It will take a Long Drive to find some Sun on this last Long Weekend of Summer

Satellite imagery from Environment Canada shows the
approaching flow of precipitation that will be with us through the
weekend and beyond

As we head into the unofficial end to summer of Labour Day (the real thing not coming until later in September) those looking to squeeze in some last few days of sunshine before the end of Monday will have to fill up the tank, hit the road and head out of town, far out of town!

A marine weather system that has already arrived on the North Coast is providing the preview of what's ahead for us over the course of the next four days of the Labour Day weekend, with much in the way of rain to be our companion.

Rain and wind make for the forecast with gusts of up to 80 kilometres expected by Saturday, The Weather Network making note of close to 100m of rain for the Prince Rupert region during the long weekend period, with half of that amount to arrive on Saturday alone.

Things aren't much better for Terrace, Kitimat or Smithers, though the further east you travel the chances for a break from the rain do seem to increase.

And if Sunshine is indeed your desire for the Labour Day weekend, Prince George is the destination to head, with only one day of potential precipitation expected.

Those who may be looking to do a bit of boating on the weekend should make note of the Gale Warning now in effect for all marine areas of the North Coast and Haida Gwaii, with Winds of up to 40 knots through Saturday and seas building to three metres.

For past notes on weather events of note for the region see our archive page here.

Northern Health introduces new COVID related measures for entire Health Authority coverage area

With the pace of new cases rising quickly in some areas for Northern Health, the Health Authority has outlined a list of new Northern Health Orders which will take effect as of September 7th, with much of the focus on gatherings whether in group settings or for home visits.

New measures announced today include:

Personal gatherings in your home – one additional family or 5 guests 

Personal gatherings outside your home – maximum 50 people 

Indoor events – have a safety plan (the organizer should have a safety plan, but is not required to submit one for approval) 

Outside events – when more than 200 people, then have a safety plan 

Sporting events with spectators, indoor & outdoor – have a safety plan

“We are seeing a surge of cases throughout the Northern Health region. We continue to strongly encourage all people age 12 and up to get immunized which is their best source of protection.”  -- Northern Health president and CEO, Cathy Ulrich.

Today's advisory also outlined the measures in place for Step 3 and other elements related to gatherings and events as part of that step.

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According to Northern Health officials, most residents in the North are being exposed at personal social gatherings in private households and at private gatherings, with the new orders released today a step towards reversing that trend.

Also reinforced today was the need to get vaccinated, with immunization noted as the most effective measure to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19

 

“Getting immunized will help keep our hospitals open for treating people with other illnesses. These orders are a temporary way to help manage the spread of the virus, and the impact on the health system.” -- Northern Health chief medical health officer Dr. Jong Kim. 

You can review today's statement here.

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As we noted yesterday, the pace of new cases is particularly high from the Nechako region to the Alberta border, though there have been some increased levels recorded in the northwest as well.

Today's data from the BC CDC shows 103 new cases in the Northern Health region, with 553 active cases. There are 19 patients in hospital with 12 in Critical Care.

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For more notes on Northern Health see our archive page here.

Let's get ready to ... Gronder! Party leaders to debate en Francais tonight

An opportunity to recapture your High School French is up on the television viewing agenda tonight, with the First of the Federal Election leaders debates set for broadcast on a Quebec television network. 

The Debate hosted by the TVA network which arrives at the halfway mark of the election campaign will feature only four of the national party leaders on the evening.  

With Liberal Justin Trudeau, Conservative Erin O'Toole, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and the Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet set to take to the podium in their first head to head debate.

TVA did not invite the Peoples Party's Maxime Bernier or the Green's Annamie Paul to this evenings get together.

The debate tonight is described as one which will feature a series of face-to-face encounters between two leaders at a time.

The showdown, will also provide an opportunity for voters to watch and see how the leaders perform as they look to solidify their base and try to make the case for swing voters to cast their vote in their direction.

The debate comes after a first few weeks of uncertain footing for the Prime Minister who has seen the Conservatives rise quickly in the polls, with the NDP also takin away support in some key areas of the nation.

The debate will take place starting at 5PM British Columbia time, for those who have a bit of rust on their French, CPAC, the Parliamentary channel plans a replay of the debate at 7PM with English translation of the night's commentary.

The Quebec based TV network TVA gets to host the fist 
appearance for the Party leaders tonight

It's not clear if tonight's debate organizers at TVA have provided for snacks for the leadership debaters, if not, the NDP's Jagmeet Singh may be able to help out.

Mr. Singh debuted his Poutine wagon today on the streets of Montreal, though the launch was not a smooth one with the food truck having some early mechanical challenges ...

Something the NDP leader no doubt hopes is not an omen for his debate performance or his hopes for votes in Quebec.

They eventually did get the truck up and running, you can follow Mr. Singhh's day of dishing out #PunjabiPoutine from this twitter thread

Two more debates are scheduled for next week, with the next French language debate set for September 8th, the English debate follows on September 9th.

For notes on the campaign in Skeena-BulkleyValley see our archive page here.

Summer, well at least a summer sailing schedule, will carry on through September for BC Ferries

Travellers aboard BC Ferries on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii
will have a few extra weeks of summer schedule Service this year
(Map from BC Ferries website)

Having had to operate on a reduced schedule for much of the summer owing to mechanical issues with the Northern Expedition, BC Ferries has announced that it will be carrying over the summer schedule through to September 30th to provide more travel opportunities for travellers and residents of the region.

The Ferry Corporation made the announcement today with this statement, issued earlier today.

As they explain it: BC Ferries’ summer schedule traditionally dedicates one ship to the Prince Rupert – Haida Gwaii route and one ship to the Port Hardy – Prince Rupert route. 

Earlier this summer, the Northern Expedition experienced a main engine failure and was temporarily out of service to undergo repairs. During that time, the Northern Adventure provided service to both routes. 

The summer schedule usually wraps up mid-September on the Prince Rupert – Haida Gwaii route. In recognition of the impact to the community of reduced availability at the beginning of the summer, BC Ferries is extending peak service levels this year on this route. 

The Northern Adventure served as the workhorse for the Northern fleet, operating on the more limited Winter schedule through until the August long weekend, with the Northern Expedition was returned to service.

You can book passage on any of the BC Ferries vessels through their website here.

You can review some of the past notes on ferry service on the North Coast from our archive page here.

Elections Canada ready to take your questions with local offices across Northwest now up and running

The Seaport Building (former home for Farwest Sports and
Shutter Shack) on First Avenue West is the host for
the Elections Canada Offices in Prince Rupert

Voters in the 2021 Federal Election who may have questions have a local resource in place to help along the way to the September 20th Election Day. 

With Elections Canada once again set up in the old Farwest Sports building on First Avenue West across from the Museum of Northern British Columbia.

Voters who are already registered should be receiving their Voter Registration Cards within the next week or so, with Elections Canada advising if you haven't received yours yet, or if the information on the card is incorrect you are asked to contact them after September 10th.

You can find out the Hours of Operation and other Elections Canada locations across the northwest here.

The official list of candidates as of September 1st from Elections Canada can be viewed below:

You can vote any day at your local office up until September 14th, with four days  (September 10,11, 12 and 13) also set aside for Advance polling opportunities.

More on voting in the Northwest can be found from the Elections Canada website.

Further notes on the 2021 Federal campaign in Skeena-Bulkley Valley can be explored here.

While a wider overview of the national campaign can be found from our political blog D'Arcy McGee.

UBCM convention to feature health panel on recent Extreme heat event in British Columbia

With the 2021 edition of the UBCM Convention just a few weeks away now, a timely item for discussion has been added to the Agenda for the week of virtual convention going, with convention organizers announcing a new workshop panel that will tackle the issue of the recent extreme heat event in the province.

In an announcement released on Wednesday, UBCM officials relayed the make up of a six member panel to address the issue

Taking part in the conversation will be Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry joining them will be Dr. Sarah Henderson, Science reporter Johanna Wagstaffe along with two Municipal politicians in BC, Councillor Patrick Johnstone of New Westminster and Mayor Barbara Roden of Ashcroft.

They will review what has been learned in response to the 2021 heat dome, which resulted in a large volume of heat related deaths during the period of the most extreme temperatures.

In their preview of what the forum will explore, the UBCM notes:

Earlier this year, the province experienced an extreme heat wave, leading to unprecedented temperatures and more than 570 heat-related fatalities. 

All orders of government were left scrambling to address the immediate impacts, while long-standing systemic vulnerabilities (e.g., emergency response, communication) and a lack of preparedness became even more evident. 

This session will discuss what can be done to adequately prepare for future extreme weather events in the face of worsening climate change and global warming.

You can learn more about the panel here.

The panel session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 15th starting at 3PM

The forum is just one of a large volume of events schedule for the 2021 convention, which takes place from September 13 to17.

This years event is once again a virtual gathering, which means Council members will remain in their home communities for the week long week of workshops and presentations.

The full list of program elements can be reviewed here.

You can follow the lead up for UBCM and the event as it moves forward from our archive page here.

Our archive page will feature notes both local and those culled from across the province as the event gets underway.

Long Term Care assessments for Prince Rupert currently limited at Northern Health

Staffing issues with Northern Health have made for a longer
period of assessment for those seeking eligibility to
Acropolis manor

The process of assessment for long-term care in Prince Rupert is described by Northern Health as limited at the moment, that owing to the Health Authority facing a number of unexpected leaves of absences.

That advisory for the community coming from a Social Media Post on the Prince Rupert focused Northern Health Facebook page, the response made following a question from a community resident with concerns over access to eligibility to Acropolis Manor.

As part of the reply from the Communications team at Northern Health, the process as to how officials at Northern Health are addressing the issue was explained, with Health workers currently using a triage program, that while further training is underway for staff to conduct assessments.

Northern Health does acknowledge however that the wait times are longer than is normal.

You can follow the discussion from the Northern Health forum here.

The long wait times for assessment to Acropolis Manor might make for another topic for the proposed Prince Rupert Health Advisory Committee to take up, should that city of Prince Rupert initiative ever actually take flight.

As we outlined last month following the August 23rd City Council session, the city's plans for the Advisory Committee remain stalled. 

An enquiry as to its status from proponent Councillor Barry Cunningham at the August session, provided for a response that there is still no timeline in place for that invitation for Health Officials from Northern Health to come to Council for a public information session with the Council members.

Considering the growing number of health related concerns that residents of the city are raising, City Council may want to attach a bit more urgency to getting their Committee up and running, there surely won't be a lack of items to explore with health officials.

More notes on Northern Health themes can be explored from our archive page here.

Items of interest coming from City Hall can be reviewed from our Council Discussion archive.