollars for Students, 5 dollars for Adults.

The Senior Boys head into the weekend, still holding tight to their top spot placement  in the AA High School Basketball rankings, with their success in Vancouver serving to ensure that would continue to keep their hold on the top spot.

The Senior Ranimakers have been the Top Dog in AA ball since this hoops season got underway.

For more notes on Charles Hays sports see our archive page here.

North Coast Health Improvement Society Hits their Fundraising Mark

Over the top!
It's another successful fundraising
effort for the North Coast
Health Improvement Society

The thermometer on the front of Prince Rupert City Hall tells the story of another successful round of fundraising for the North Coast Health Improvement Society, with the local group blasting through their goal of 200,000 dollars towards fundraising for upgrades to the Cancer Care Unit at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

The Society hailed the successful fundraising effort on Thursday with a post to their Facebook page to thank those that helped them reach their goal and to note that the upgrade work is already underway.

The fundraising program was launched in January of 2018 and at the time the Society highlighted how the monies raised would be put towards upgrades in treatment technology, increased comfort for patients and families, as well as to add functional privacy for the Cancer Care Unit.

The unit at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital administers radiation treatments and offers preventive screening programs, as well as to offer counselling for patients and families.

And while they have met their goal for the project, that doesn't mean that residents of the North Coast need stop with the donations, a quick look at the Society's Facebook page provides a glimpse of some of the many initiatives that they have taken on since the organization was founded back in 2002.

For more items of note on Health Care in the Northwest see our archive page here, more background on other community initiatives around Prince Rupert can be explored here.

New report from UNIFOR-UFAWU points to DFO measures as making salmon fishery crisis worse

A new report from UNIFOR-UFAWU is laying much of the troubles of the West Coast Salmon fishery on the doorstep of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, with measures and decades of regulatory mismanagement that are leaving fish harvesters facing financial ruin.

The document released on Wednesday charts a fishery of artificially low limits and dropping landed values that have served undermine the livelihoods on the entire commercial fishing fleet, as well as to have had a dire impact on communities up and down the British Columbia coast.

“The federal government created a commercial fishing economy so precarious that when the salmon collapsed this year, the industry went with it. Commercial salmon fishing may never recover.” -- Jerry Dias, Unifor National President

The introduction to the report serves to set the scene of the 2019 salmon season and highlights how the dismal returns have created hardship for those in the industry.

The 2019 salmon season has been devastating for BC’s fishermen, ancillary workers and processing companies. In 2019, the total number of salmon commercially harvested in BC was 629,000 salmon or 3,583,000 pounds, the lowest catch in 70 years. The value was 15 million dollars, the lowest landed value paid to fishermen since 1951.

From their earnings, fishermen have to first pay their pre-season expenses of DFO licence fees, insurance, moorage, gear storage, and prep for their boats and engines. Fishermen also have up-front fishing expenses (fuel, grub, inseason repairs to their boats and gear) that they must pay during the season. When expenses are deducted, there is not much left to take home to feed their families and none left to look after their boats over the winter.

Shoreworkers, and others who are dependent on salmon for work, saw little this summer. A plant can process well over 3 million pounds in a season so the 2019 harvest of 3.5 million pounds was spread thin between BC’s many processing plants – resulting in little or no work for plant workers. Most of the salmon in our local markets have been sourced from northern Alaska or Russia, which have had a banner year, unlike BC and southern Alaska.

Also making for another season of misery was the impact of climate change on the industry, something the union document describes as a crisis situation.

Climate change and its various impacts on salmon have created a crisis; salmon did not return to BC from the North Pacific where they over-winter. Who knows if this pattern of low salmon returns will continue? But until there is a climate change adaptation plan for commercial fishing people and fish processors, government needs to ante-up and give fishermen and ancillary workers financial support. 

Fishermen lost between 30% and 100% of their income, before expenses. Fish processing companies, who have had little salmon to process and therefor no revenue are finding it impossible to make loans to assist fishermen with their vessel costs. Skilled deckhands, shoreworkers, net menders, tendermen and other ancillary workers, unable to make a living will vacate the industry, leaving no one to train future generations. Infrastructure costs, whether they be for boat, gear or processing facilities are ongoing whether there is a large fishery or no fishery at all. Infrastructure cannot be maintained when there are little to no earnings

As part of a response, the union has once again reinforced their call for federal government disaster relief for workers and their families, as well as for the government to assist the industry in developing a climate change adaptation plan.

“Help from the federal government is beyond urgent. Hundreds of fish harvesters are facing financial ruin after decades of fisheries regulation mismanagement.” -- Joy Thorkelson, president of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union (UFAWU)-Unifor

The look ahead for the union isn't one that is a hopeful one at the moment, with the report noting how the 2020 season looks to be set follow the lead of 2019 on the Pacific coast.

The future looks bleak. 2020 is predicted to be as bad as 2019 all across the BC coast. The Big Bar slide will further restrict any possible Fraser fishery as work to create fish passage will likely not be fully completed in 2020 and it will take years to rebuild damaged upper Fraser salmon stocks. Licensing measures prevent fishermen from easily moving into another species fishery and as ocean conditions become less and less favourable for cold water BC fish, other fisheries will also become at risk.

It is time for the Federal and Provincial governments to sit down with fishermen and ancillary workers to discuss the future of BC’s fishing industry. What can be done to keep a fishing fleet in viable condition? To attract new entrants? To pass on fishing skills? To meet First Nations aspirations? To assist and engage fishing communities in retaining economic value from our fisheries? What changes need to be made?

When it comes to hearing back from the Federal Minister of Fisheries, the office at times seems to be more a stop in the Witness relocation program, the last Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, a Vancouver area MP, managed to go an entire mandate without making a stop on the North Coast.

The latest minister to be tasked with the Fisheries file is Bernadette Jordan, the Nova Scotia MP was appointed to cabinet following the recent election of the minority Liberal govern,ent

Past invitations to the Federal Ministers of the past to come to the city have all seemingly gone un-answered, something which seems to put the North Coast at times out of sight and out of mind when it comes the struggles for those in the fishery.

And that theme of inaction is one that makes for the conclusion to the report, with the renewed call for constructive measures from the Federal government.

So far, DFO and the Minister responsible for Fisheries and, moreover, responsible for the people engaged in the fisheries, are not answering. This Updated Report provides sufficient information to show that BC fishermen and ancillary workers are not ‘crying wolf’. All the evidence points to the rapidly approaching end of the commercial salmon fishery in BC and the end of the iconic BC fisherman. It is incumbent on governments to work with the people who rely on the commercial fishery to figure a way out of this crisis.

You can access the full report from UFAWU-Unifor here.

For more notes on the fishery of the North Coast see our archive page here.

Thursday Windstorm leaves its mark on Prince Rupert

The strong winds that have been buffeting Prince Rupert for much of the day are leaving a few stories to tell behind them, that as the particularly nasty weather system prepares to make its departure from the region this afternoon.

As we noted yesterday, Environment Canada issued its latest WIND WARNING for the community on Wednesday afternoon, noting that strong winds would be arriving in the community in the early morning of Thursday and continuing on through the day, and for much of the day the winds have delivered as promised.

The strong winds arrived shortly after 1 AM on Thursday, with the 
peak gusts at 90 k plus felt mostly between 
the 6 AM to 10 AM period of the day
(Wind pattern map from the Windy App)

The day making for reports of toppled trees as well as some collateral damage for fences and sheds.

Along the way Rupertites had a look at some pretty fine looking chop on the harbour and began the chase for garbage cans around city streets as the gusts would roar around the city.

In fact, the winds were such, that the City of Prince Rupert closed the landfill site for the day as a result of the ongoing wind event in the region.

Update: the City reopened the landfill site at 3 PM

Transportation was also impacted by Thursday's Wind Event, passengers travelling on the morning flight into Prince Rupert were on notice from Air Canada, that should the winds continue to be at top levels than they would most likely be making a return trip to Vancouver.

Fortunately, the scheduled arrival, while about twenty minutes behind schedule at the Digby Island Airport came as a lull in the storm was in place; allowing for the landing for the Rupert bound passengers and the take off for those heading to Vancouver for the day.

Transportation to and from Digby Island was however affected during the height of the weather, making for delays to the ferry transportation across the harbour and back.

The Flight Aware tracking for this mornings Air Canada flight into
the Digby Island airport

BC Ferries also had a Notice for travellers in place, with the Ferry service holding in Port in Prince Rupert, delaying its 10 AM departure for Haida Gwaii.

With the all clear  heard shortly after 1:30,  the ships crew prepared for sailing, with The Northern Expedition finally getting underway at 2 PM as the vessel made its way out of Prince Rupert harbour destined for Skidegate with a four hour delay now behind it.

The hum of machinery at the Fairview Container Terminal was on hold at times as well during the course of the worst of the wind event, though by 2 PM this afternoon, things were ramping up again on the West side waterfront.

With the worst of the winds and rain now in the past, some blue patches were  arriving from the West  just over the horizon past Dodge Cove and Digby Island, offering an indication that the worst of the days wind event was now in our rear view mirror.

Clearing skies from the west offer up a sign that the wind event 
of the day is all but over.

As of 2:30 PM the WIND WARNING was still in place for Prince Rupert, but with conditions diminishing through the afternoon, it seems likely that warning will be discontinued shortly.

Update: as of 4PM Environment Canada had ended the Wind Warning for Prince Rupert.

For more notes on past weather events see our archive page here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Mayor Brain in Prince George for Resource forum and conversation with provincial officials

Mayor Lee Brain is on the road this week, attending the annual BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the three day event which got underway on Tuesday and will wrap up with its final sessions through the day today.

In addition to taking in some of the workshops, keynote addresses and other forum activities the Mayor and his partners in the Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance managed to get a few minutes with Premier John Horgan and Energy Minister Bruce Ralston.

Conversations where as the Mayor notes they discussed plans towards a long term revenue sharing agreement with Province of British Columbia.

Through his Facebook portal, Mayor Brain made note of the session with Mr. Horgan on Wednesday night, relaying some themes of the work of the Alliance and some of the challenges that they hope to work towards should they receive additional funding from the province.

In his comments, Mr. Brain didn't have much to share when it came to the most recent discussions with the Premier, but he did observe how there will be more on the RBA plans to come later this year.

The work of the collective has been a long running mission, first brought to the attention of the public back in January of 2015. 

That is when Mayor Brain, following up on the ground work in place from former Mayor Jack Mussallem,  brought Prince Rupert into the membership.

Since then there have been many discussions on their plans, along with with the province providing for some additional funding towards their work. 

Though so far, when it comes to the implementation of an expansive revenue sharing plan for the region, the delivery on their goal has to this point proven to be a bit elusive for the Northwest representatives.

You can track some of their past work from our archive page here. 

As for the BC Natural Resources Forum, Mr. Brain was not the only Prince Rupert representative to be found around the convention hall, with the Port of Prince Rupert's Maynard Angus part of a discussion panel that explored themes of prosperity through partnerships.

You can review more background on the three day event in Prince George from the BC Natural Resources Forum website.

Owing to his travels, the Mayor was not in attendance for the Monday Council session at Prince Rupert City Hall.

For more notes related to Mayor Brain and City Council see our Council Discussion page here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

The "Cloud Berry Trail' to be the next big project for the Kaien Island Trail Enhancement and Recreation Society

Frances Riley and Steven Milum presented an update for Council Monday
on the plans from Kaien Trails for future trail development in the community

Prince Rupert City Councillors had a chance to get a glimpse of the next evolution for Prince Rupert's Trail network, as a pair of members from the Kaien Island Trail Enhancement and Recreation Society delivered an update at Monday's Council session.

Appearing as part of the Committee of the Whole process on Monday, Steve Milum and Frances Riley delivered the update on some of the recent work from the Kaien Trails Society, reviewing some of the past projects that the group has taken on and offering a preview of their next initiatives. 

Among the highlights on the night was Ms. Riley's outline for the development a trail to be known as the Cloud Berry Trail, which will travel along Highway 16 leading from the Civic Centre towards the Butze Trail area, Tall Trees Trail and Oliver Lake.

That project would be a multi use trail, running along the mountain side of the highway and would offer a strong opportunity towards accessing funding towards development.

The timeline towards development of that new trail would see the group submitting a permit application to the Province in the Spring, with preliminary concept and cost estimate set for the summer of this year.

They then will launch their corporate engagement in the fall with grant applications to be put forward over towards the winter of 2021.

Among their other notes was an update on the status of the plans for the McClymont Trail, a project that they had brought to CityCouncil back in January of 2019.  

As they explained it on Monday, Progress on that project has been put to a shelf for now, with the Kaien Trails group noting that as it is a City of Prince Rupert utility corridor, they have had difficulties accessing funding opportunities towards that proposed project. 

Though they did note for the council members that there are federal and provincial grants available to the city towards further development of that trail if the city wishes to follow up on them. 

Ms. Riley and Mr. Milum also outlined some notes on another trail that they have some enthusiasm for. 

That of the proposal for the Seal Cove area known as the Rail Trail,  noting how it will need further consultation with the City and other regional stakeholders before they can look to move forward into development of it as part of the Master plan trail.

Mr. Milum also spoke to the theme of funding, outlining the range of grant opportunities that are available for the community to access.

He also advocated for the City to develop a Transportation Strategy, noting that if the City does so, it would be easier to access a wider selection of grant funding.

He highlighted some of the benefits of such a plan and how it would work nicely as part of the City's plans to update their Official Community Plan in 2020.

"There's just one barrier that we're facing, the City has to have an active Transportation Strategy and without it we're not able to apply. So, what is an active Transportation Strategy?  It's a BC Strategy for a Cleaner more active transportation, this program rolled out last year "

Mr. Milum also made note of the interest in the Active Transportation Strategy found in other Northwest communities and how Prince Rupert risked losing out on the large pool of money available if the city doesn't develop one for this community.

He also outlined how if the City has such a plan in place, it would open doors for Kaien Trails to then gain access to a range of funding opportunities for further development of the trail network in the region.

Mr. Milum also observed how he realized that Council could not move on their request on the night, leading to Councillor Niesh to note that Council could ask staff as to how they could move forward on it in upcoming sessions.

When it came for comments and questions, Council members had much praise for the work of the Society as well as few inquires on some of their themes.

Councillor Adey commented how the Kaien Trails proposals were part of the recent discussions on Redesign Rupert process and how he found much enthusiasm for their plans.

He also made note of one item that will need to be addressed and that was on the theme of maintenance of the trails and what provisions might be in place towards those elements.

Towards that concern, the Kaien Trails representatives offered up a thumbnail guide as to how they would address long term maintenance, noting how the Cloud Berry trail is on provincial land and how the province would most likely take on the maintenance concerns.

As for other trail initiatives, it would be a mixed approach relying on volunteers.

Coucillor Adey also made note of the urgency related to the February deadline and how he supported whatever Council needs to do to move it forward.

Councillor Mirau echoed a number of Mr. Adey's themes and made note of the timing of development for an Active Transportation Plan and how it would work with the city's review of the Official Community Plan.

"An Active Transportation plan would be really valuable information, as you guys know, we're moving forward with a new Official Community Plan. And that will be valuable feeder information in that process as well, so I think it's all consistent, it's all linked, so I think your timing is fantastic." 

Councillor Cunningham inquired as to the volunteer numbers that the Society has at the moment, he also expressed his admiration for their work and spoke to the success of the Rushbrook Trail.

Councillor Skelton-Morven also offered his congratulations on their work and their initiatives ahead.

You can review the full presentation to Council from the City's Video Archive starting at the very beginning of Monday evening's proceedings.




For more notes on Monday's Council Session see our Council Timeline here.

A wider overview of Council Discussion themes can be reviewed from our Council Discussion Archive.

For more notes on Kaien Trails Enhancement Society, including a link to their master Trail plan for the region, see our archive page here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Will the '64 Rainmakers be Fantasy Hoops champs by March 3rd?

An intriguing project to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee for British Columbia's March Madness of High School basketball was launched on Wednesday.

That as a number of veteran coaches and administrators who have been working on the project for much of the last six months, released the list of teams they believe merited inclusion in a 64 team bracket of the all time teams in BC High School Basketball history.

The project which was introduced through Howard Tsumura's Varsity Letters blog, will continue through until March 3rd with the brackets moving forward to determine which of the 64 that have been selected will claim the title as Provincial Champions.

The wrap up to the fantasy bracket will come just as this years crop of rising stars prepare to hit the court in Langley, as the take part in the 75th edition of the BC High School Boys Basketball Tournament.

Prince Rupert hoops fans will want to take note of the fantasy listings, as the North Coast is represented in top style among the 64 competitors.

That through a team that itself is steeped in Prince Rupert basketball and community history. With the legendary 1964 Rainmakers team finding themselves listed as a number 9 seed in the first round, with the 1965 Oak Bay club to be their first round fantasy competitor.

The 64 Rainmaker team bubbles just under the favourites among the top seeds for the fantasy tourney some of them considered to be the most renowned of High School teams through the decades.

Tourney organizers, having reviewed the record books and calling upon some long lasting memories have determined the seeding for the fantasy tourney:

The four No. 1 seeds are Nanaimo District 1978, Richmond 1988, St. Michaels University School 1992, and Kelowna 2016.

The No. 2 seeds are Lester Pearson 1956, Argyle 2004, Terry Fox 1993 and MEI 1963.

The first results from first round results which launch the 35 day road to the finals will be released on Friday.

You can travel along with the 1964 Rainmakers in their quest for one more championship run and learn more about this fantasy tournament through the Varsity Letters blog.

For more notes on Charles Hays sports see our archive page here.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.