Lax Kw'alaams Community comes together with Food Distribution program

Residents of Lax Kw'alaams have started a food distribution program
in the community north of Prince Rupert

Lax Kw'alaams Mayor Garry Reece has offered his thanks to members of the community who worked through Sunday to aid in the distribution of food to the community.

In a note on the Lax Kw'alaams website and Facebook page, Mayor Reece noted how those lending a hand started at 1 PM and were still working on the distribution late into the evening.

The food was distributed to Elders first and then on through a list of those set to receive the packages, Mr. Reece notes that a second distribution is in the works.

You can check out the progress of their work here and here.

So far, the City of Prince Rupert has not outlined if there are any local plans in motion to lend assistance to the local Food Bank program or to offer other services to those in need in the community.

Also over the weekend, the Lax Kw'alaams Band issued an Advisory to residents outlining plans to decrease the Ferry Service and additional controls on on traffic into their community.

For more notes on events in Lax Kw'alaams see our archive page here.

Province of British Columbia frees up gambling grant money for 3 million dollar top up for BC food Banks

With the Food Banks of British Columbia finding a surge in requests over the last few weeks as the impact of the arrival of COVID-19 in the province was felt, the stocks have started to dwindle and staff taxed by the demand.

To help out in the midst of this current situation, the Province of British Columbia announced on Friday that 3 million dollars in emergency grant funding would be distributed through Food Banks British Columbia, the money taken from the Community Gaming Grant program in the province.

“We know that many British Columbia families count on food banks to supplement their weekly grocery needs. To help ensure that people continue to have access to the food they need, our government is taking steps by supporting B.C. food banks so they can, in turn, keep meeting the needs of the people in the communities they serve. Using funds from the gaming grants program is an example of how government and non-profit partners are working together to respond to the evolving nature of the pandemic, easing the burden on B.C.’s food banks and helping people who are feeling the strain of the COVID-19 crisis.” -- Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Poverty Reduction. 

The 3 million dollar grant which is in alignment with ministerial orders from the Emergency Program Act will make use of funds that remained in the 2019-20 budget following the recent distribution to community groups.

You can review more on the provincial move here.

Earlier this month, the local Prince Ruper Food Bank which is operated by the Salvation Army announced a revision of its operations for the Food Bank and issued a call for local assistance as the shelves began to become depleted.

For a look at some of the other provincial measures in response to COVID-19 see our archive page here.

City of Prince Rupert to re-open Landfill site, with limits on use

The Prince Rupert landfill site will reopen to the public at Noon today, with the City set to put in place some conditions for those that travel out to the Ridley Island site.

Among some of the new regulations in place, awareness of Social Distancing, Debit or Credit payment only and there will be no receipts issued during this period.

While the landfill opens at noon today, the hours of operation starting tomorrow will see the site open from 8:30 AM to 4:45 Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 3:45 PM on Saturday

You can review the city's announcement from the Civic website here.

The landfill site had been closed to the public with an announcement on March 20th, part of a list of services that were suspended as the City shifted to Essential Service status.

More notes on civic related themes can be found from our Council Discussion archive.

Permitted Open Burns in Prince Rupert suspended until Mid April

With more and more Prince Rupert residents hunkering down at home during these times of COVID-19 there's seemingly a lot of yard work and such getting done, so much so, that the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Department as issued a suspension on Open Burns in the community, suspending the practice of burning yard trimmings and other materials,

The decision to suspend the Burns comes after a number of complaints from neighbourhoods around the city, with smoke filling the skies as home owners burn off any number of materials.

The Only Fires currently permitted in the city will be recreational cooking fires that make use of clean wood.

The Suspension of the Open Fires is anticipated to last until at least April 15th.

For more notes on the work of Emergency Service workers in the city see our archive page her.

Foundation being set for months to come for North Coast COVID-19 response

Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain relayed the thanks of the local medical profession on Sunday, noting in a social media post that the preparations for a local COVID-19 response have made major strides in recent days.

Posted to his Facebook page Sunday afternoon, the Mayor shared some thoughts from Prince Rupert's Dr. Gillaume Coetzee:

"Dr. Coetzee called today to inform me that they have made MAJOR strides in the last few days in their preparations at the Prince Rupert hospital. He wanted to thank the community for their efforts because it is giving the team up there the valuable time they need to set the proper foundations for the months to come. It is absolutely incredible how much can get done in just a short amount of time."

In his social media message, the Mayor also praised the work of Dr. Jaco Fourie at Northern Health, the Terrace based Medical Director for the Northwest.

Additionally, Mr. Brain made note of the ongoing communication among communities in the region and put some focus on the recent back and forth between the Province and the City, shaping  the current situation  from his view as one that Prince Rupert has delivered its message loud and clear.

"We all want to do what is right for our communities. We may have different perspectives on how to accomplish that as a region, however I believe the message has been delivered and fully received by the Province."

The Mayor also noted that the Province has additional plans for the region.

Themes which Health Minister Adrian Dix and Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry had addressed on Friday as part of a full overview of the modelling of the COVID-19 situation to date.

As well the pair who are on point for the Provincial response have hosted previous daily updates where they have made note of the range of resources currently available and their plans for the future.

The Mayor's full review can be found here.

Missing from Mr. Brain's update for the day however, was an important reminder of the over riding message of these times ... that of the vital importance of Physical distancing and to abide by all of the Public Health Officer's orders.

You can review Dr. Henry's growing list of Orders here.

More items of note on local announcements of the last week can be explored here, while Provincial updates can be reviewed here.

MLA's letter to constituents highlight's province's message; garners familiar attention

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice published a letter to constituents this weekend, providing for some further notes to the events of the last few days in the region.

The composition outlined the background to the Provincial decision to suspend the Local Statements of Emergency and to make note of the provisions of the Provincial Emergency Order and the elements in place as part of the Province's COVID-19 response.

Among some of Ms. Rice's themes:

"It’s not a time for politics or posturing. It’s a time to give the professionals what they need to do their jobs. 

When facing a fire, you call firefighters. And when facing a pandemic, you call people like Dr. Bonnie Henry and the health officials fighting COVID-19. 

Dr. Henry has unparalleled experience fighting infectious diseases, including Ebola and SARS. She guides every decision taken by the Province, including the orders issued on Thursday. 

These orders are designed to ensure that every community is coordinating together under one plan. They ensure the province can be more responsive to the unique needs of communities like ours."

The letter available here, posted to Facebook, was received and responded to by many of the  familiar names of followers of the Mayor's social media streams; correspondences that replayed many of the same responses of disappointment, kind of a Prince Rupert bot army if you will.

Among the contributions at one point was one from Prince Rupert City Councillor Wade Niesh, who has apparently appointed himself as the key member of the Mayor's Praetorian Guard, ready to respond to any statement contrary to the city's position.

Though it appears that his response to the MLA's letter has unfortunately since been removed from the MLA's feed.

A decision which in itself shows in a way how unreliable Facebook may be when it comes to being a valuable source of full information on any topic, let alone one involving a pandemic. ...

Prior to the purging of his commentary, Mr. Niesh had raised a number of themes related to his areas of concern related to Provincial/Municipal relations, a reinforcement of familiar comments from the past that he no doubt will share if you drop him a line ...

It makes for a topic that should probably be explored further in a public forum at some point ... but not today and not in the immediate future.

The political back and forth and very, very different view on governance a theme for a different day, and during a much less critical period in time

At this point in time, the only information that anyone should be paying attention to are the orders and guidance of the Public Health Officer for the Province of British Columbia.

For the moment, if City council members can shift their eyes and fingers away from their Facebook posting for a bit, they might want to give some indication as to the constructive steps that they can take towards the future.

Offering some guidance on some of the tangible preparation in the community, within their scope of duties, that they can direct towards where need is greatest and to which they can effect assistance.

Maybe by helping the Food Bank to replenish dwindling stocks, like some other communities are doing; or to outline which civic resources they will provide for the province towards the wider pandemic response plan, including some emergency housing for the homeless.

As well, in this new era of Social Distancing ... an idea might be for the Council members to vow to put some distance between themselves and Social Media for a while ... and just release only vital information  through the city's website, sharing the important news with everyone in the city that will need to hear the message.

More items of note on local announcements of the last week can be explored here, while Provincial updates can be reviewed here.

Blog Watching: Week ending March 29, 2020

A most remarkable week for the North Coast as the COVID-19 story followed a number of differing narratives, though the final note for the week has been that of much of the last six weeks.

That of the need for the public to not become distracted or confused on direction and to follow the guidance and orders of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Province's Public Health Officer, specifically her notes on the importance of Physical Distancing.

Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain once again made his Facebook page the focus for much of his attention, with message after message of the Council  plans eagerly reviewed and commented on by those who follow his social message platform.

For those that rely on the official Civic website, the volume of material was significantly slimmer, the city relaying notes on first the Declaration of a Local State of Emergency and then it's suspension under order of the Province of British Columbia.

Along the way to Friday much drama played out through the social media stream, as the Mayor's rebuttal to the Provincial order served to stoke some outrage among some of his followers; making for a fascinating situation of the City seemingly set to remain on a contrarian path when it comes to the wishes of the Premier and Solicitor General for a more unified message across BC.

And with the situation evolving as it has through the week, many of our notes on those themes vaulted to the most read range, though a few other items managed to make some space by weeks end.

That as our reviews of the apparent reduction in ranks of the City's Bylaw officers and the absence of any semblance of a plan for the homeless in the area during this COVID-19 crisis also captured a few eyes through to Friday.

However, the most read story of the week, found a large audience intrigued at the political theatre that became the Declaration of a Local State of Emergency and its subsequent suspension by the Provincial Government.

State of Local Emergency Declared in Prince Rupert ... details to follow sometime this week -- As things turned out the City's Declaration of a Local State of Emergency  towards a COVID-19 response, and issuance of Local Orders only lasted until Thursday. That the day that Premier Horgan and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth suspended it. A decision which Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain took exception to, his comments making for another twist in what is clearly a significant difference in opinion between the Mayor, City Council and the province.  (posted  March 23 , 2020)

That article was followed by:

Northern health gains one more case report of COVID-19 as part of Monday update from Provincial officials --  While the case count in the North, currently at 12,  remains significantly low compared to other areas in BC, every announcement of an uptick attracts immediate attention throughout the Northern Health region. (posted March 23 ,  2020  )

Facebook follower commentaries should not be misconstrued as wholesale support for political themes -- With a growing increase of use for the Mayor's Social Media Facebook page to deliver day after day of posts on the Mayor and City's COVID-19 themes and other civic notes to a supportive audience. The actual public forum in place for City Council discussion and overview of city governance by the elected councillors is becoming increasingly diminished in purpose and value.   (posted  March  27 , 2020)

City down to one bylaw officer  --  During his Thursday rebuttal of the Provincial government's decision to Suspend the Local State of Emergency Order in Prince Rupert, the Mayor observed as to how the city is at the moment only served by one Bylaw officer  (posted March  27, 2020)

City and Province need to outline what measures they have in mind to assist Prince Rupert's homeless during this pandemic -- After a week full of Facebook posting and stance taking, there has still been no public declaration by either a provincial, or municipal politician as to what plans, if any, are in mind to help house the Homeless of Prince Rupert in the wake of the new social distancing and other COVID-19 requirements.     (posted March  25, 2020 )

You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.

You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page.

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Our archive of weekly Blog Watching  can be found here.

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