MLA Rice hopeful of short term solution and longer term resolution to homeless shelter issues in Prince Rupert

A number of local stakeholders and  North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice
are working towards ensuring that Prince Rupert's homeless 
won't be left to the streets during a time of Pandemic

Two days ago we noted that MLA Rice had taken on the lead in the community in search of a solution towards the immediate needs of the homeless during this current COVID-19 emergency situation.

The North Coast MLA noting in a social media post that she had assembled some of the key partners in the community to look for ways to resolve a range of concerns.

On Wednesday afternoon we followed up on that Social media message, sending an email to the MLA's office to inquire as to an update on the planning, while also exploring some of the current themes related to the homeless in Prince Rupert.

In her reply through email, the MLA observed that the current situation had kicked up a level after the City of Prince Rupert sent their own correspondence to the Ministry of Housing advising of a demand for the immediate shut down of the Third Avenue facility.

"I received a phone call from the Minister of Housing on Monday informing me that the city of Prince Rupert had just sent a letter to the Province demanding the current shelter be shut down immediately. 

 We are striving to meet the immediate needs of this population during COVID-19 and are looking for a more permanent location longer-term. We are very close to having a solution formalized."

In addition to the surprising advisory that the City had demanded a shut down of the only homeless shelter in the city without it appears any form of a fall back plan in place, Ms. Rice recounted one option for a temporary solution during the COVID-19 emergency that was offered up by the North Coast Transition Society, which is among the local groups that offer supports for the homeless.

"I did receive a copy of the Transition Society’s letter to the city requesting the use of the civic centre to temporarily house the homeless in Prince Rupert during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The location meets all the needs of the population allowing for social distancing, good hygiene and a location for meal prep."

That suggestion it would appear has not as of yet seen much success, those notes and some of the other frustrations that the NCTS have found of late  were expanded on last night in an online story from the Northern View, which recounts many of the same themes that Ms. Rice shared.

In response to our inquiry as to whether the City's plan did not run counter to a recent announcement by the Government over the halting of evictions, Ms. Rice observed:

"The announcement by the Province halting evictions during this difficult period of time pertains to landlord-tenant relationships that fall under the Residential Tenancy Act. 

 I would agree that requiring the shelter to shut down immediately goes against the spirit of supporting each other especially during this trying time. These are our most vulnerable community members. 

 The shelter is currently non-compliant with regards to zoning and building code. Over the past few months the landlord and the service provider have made multiple attempts to bring it up to code but the city discouraged this work. My understanding is a temporary zoning application was applied for but not responded to. 

 In my discussions with the city of Prince Rupert, it is clear to me that they do not support a shelter in the current location. For the past few months we have been looking at various options to find a new permanent location but we haven’t settled on one yet. "

Since seeking to close down a shelter in the midst of a pandemic seemed like a curious decision for the city to make, we did attempt to seek some clarification, addressing an email to the City's communication director Veronika Stewart late Wednesday afternoon.

As we put this item to post, we have yet to receive a reply from the City, though if the timeline for response as outlined by the weekly paper is an indication, we still have four days, maybe more, to go before we may get a reply.

Should we receive one, we will update this item with an addendum to the bottom of this page.

For now, perhaps we'll just monitor the Mayor's Facebook page where many of the city announcements and public policy discussion seem to flow from these days.

The timing of City's letter to the BC Ministry of Housing as recounted by MLA Rice is also an interesting thing.

Coming as it seems following an announcement from Mayor Lee Brain, through his Social Media page, advising that the local elected officials would no longer be accepting inquiries related to a range of social issues in the community.

"Unfortunately any community issues moving forward regarding housing, childcare, homelessness, etc are to be sent to Jennifer Rice's office as her and her team are now in control. 

You can forward your concerns to Jennifer Rice by calling 250-624-7734 or e-mailing jennifer.rice.mla@leg.bc.ca."

Now  you might think, that the idea of shutting a homeless shelter during these challenging times, not to mention the City's decision to deflect many concerns from local residents over to the MLA's office might make for some "city business".

They are after all, serious issues that surely that could make for some important discussions in a public forum such as, oh say a City Council Session.

But, as we recounted earlier this week, Prince Rupert City Council has cancelled their scheduled Regular Council Session for this Monday, that owing to "a lack of business" ...

Though one wonders if not talking about the challenges in the community with the residents of the city, is the best way to try to effect change to a very concerning situation.

In her correspondence yesterday, Ms. Rice noted that the BC government and local stake holders are working towards a solution.

"Our government is working with BC housing and the service provider to temporarily shelter people during the COVID-19 outbreak as well as find a new permanent location to situate the shelter."

It's more than a little unfortunate that the elected representation at the local level don't seem inclined to be part of that solution or to even participate in a public discussion on it.

Even more puzzling is that many of them remain silent on the growing list of items that now only get discussed through the Social media feed of the mayor and those who follow that page.

More background on housing in the community can be reviewed here, while our notes on City Council can be examined here.

Need to continue physical distancing, while maintaining social links theme to Wednesday update on COVID-19

Wednesday's provincial update on the work towards taking on the COVID-19 outbreak continued with  a focus on the clusters of transmission that take place in the seniors and supportive care facilities in the province, which has now spread to 21 facilities all of them to this point limited to the Lower Mainland .

"We continue to see new cases in long-term care and assisted-living facilities. There are now COVID-19 cases in 21 facilities in B.C., all in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions. Public health officials are providing support to implement outbreak protocols at all sites."

For the larger overview of the provincial picture, all health regions saw an increase in cases today, for Northern Health that made for an increase in one from yesterday

“We are announcing 53 new cases, for a total of 1,066 cases in British Columbia. “Every health region in British Columbia has patients with COVID-19: 497 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 367 are in the Fraser Health region, 72 are in the Island Health region, 114 are in the Interior Health region and 16 are in the Northern Health region.

In the last 24 hours, we must also report one death in the Fraser Health region, for a total of 25 COVID-19 related deaths in British Columbia. Our condolences to everyone who has lost loved ones.“

Today's overview, recounted many of the themes that have come to make for the key approach to this virus and the shared ability for British Columbians to do their part.

“This is an incredibly challenging time for all of us. Along with the serious health risks of COVID-19, many are also facing financial hardship and mental health struggles. 

We know, without a doubt, that with all of us working together, we will get through this. Our goal is to have the restrictions and orders in place for as short a time as possible. 

Maintaining strong social connections – at a distance – is one of the best ways that we can take care of ourselves and show support for each other."

Dr. Henry also share some links towards additional information on the province's approach to its COVID 19 work, including a review of the COVID-19 ethics framework.

You can  review the full statement from Wednesday afternoon here.

The BC Centre for Disease control has some valuable Coronavirus notes related to COVID-19 you can explore that information here.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, the string of statements that came quickly at the end of the week can be reviewed here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints

BC Hydro announces one per cent rate cut; will also provide credits on bills, waive charges for those impacted by COVID-19

Residential and commercial customers of BC Hydro will see some relief from billing from the electrical utility, that as they roll out a program to assist those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an information release today, BC Hydro noted how this will impact both user groups:

Residential customers that have lost their job or are unable to work will be able to apply to receive a one-time bill credit of three times their average monthly bill amount – this amounts to around $135 in savings for the average apartment dweller and $335 for the average single-family home.

Small business customers that have had to close their business as a result of measures implemented to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 will also be able to apply to have their electricity costs waived for up to three months.

"We recognize the financial stress many of our customers are facing after losing their job or having to close their business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that not having to worry about their electricity costs for a few months will help provide some temporary relief during these challenging times." -- Chris O'Riley, BC Hydro President and Chief Executive Officer.

Application to the program part of a BC Hydro's COVID-19 Relief fund will be in a two stage approach, with eligible residential users able to apply by the end of next week.

Business customers will be able to apply starting April 14th.

Both groups of customers have until June 30th to apply.

More on the COVID-19 Relief Fund can be accessed here.

BC Hydro also notes that the have a range of assistance programs in place through their Customer Assistance program, you can find out more and discuss your options by calling 1-800 BC Hydro (1 880-224-9376)

Also announced today, was a one percent reduction in Hydro rates, that following interim approval by the BC Utilities Commission.

The updated rate will reduce the average residential customer's annual electricity costs by up to $16, commercial customers' annual electricity costs will be reduced by up to $715 and industrial customers by up to $230,000.

 Over the next three years, the forecast net bill impacts are estimated to be:

April 2021: increase of 2.7 per cent

April 2022: decrease of 0.3 per cent 

April 2023: increase of 3 per cent

More on that announcement can be reviewed here.

For more notes on BC Hydro see our archive page here.

Boat Ramps and Campgrounds items of note for Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain

Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain has outlined a few more areas where he would seemingly like to see the City take action towards anyone from outside arriving in the North Coast region.

Speaking this time towards themes of recreation and tourism in this era of COVID-19.

As  part of the Mayor's ongoing Social media messaging, the Mayor is once again looking to see if the City can make use of any authority that they may have under existing Provincial or Federal orders.

That to address what he understands to be and describes as a growing concern towards the prospect of any out of town visitors arriving in the city.

And as has been the case in recent weeks, once the Mayor introduces a theme, many of those who follow his Facebook feed weigh in with their own commentaries. 

Some which may have some veracity, others perhaps not. 

In this case, some have reacted to a perceived threat to public health and safety, by calling for the closure of all the Boat ramps in the region.

In response, Mr. Brain notes how the City "don't want to close the Boat Launch as there are First Nations and local residents who depend on it for food fishing." 

Adding that, "legally we can't prejudice against a certain demographic from using it unless we have emergency measures available to use for temporary measures"

Some followers of the Mayor's Social Media stream have called 
for the closure of all boat ramps in the Northwest 
to deter any potential out of town visitors

The Mayor responded to those comments, with a review some more of the extensive measures that the city had wished to put in place in the community under their State of Emergency plan of last week. 

From Council's vote of approval of last Monday, a pair of measures had been implemented prior to the suspension of the Local State of Emergency by the Province last Thursday.

In his update today, the Mayor did not outline if the City actually had any authority to install the proposed measures in the first place; or if so, how they might have enforced the provisions that they had in mind.

The Mayor's ongoing pursuit of potential civic policy through Facebook would appear to be one that will continue on without benefit of the participation of the elected members of City Council. 

Earlier this week, the City announced the Cancellation of the upcoming Monday public City Council session, citing a lack of business to discuss as the reason to take a pass on the scheduled session. 

A decision that has removed the one aspect of civic governance where the Council members have a chance to ask questions and offer a more detailed explanation as to their plans. 

And while they suggest that there is a lack of business to deal with at the moment, which is a puzzling statement to begin with considering our times.  

It would seem that to ruminate on such themes as above, might actually be something that the six Council members should discuss in a public forum. 

Offering as it does the chance to share their views towards the measures with the entire community and on the record, rather than to make them daily talking points for social media discussion for a select group of followers.

For more notes on the work of the Mayor and council see our archive page here.

"Northern Health has been doing an amazing job" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

Some key notes of interest to Northern British Columbia have gained some attention during the course of the Question and Answer periods this week from Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

The focus for the commentary that of the preparation work and ongoing efforts towards the COVID-19 response making for some of the themes for the week.

Monday the work of health officials across Northern British Columbia received some recognition, with Dr. Henry observing on some comments and recommendations in a recent  Open Letter from Dr David Bowering, the former Chief Medical Officer for Northern Health.

"I know Dr. Bowering quite well and I think it's unfortunate that he's not as connected with the Northern Health medical health officers as he was in the past. The Northern Health has been doing an amazing job and the medical health officers are aware of  every case in Northern Health. 

And like the rest of the province, every case is investigated, all the contacts are notified and they are following the same procedures as we are everywhere else.  So people in those communities who are at risk know who they are and they have been isolated, they have been quarantined, people have been treated in hospital there. 

The clinical teams in Northern Health are doing an amazing job supporting people as well"

She also observed that in the situation of the work camps in the northern region, many have gone to a limited staffing situation and reducing the risk in those areas, highlighting the work that Northern Health has done towards those goals.

"In terms of the Industrial camps, that is something that we've been working with Northern Health in particular, but across the board in the North. 

Many, if not all of them have gone to a very reduced staff. For various reasons, we don't want as many people coming in and out of the community. They've done things like extending the length of time that people are there, going to safety staff only. 

I think it's important to recognize you just can't abandon a large mine or industrial site; that's not safe, it's not safe the community or for the environment as well.

So, Northern Health has been very active working with the Industrial camps in the north to reduce the risks in those camps and to make sure that they're scaling back appropriately to be able to put in place the measures that we have required and under our PHO order in those facilities to reduce the risks to the people there and also to the communities around those camps"

Her comments on Northern Health start at the 40 minute mark





On Tuesday, Dr. Henry also addressed another topic making for discussion in the north, that of why the Province has only identified cases by Provincial Health region and not by individual community; noting that it is not a non-disclosure policy but how the province does business in terms of Public Health.

She highlighted how the process works that when there is a risk to the public that they cannot identity individuals who might be exposed to somebody with a disease, in this case COVID 19, they put that information out publicly.

Dr. Henry made note of some recent examples where people were in public spaces, or in certain premises and others at risk could not be identified  where they put that out in the public domain, an approach that they have always taken.

"I think the challenge right now is, that these things have evolved over time and initially of course we had very small numbers of people who were coming in from other countries and it became incredibly important to make sure that they were not individually identifiable. Because with this disease as with many communicable diseases there is still very much a stigma associated with it"

The Doctor also noted how the practice is one which is being used across the country and is consistent in how they are applying the approach towards the COVID-19 response.

She also observed that now that there is community spread, there is no ability to know everybody in our environment who has this disease. She reinforced the need to adhere to the measures in place towards social distancing and reduced contact, noting how the need to put space between us is particularly important for smaller communities where there have yet to be any tested cases.

"This is not something that is about protecting people's privacy necessarily, though that is obviously an important consideration. It's about risk to the public and understanding where that risk is, and the measures that we all need to take in our communities across the province."

Health Minister Adrian Dix noted that the way that British Columbia has managed the response, is that the provincial approach from the beginning has involved all of the Health authorities, Regional health authorities and First Nations health authorities.

He also observed as to how managing the situation provincially has delivered a range of advantages and will continue to do so as the response to COVID-19 continues.

You can review the many responses to the line of quesitons starting at the 28 minute mark of the Information update from Tuesday.



The string of second guessing, as Vaughn Palmer notes in this informative piece in the Vancouver Sun, has become somewhat of an occasional  theme of late as the province continues to respond to the health crisis in British Columbia.

For more notes related to the provincial response to COVID-19 see our archive page here.

Coast Mountain College to offer emergency financial relief for students in need

Coast Mountain College working in tandem with the Coast Mountain College Foundation, has announced a funding program towards Student Emergency Bursaries, with the college making 40,000 dollars available for students as a response to the COVID-19 situation.

The funding program was announced in a statement today and will see $20,000 of the available money come through the Employee Giving Program, along with donations from community members across the Northwest.

“We are very grateful for the donations received from community members and our many employees. It now enables us to provide emergency and immediate financial relief to our students as they work to complete this semester of study.” -- Brian Badge, Executive Director of College Advancement and CMTN Foundation CAO.

The Coast Mountain College Foundation is also dedicating $20,000 to the Student Emergency Bursary program.

The funding will be delivered to students by way of the distribution of gift cards valued at $250 each for grocery stores located in Terrace, Prince Rupert or Smithers.

The cards will be made available to those students who apply and can demonstrate a financial need.

The program is available to both local and international students and the details towards how it all works and what the eligibility criteria is can be reviewed here.

For more information, or to submit your application students can contact aconway@coastmountincollege.ca

For further notes on post secondary education in the Northwest see our archive page here.

City of Prince Rupert's Spring Cleaning starts with some street sweeping

With the arrival of  April, the City of Prince Rupert has once again started up their Spring Street Sweeping program with 23 more days of sweeping ahead across the community.

Towards lending a hand to city crews, the City has posted a notice for residents to the Civic website as to how they can help with the project.

Included on the list, parking off the street or sweeping below your vehicle yourself to clear those areas that the sweeper won't be able to access.

In their notes the City outlines that owing "general uncertainty in future conditions" that they cannot provide for details related to local routes to be addressed each day.

The sweeping program could run from Dawn to Dusk and is anticipated to be completed by April 24th.

For more notes on the work of City staff and city council see our archive page here.