Provincial Government, Public Health Officer speak to Federal plans for Ontario quarantine for returning Canadians

A Monday update from the Provincial government and Public health Office
explored the background to Quarantine plans put in place by the Federal
Government for Canadians set to return from China

The Provincial government and Public Health Office have issued their latest statement on the British Columbia response to the coronavirus situation that is evolving out of China, using a statement form this afternoon to outline the moves recently announced by the Federal government to implement a fourteen day quarantine period at an Ontario Air Force Base for returning Canadians.

In their statement Health Minister Adrian Dix and Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provide some background towards the Federal plans for the quarantine period.

“The federal government announced its plans to bring Canadians home from Hubei, China. In the near future, a repatriation flight will bring Canadians from Hubei province, including Wuhan city, to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton near Toronto. Each of these returning Canadians, including staff and flight crew, will remain at CFB Trenton for 14 days to receive the necessary social and medical support they may need.

We have been working closely with the federal government to ensure the repatriation process is smooth and conducted in a way that best protects the returning Canadians and the public here at home. It is expected that B.C. will be the final destination for some of the returning Canadians, and we will continue liaising with the federal government as it identifies passengers for the repatriation flight.

The returning Canadians will spend 14 days at CFB Trenton, which is the 2019 novel coronavirus maximum incubation period, so they can be assessed and monitored, and to support their transition back to Canada."

Mr. Dix and Ms. Henry also explained how the province of British Columbia has addressed testing issues and background on the findings release program.

“In B.C., we have chosen testing criteria with an intentionally low threshold to purposely ensure a wide range of people are eligible for novel coronavirus testing. On Friday, Jan. 31, we reported testing 114 samples and one confirmed case."

Updates will be published each Friday at: www.bccdc.ca

The province's complete statement of Monday can be reviewed here. 

You can keep up with some of the international developments from  our political blog D'Arcy McGee where we have been tracking both national and provincial accounts of the coronavirus findings through our Ottawa Observations Archive and that of our Victoria Viewpoints.

In British Columbia, residents can find out more information on the virus as well as on any changes to the situation in this province from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Should there be any need for information for Northwest residents, those details will be relayed through Northern Health.

Northern Health website
Northern Health Facebook page

For more notes on Health in the region see our archive page here.

For up to date notes on the Canadian and British Columbia response to the virus see our archive page here.

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MLA's head back to work next week, as NDP government prepares Speech from the Throne

The Legislature awaits its members!
MLA's return to their duties at the BC Legislature next Tuesday
(photo from BC Legislature website)

Northwest MLA's Rice, Ross and Donaldson will be making their way back to Victoria for the start of next week, that as the British Columbia government prepares to bring the most recent session to its official end and start the year off with a new Speech from the Throne and a new Legislative session.

The plans were outlined on Friday with twin Proclamations issued for the occasion.

The 4th Session of the 41st Parliament which wrapped up its work in December will be prorogued at 10 AM on Tuesday, February 11th.

With the 5th Session set to open that same day at 2 PM with Speech from the Throne delivered by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin.

The Speech will set the tone for the rest of this winter and into the Spring for the John Horgan NDP government; serving as a prelude of sorts to the Budget which will be delivered by Finance Minister Carole James a little bit on in the new 5th session.

You can keep up to speed on issues of note on the North Coast and in the Northwest from our Legislature archives below:

North Coast

Skeena and Stikine

For a wider overview of some of the topics of note from Victoria can be explored through our political blog D'Arcy McGee and our Victoria Viewpoints archive.

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Snowfall Warning in place for North Coast Inland region

If there's some travel between Prince Rupert and Terrace and points beyond today, tonight and tomorrow, you will be travelling  under a Snowfall Warning, with Environment Canada issuing the alert at Mid-Monday morning.

A pacific frontal system now arriving on the North Coast will bring snow, at times heavy to areas surrounding the Terrace-Kitimat region, with up to 25 cm expected before the system has passed by.

The snow is expected to taper off my mid day Tuesday.

It's arrival is making for snow flurries for the Prince Rupert area, but there will be a significant change in our weather fortunes by Tuesday, as a warming trend from the Pacific rapidly shifts our temperature towards 7 degrees tomorrow with variations of that theme expected for the remainder of the week.

The snowfall accumulation should not be much more than 3 cm into this evening, with rain arriving tonight with amounts of up to 30mm this evening and another 15 mm for Tuesday.

Windy conditions will accompany the system ashore with SE winds of up to 80km/h expected for exposed areas of the North Coast.

So far the weather seems to be impacting on the stretch of Highway 16 in the Kwinitsa to Kasiks sector, further imagery can be reviewed from our archive listings here.

For updates on road conditions around the Northwest see the Drive BC website or twitter feed.

Notes on past weather events can be explored from our archive page here.

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

Interior BC weather events make for Internet headaches for Northwest

CityWest has provided an update on events from the weekend that have left Internet and data users across the Northwest suffering slower speeds and in some cases no service at all.

In a statement issued this morning CityWest outlined the scope of the problems to the south and how it has impacted their customers.

On February 1st at 1 p.m., a rock slide occurred in North Bend, BC, which cut a fibre line that provides internet and data services to several telecommunications companies, including ourselves. Most of our Internet traffic went through this fibre line to Vancouver.

Once the cut happened, we re-routed our network traffic east through Prince George to Calgary, but unfortunately this part of our network does not have the same bandwidth capacity as the Vancouver link and we are not able to purchase more. Since there is more traffic going through a smaller circuit, this results in congestion across our service area.

The outage has lasted the entire weekend because work crews must first clean up the site to ensure it’s safe for fibre technicians to enter. The last update we received is that technicians should be able to start their work on the afternoon of Feb. 3, and at that time they should be able to provide an estimate when services would be fully restored.

CityWest also notes that for those customers suffering a total absence of internet service they have implemented a solution towards that problem, though the issue of the slower speeds will continue until the necessary repairs to the fibre line are completed in the south.

The North Bend issue, located just north of Boston Bar. is one of a number of fibre related troubles that CityWest highlighted through a number of posts to their Facebook page this week.

Another trouble spot that is outside of the CityWest service region was a fibre cut near Prince George.

The Prince Rupert based communication company also highlights how their plans towards the Connected Coast fibre project along the BC coast will help to alleviate such issues in the future.

For now, customers can consult their Facebook page for the latest updates on the situation, the most recent notes advising that a new update will be delivered early this afternoon.

For more notes related to Communication in the Northwest see our archive page here.

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

Province of British Columbia launches online consultation program on Coastal Ferries issues

The British Columbia Government is seeking the feedback of those who travel aboard the province's coastal ferries, launching the next phase of their wide ranging process towards developing a vision for Coastal Ferry Services in BC.

The program which is being spear headed through Minister Claire Trevena's Transportation and Infrastructure office, was launched on Sunday, with those with an interest in the transportation system invited to provide comment through an online survey process, which will run through until March 20th.

“Significant investments are being made in ferry infrastructure, with decisions being made today defining the service long into the future. We’re asking people what the coastal ferry service could look like in 20, 30 or 40 years, and how services should be delivered to better support people and families who live and work on our coast.”  -- Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, Claire Trevena on the now underway online consultation on Coastal Ferries

Sharing in the push towards seeking comment for the survey was Ronna-Rae Leonard, the MLA for Courtenay-Comox.

“We’re asking people to weigh in and share their thoughts on what they would like to see for the future of ferry travel. Transportation needs are changing, and coastal ferries should also evolve. We want to ensure we have a system in place that is adaptable, dependable and convenient.”

As part of her study to launch the survey, Minister Trevena makes note of a pre-survey engagement tour she took, hosting a number of forums around coastal British Columbia in October and November.

And as we noted last fall, it was a consultation period that left Prince Rupert off the tour schedule, a curious decision considering the vital interest that this community holds when it comes to it place as  the transit hub for Ferry travel on the North Coast.

While Prince Rupert was left off the conversation list, those that did participate explored  three objectives as part of the pre-engagement forums.

From Haida Gwaii, Ms. Trevena heard of three over-riding themes from the twenty participants that were in attendance:

Those being how the Haida Gwaii service was a lifeline for goods, services and medical care

Concerns over reliability and capacity of service

The need for additional amenities for long voyages

With the results of her tour of the fall in hand,  Ms. Trevena has relayed a range of findings that will frame some of the discussion moving forward, all part of a Pre-Engagement Regional Forums Summary.

The Introduction to the Study provides a glimpse as to the areas that the province had sought to explore as part of their early reach out to selected communities.

These pre-engagement forums targeted a cross-section of perspectives representing interests and regions from across British Columbia, including Indigenous communities and organizations, industry and non-profit organization stakeholders, school districts, health authorities, transportation planners and advocacy groups, Ferry Advisory Committees, labour groups, and provincial and municipal elected officials.

A parallel and separate Indigenous engagement process was also launched. Letters were sent to over 90 coastal First Nations to share information on the engagement process and invite participation through in-person meetings to discuss their views on a coastal ferry vision. The following table illustrates the timeline, location and attendance of the seven regional forums held across the province:

As part of its scope, the study reviewed who was using the Ferry services, their reasons for travel and how they planned to get to their destination and back.

Four broad themes emerged from their findings from the seven pre-engagement forums included on the list:

Theme 1: A coastal ferry system should support efficient end-to-end travel of people and goods

Theme 2: A coastal ferry system should be equitable and accessible. 

Theme 3: A coastal ferry system should mitigate and be responsive to climate change. 

 Theme 4: A coastal ferry system should reflect the values of the coastal communities.

When it comes to Routes and Terminals, those who participated in the pre-engagement forums had a range of ideas for the Ministry to consider.

Though with no forum taking place in Prince Rupert, residents of the North Coast did not have an opportunity to add some of the many themes that they have raised in the past, particularly when it comes to the state of BC Ferry service in this part of the province.

Those however with an interest in those concerns and ready to share some observations can do so through the online process now open, you can learn more about it here and log on to comment, remember the deadline for contributions comes to an end at 4PM on March 20th.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Minister introduces the online consultation period here, you can review the full Study document here.

For more notes on Marine Transportation on the North Coast, Haida Gwaii and Southeast Alaska see our archive page here.

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

Coast Mountain College to offer Harmonized Carpentry program in Prince Rupert in March

For those with an interest in the carpentry trade an opportunity to take a level 2 Harmonized Carpentry program is coming to Prince Rupert in March.

The program which offers instruction for Apprentice Level 2 students will take place from March 30th to May 15th, with instructor Brad Sousa.

Part of the expansive trades training opportunities offered by the college, the March program is only one of two that Coast Mountain is offering this year outside of the main Terrace campus.

The other program is underway in Hazelton at the moment.

More notes on admission requirements and the background on the range of Carpentry options offered by Coast Mountain College can be explored further through their website.

You can inquire more about the program from Sousa at
1-877-277-2228 extension 5356

For more notes on post secondary education on the North Coast see our archive page here.

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

British Columbia honours and celebrates Black History Month through February

The experiences and accomplishment of Black History in British Columbia will be observed across the province this month, with Premier John Horgan setting the tone for the month with a statement on Saturday to launch the month long campaign.

“Today we begin Black History Month, a time to honour and celebrate the stories, experiences and accomplishments of Black Canadians here in British Columbia and across the country. 

This month, I encourage everyone in British Columbia to take part in community events for Black History Month and learn about the significant efforts made by Black British Columbians to better our province."

Towards a tutorial on the theme, the Premier called upon a pair of names of Black British Columbians who have made their mark in the province and contributed to their communities and the province at large.

“We think of the contributions the jurist Mifflin Wistar Gibbs made to our province in the 1860s, as a Victoria city councillor and as a delegate to the Yale Convention – which guided us toward confederation in 1871. 

And we remember how, a century later, Rosemary Brown led the fight on issues of housing, employment and human rights in, and outside of, the B.C. legislature. These are just two of the many Black British Columbians who helped make our great province what it is today."

Events will take place through the month in many communities as part of the month long observance.

You can review the Premiers full statement here.

For more notes on Provincial issues see our archive page here.

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