Daily case counts of COVID-19 drop on Tuesday, while hospitalizations on the rise again

Tuesday's case report showed a decline from the averages of Monday's review of weekend cases of COVID, with 97 reported across the province in today's information statement, with hospitalizations and those in Intensive Care on the rise.

“Today, we are announcing 97 new cases, including one epi-linked case, for a total of 7,376 cases in British Columbia. 

There are 1,590 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, 3,001 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases, and 5,548 people who tested positive have recovered. 

Currently, 63 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, 20 of whom are in intensive care. 

The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation." 

Across the province, the Health Authorities report the following case levels to date:

2,608 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 3,784 in the Fraser Health region, 195 in the Island Health region, 479 in the Interior Health region, 225 in the Northern Health region an increase of nine cases from yesterday.

85 cases of COVID have been recorded by those who reside outside of Canada. 

There have been no new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 219 deaths in British Columbia. 

Looking to the fall, Dr. Henry and Minister Dix stressed the need break the chains of transmission of COVID in the province.

“There is much that we know about COVID-19 and much that we continue to learn each day. What we do know is that now is the time for all of us to take a step back so we can move forward safely. To do this, we need to do our part to break the chains of transmission in B.C. 

We must hold steady with our layers of protection. From keeping safe distances, to washing our hands, staying home, and staying away from others when we are ill and have symptoms of COVID-19, we must all do our part. And if we do have symptoms, contact 811 to arrange to get tested. 

Testing allows for rapid contact tracing. It means public health teams are able to quickly notify those who may be at risk and contain the spread to the others in the community."

This is time to get ready for the fall and winter seasons, to set the routines that ensure we stick with six people and avoid activities that will put ourselves and those we care for at risk."

You can review the full COVID-19 report for Tuesday 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, those past advisories  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 

SD52 hosts first Board meeting of new school year, with public access available by Zoom

Tonight marks the first Board of Education meeting
of the new school year, with residents invited to 
join in through Zoom at 7PM

School District 52 trustees will review the launch of the school year so far and pick up on some the past themes of last Spring as they host the first School Board meeting for the new school year tonight.

The Open Board meeting can be accessed by Zoom, with SD52 providing the details of how to access the session here. 

The new school year has moved forward with a range of COVID related measures in place, but amid some concerns from members of the Prince Rupert District Teachers Union.

Something which may make for some conversation for the Board as the evening moves forward.

Among the themes on the Agenda for tonight, the Superintendent's Report, the first one for newly installed SD52 Superintendent Andrew Samoil, his topics include, Field Trips, enrolment notes and the Restart plans for each of the schools in the district.

Trustees will also hear background on a range of reports from the Secretary-Treasurer as well as some background notes from a number of committees currently underway.

The evening ends with a ten minute question and answer period, which could bring other topics of interest to the table for review.

To look over the agenda for tonight see the SD52 website page here.

Tonight's Meeting is set for a 7PM start

For more notes on Education in the Northwest see our archive page here.

Special Weather Statement on Air Quality for North Coast comes to an end

The Air Quality concerns have diminished significantly
today for much of British Columbia, with only the
lower third of the Province still under an Advisory

The Noon hour brought an end to the three and half day alert related to smoke in the atmosphere for the North Coast and Haida Gwaii, with Environment Canada issuing the all clear earlier today.

As we relayed last week, the first Advisory was issued on Friday afternoon and by noon on Monday, close to two thirds of the province of British Columbia was covered by the Air Quality statement.

Monday's Air advisory covered much of British Columbia

As of this afternoon, only the lower third of the province is still under the Air Quality Statement, with the areas of concern receding as the day moves forward.

More notes on the air quality in British Columbia can be explored here.

The air quality has been impacted by the large volume of Wildfires currently burning through Washington State, Oregon and California.

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

Port Edward infrastructure work making progress

Infrastructure is the word for Port Edward heading to fall
with a number of projects completed or now underway
(From Port Edward Facebook)

Repairs and rebuilding for infrastructure has been the focus for the District of Port Edward through August and now into September, with Port Edward Mayor Knut Bjorndal providing an update on some of the work that residents have seen in motion in recent weeks.

In their monthly update, Port Edward residents heard some notes towards the repairs to the water treatment plant with the District's water quality now having returned to its normal status, though Mr. Bjorndal was quick to add that at no time was the water ever considered unsafe for consumption.

The nasty weather of August did have an impact on some of the District's rebuilding plans, with boulevard maintenance moving forward at a slower pace than had been anticipated, as was the repair of potholes, though the recent stretch of nice weather has offered Port Edward's Public Works department some good conditions to tackle those projects.

The Mayor also provided an update on the large scale road rebuilding program underway, noting how the District had chosen and hired a contractor for the work, which will be working with McElhanney engineers who are supervising and managing the project.

The first area of the District to be addressed will be along Wildwood, the Mayor did offer up a cautionary tone however, noting how the late start to the work could mean that paving may not be completed this year.

The progress on the work comes as a result of three party funding between the District, the Province and the Federal Government, with Port Edward offering their thanks to their partners through a social media post this week.

Residents now also have more capacity for recycling, with a number of changes at the Districts Recycling spot adding capacity for the bins, along with attention from staff to ensure that they are not overflowing.

As they head for Fall the Port Edward Council continues its work towards an update for the Official Community Plan and Zoning bylaw, as well as to be part of a BC Transit Service review which is now underway.

You can review more of the notes from the District here, as well as through their Social Media page.

For more on what's happening with Port Edward Council see our archive page.

Fibre optic link to Ketchikan has landed on Alaskan shores

Work on a fibre optic connection
to Alaska has reached the shoreline
south of Ketchikan

A project to provide for improved internet service to Prince Rupert's neighbours to the north in  Ketchikan has made some big strides, with a fibre optic cable from the North Coast to Alaska now having made landfall on Alsaskan soil.

Ketchikan Public Utilities announced earlier this month that the undersea fibre optic cable landed at Mountain Point via barge in the first week of September. 

The last water based leg of the installation project had  its start 100 miles to the south at Dundas Island, where the cable was laid along the seafloor on its path northward.

The project found a few delays recently as rough weather in Dixon Entrance reduced the scale of the work, with crews making use of the recent breaks to bring the cable north.

CityWest has been part of the planning for the fibre optic link, which Ketchikan voters approved as part of a bond plan for funding of the project late last year.

The North Coast Review forwarded an email last week to CityWest seeking some local comment on the project, but was advised that as of yet, they had nothing to share on the reports of the Alaskan landing.

KPU has not indicated when the final installation will be in place and the new fibre optic link put into use.

A look at some of the past notes on the fibre project can be reviewed here.

2019

October 3 -- Ketchikan voters approve bond place for funding of fibre cable to Prince Rupert

October 1 -- Ketchikan's Fibre Optic hopes to be part of today's municipal election vote 

June 5 -- Ketchikan continues planning for fibre optic link that will connect community with Prince Rupert and beyond 

January 22 -- CityWest begins exploratory work for fibre link for Ketchikan

2018

November 27 -- Ketchikan defers sub sea fibre optic link to Prince Rupert until next year

CityWest currently is working on another Fibre optic project, that one the much anticipated Connected Coast fibre link which will provide for a secondary backbone for CityWest customers and provide fibre optic infrastructure for Haida Gwaii, the Central Coast and much of North and Central Vancouver Island.

That project has however hit a few snags along the way and appears to be just a bit off of its ambitious timeline. 

As we noted in August, the latest notes relayed on the status of that project came last month when CityWest and the Regional District of Stratchona issued an RFP seeking out the services of a contractor towards the project.

In that documentation, CityWest indicated that it plans to create a subsidiary company to construct and operate the Connected Coast project.

As they have yet to announce a route or design for the project, there is no fixed timeline indicated as to when the work will get underway.

There have also been few updates of late as to the progress of the project provided to the official page for the Connected Coast project.

More notes on CityWest can be explored from our archive page.

City of Prince Rupert speaks to bear situation of last week and need for more awareness by residents

The City of Prince Rupert offered up some thoughts on an RCMP case file last week which saw a bear put down in the city on Thursday night, that after a saunter through the city that made for much in the way of Social media content through Friday and into the weekend.

In a short note posted to the City website and Facebook page on Monday, the City for the most part stays away from the theme of the shooting of the bear and instead offers guidance for the community as how residents should reduce attractants for wildlife.

Much of the information delivered calls for residents to manage their household garbage better and for neighbours to call in those residents who do not properly secure their garbage.

"Please do not litter (especially food waste!), and ensure that garbage is either kept inside, or well-secured until garbage day. If you notice someone who is regularly littering or not properly securing their garbage, you can report it to the Bylaw Department at (250) 624 6852." 

The full statement can be reviewed here.

Further guidance on wildlife interactions is offered by the City with a link to the BC Conservation Foundation and their research on bear encounters.

Not addressed however, as part of the city's information release, is why there was not any notification offered by the City for residents during the course of the bear's travels through the city which seemingly began in the afternoon culminating in his his demise in the evening.

During that period there was no use of any of the city's information options to offer an advisory for the public as to the presence of the bear or any potential danger that it may have provided for.

You can review our notes from the Friday incident here.

For more items of interest from Prince Rupert City Hall see our Council Discussion page here.

Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson to step away from provincial politics at call of the next election

After twelve years as MLA for Stikine, Doug Donaldson
has announced he will step aside from politics when the
next provincial election is called
(Photo MLA Donaldson's twitter feed)

While Premier John Horgan continues to bang out a symphony on the election speculation drum kit, one of his MLA's and Cabinet Ministers in the North is making plans to exit stage left, with Stikine's Doug Donaldson announcing on Monday that he will be stepping out of the political spotlight whenever that next election call comes.

Mr. Donaldson, who has been Mr.  Horgan's Minister for Forests, Lands Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development,  expanded on his decision through a statement posted to the NDP caucus website on Monday, noting of his twelve years of service as MLA for Stikine, that after shifting from municipal politics where he had served as a councillor in Hazelton for a decade.

As part of his farewell announcement, he reflected on themes of First Nation engagement and what has been accomplished to date and what remains to be done.

“One of my main motivations for running in provincial politics was to address grassroots struggles faced by northern, rural residents of Stikine that are linked to government policies and institutional biases. I vowed to work from the inside as your MLA to do that. I believe there have been successes and recognize there is much more to be done. For instance, the work on aboriginal title embodied by passing the groundbreaking Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Wet’suwet’en MOU has just begun."

Mr. Donaldson also paid tribute to his leader John Horgan and the opportunity that he offered him as a Cabinet Minister and key contact point for the North to the Horgan government.

“I’m also very appreciative to Premier John Horgan for his strong leadership, and have been honoured to serve as Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. In my history, I was on the path to a career as a biologist and I have spent most of my life in BC living in rural communities of under 500 people. So with that background, it is really a dream portfolio where the fact that we are part of the ecosystems in which we live, not apart from them, is constantly reinforced."

His time in that position did prove controversial however, with many of the current forestry issues flaring up during his time at the helm of the post, with the reviews not always favourable when it came to how he addressed a range of concerns.

Mr. Donaldson also received some criticism  during the time of the Wet'suwet'en blockades earlier this year, that after he appeared at a checkpoint Southwest of Houston at the height of tensions  in the region, that as RCMP members began enforcement of court order to remove the blockade.

As the tributes continue to arrive to his Facebook posting of Monday, his time served as MLA was hailed by a number of Northwestern politicians, including North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice and former Skeena-Bulklley Valley MP Nathan Cullen who offered up their thoughts on his announcement of the day.

The salute from Mr. Cullen makes for an interesting one, with some speculation now percolating in the Bulkley Valley, that Mr. Cullen will make a shift towards the provincial scene and may seek the nomination for the Stikine seat should an election call come in the upcoming days.

More on Mr. Donaldson's announcement can be explored below:

MLA Doug Donaldson announces he won't be seeking re-election

Two More BC New Democrats say they won't run again in next election

Two BC NDP cabinet ministers say they won't run again as election rumours swirl

BC Premier doesn't rule out snap election as two cabinet ministers declare they won't run again

A wider look at the provincial scene and that speculation over a potential election can be found from our political blog D'Arcy McGee.