As part of their ongoing review of outstanding case files, the Prince Rupert RCMP have issued a call for the assistance of the public on a number incidents from 2019-2021.
Members of the Prince Rupert detachment are currently seeking the whereabouts of 33-year-old Brigitte Carolann Wilson.
She his currently wanted on warrants in connection with Prince Rupert RCMP files from 2019 to 2021, resulting in charges for alleged offences such as sexual interference, sexual assault, failing to comply with a release order and taking auto without consent.
She is described as:
an Indigenous female;
165 cm (5'5);
105 kg (232 lb);
brown hair;
brown eyes
The Prince Rupert Mounties note that she is considered dangerous and should not be approached.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts are asked to call the Prince Rupert RCMP at 250-624-2136 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
The full overview from the Prince Rupert detachment can be found here.
More notes on the work of Emergency Responders across the Northwest can be explored here.
A new report from the Auditor General of British Columbia has raised a number of areas of concern where work is still required to provide for a long term plan to address transportation needs in Northern British Columbia.
In his report, released on Tuesday, Auditor General Michael Pickup explored some of the progress that has been made on transportation themes in the north, but also observed to the ongoing challenges facing residents from Prince Rupert to Prince George and points North and south.
"Northern B.C. is an area larger than the entire country of France and the bus is a lifeline for many residents in places like Prince George, Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson, and Valemount. People depend on the bus to get to jobs in other communities, access essential services like health care, go to school, or visit family and friends.
The ministry has made progress in its planning but needs to make clear how its province-wide plan will support northern B.C. specifically, Northern regions have particular transportation needs – the distances are vast, roads can be treacherous, and alternatives are few.
People's livelihoods are on the line. I hope the ministry will consult with northern residents to ensure that the plan meets the unique needs of the region."
The report which is titled Ensuring Long-distance ground transportation in Northern BC, explored a range of themes that have developed since Greyhound Canada ended its service to the region, highlighting the areas that need immediate attention and those that are in the scope of some much long term planning.
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The Auditor General also provides a few starter questions for British Columbians to bring up with their local MLA or Cabinet Ministers should the opportunity arise.
What is the ministry’s timeline for presenting options for long-distance ground transportation in the north?
How will the ministry ensure communities are engaged during the planning process?
How will the ministry ensure that it regularly monitors the interim service?
The 25 page report can be reviewed here.
Towards the province creating a Transportation plan for Northern BC, the report identified a few areas where the path towards that plan has been slowed,.
The ministry told us that it had expected to gather feedback from northern communities as part of its planning but the pandemic (starting in March 2020) prevented travel and in-person meetings. The ministry was able to do some limited engagement (see text box). Northern Development Initiative Trust said it was planning to do community engagement related to intercity bus in 2022 and the ministry said it planned to participate in some of that engagement.
The ministry broadened the scope of its planning work to include ground transportation for the whole province in 2020. Planning documents from that time show the working goal was to have “a provincial intercity bus network along major provincial corridors.”
Since then, the ministry has assessed the current state of subsidized ground transportation in B.C. and conducted a transportation needs assessment for rural, remote and Indigenous communities across the province (see text box).
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In July 2021, it identified gaps in provincial ground transportation where the government could be involved. One of these gaps is long-haul intercity bus service on priority highways. The ministry said it would work on recommendations and plans related to these gaps throughout the fall and winter 2021-22.
While this work could help inform options for the province, it is not yet clear how it will address sustainable ground transportation in northern B.C. Based on this, we could not conclude that the ministry had a plan for sustainable ground transportation that reflected the needs of northern communities.
In the conclusion, Auditor General Pickup observes as to why the need for a plan is of significance, as well as recommendations to follow up on by the province.
There is a risk that – without an approach for northern B.C. – the broader work on ground transportation across the province may not lead to a sustainable solution in the north.
Ensure that the plan for provincewide ground transportation includes options for sustainable solutions in northern B.C.
Ensure broad engagement with northern communities as part of planning for sustainable ground transportation solutions
Included in the report's release, is a video from the Auditor General that provides an overview of the project.
An opportunity to help shape the future of Lax Kw'alaams is now available for community members, as the Band Council outlines some of the background towards the Community Plan process ahead and call on the public to weigh in through an online survey.
Earlier this week, the Lax Kw'alaams Band introduced the project noting of the elements to be included in the work ahead, that of creating a Community profile and exploring community needs on the way towards the Draft Land Use plan and then finalizing the document for presentation to Mayor, Council and the community.
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The Band has launched a survey today which will continue through to December 8th, introducing the project as follows:
"Please help us shape the future of our community by responding to this 8-10 minute survey. Your answers are confidential and will help Mayor, Council and Staff make decisions about future housing, needs, infrastructure community services and facilities and land use."
Those Band members who participate are also eligible to participate in a draw to take place at the end of the survey period.
To get started on the survey which takes just ten minutes to complete, see the link here.
The survey explores the community's view of what they would like to see in the future, the current status of housing in Lax Kw'alaams, what changes residents may wish to see, a satisfaction sub survey on community services, impact of climate change and an opportunity to join in the development process.
A former Prince Rupert City Councillor and one time contender for the Mayoralty of the City is making a return to the political scene, this time as a by-election winner in an election in the community of Granisle.
As the newspaper Houston Today tells the story, Ms. Bedard stepped up to fill a seat that became vacant when an incumbent passed away earlier this year, the by-election which took place earlier this month sent her to the Council chamber with a vote count of 61, a 34 vote margin over the next nearest contender.
She and husband Ron, a former staffer with the District of Port Edward moved to the Granisle area in 2015 after many years on the North Coast.
Now retired, she does consultancy work and in an election preview in October, it was noted that from that work came a land use plan for the Village and a report on Seniors housing for the community.
Among some of Ms. Bedard's career paths while in Prince Rupert included work with the CBC, Northwest Community college (now Coast Mountain College), Hecate Strait Employment Development Centre and as a two term trustee with School District 52 followed by her time with City Councillor.
She first ran for Council in November of 1996, with elections the norm for the following campaigns for office at City Hall.
In 2011, she made a run for the City's Mayoralty, part of a three person race that saw Jack Mussallem take office during the turbulent times of the day, when the fate of Skeena at Watson Island cast a large shadow over the city's operations.
Of note from those days, was the composition of Prince Rupert City Council an era which saw the chamber one that was heavily slanted towards female councillors of the time, the opposite of how voters cast ballots in the most recent election.
We explored that side story to the 2018 election campaign with this item.
Ms. Bedard will take her oath of office at the December 1st Village of Granisle Council session.
Like all municipal politicians in the province, if she's inclined, she'll be running for office again in the fall of 2022 when British Columbia hosts province wide Municipal elections.
The City of Prince Rupert is looking to fill a spot on the roster of Digby Island Ferry workers
The City of Prince Rupert has a new job opportunity for work aboard the Digby Island Ferry, posting a Deck hand/Relief Engineer position aboard the transportation link between the city and the Airport.
The Full-time position was posted on November 8th, with the Canadian Merchant Service Guild position playing a rate of pay between $39.56 to $51.38.
The position is one which features a twelve hour day per shift, with starting times varied dependent on airline scheduling.
The scope of the job requirements and other notes related to it can be explore here, or below:
The Deadline to submit an application for the post is Monday, November 22nd.
A look at some of the past City of Prince Rupert job opportunities can be explored here.
One of a number of photos on Social Media Tuesday highlighting the panic buying of the day in Prince Rupert
With Social media posts filling up computer screens, tablets and phones with pictures of dwindling stock levels in local grocery stores, North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice used her own Social Media page on Tuesday to try and bring a bit of sanity back to a day of binge buying in Prince Rupert.The missive for calm came as local stores began to place limitations on some stock items.
The always popular toilet paper and paper towels curiously the first of the in heavy demand items that will see limits put in place in the short term.
Also quite noticeable on Tuesday were empty shelves particularly in the Produce and Dairy sections of city stores, where low supply levels and concerns over the supply chain saw what stock that was on hand, quickly make its way to a check out line.
The situation chronicled through a range of local Facebook pages and twitter tweets and photos that highlighted the irrational consumerism that was taking place at the city's retail options.
Towards a bit of reassurance for her constituents the MLA posted a short update to her Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon, observing on the current situation in her home community, along with a reminder on some geography of note for residents to take note of.
Full credit to Ms. Rice and her call for a bit of common sense towards the situation, a message that stood alone from provincial or local government officials on the day and one that has gained a number of comments that thanked her for her reassurance, or made for observations on the communal binge buying of the day.
The surge of shoppers buying up remaining stock called to mind some past events on the North Coast, where fears of highway 16 road closures propelled residents to the stores, leaving shelves bare and generating a self fulfilling prophecy of supply shortages.
This time around however, it's the flooding, washouts and damaged infrastructure of Southwest British Columbia which has marked the start on the rush for the stores, that as supply lines from the Greater Vancouver area stopped with no indication as to when they may resume.
A very concerning situation for those who live in those areas and perhaps a situation that as the MLA rightly observed is one where those of us fortunate enough to not have to deal with, should redirect some of our thoughts and concerns toward.
Considering the placement of Prince Rupert geographically, there are options available for resupply that should offer some calm in the anxious situation locally, with road access to Alberta and the Interior of BC and the supply hubs there, as well as water access to the south should a return to more normal commercial traffic routes continue to be delayed.
When it comes to that water access, as a result of the extreme weather of the weekend in the south, Prince Rupert for now stands as the only Canadian port with a rail and road connection to the rest of Canada and into the United States.
The Port of Vancouver has come to a standstill as its railway and road connections to the east are closed, with damage assessments still to develop a rebuild plan for those areas that have been impacted by the landslides and floods.
Something that makes Prince Rupert an even more important part of the international supply chain than ever; even if local residents may think that the chains of connectivity for them are in peril and they need to grab that last package of toilet paper.
More expansion and partnerships for Prince Rupert's CityWest
The Gitga'at Development Corporation is the latest group to sign on to to the Connected Coast initiative, with Prince Rupert based CityWest announcing a joint partnership agreement today that will see the joint management and access to state of the art fibre to the home for the Hartley Bay Area.
As part of today's announcement, the partnership will see the creation of a new company, CityWest Gitga’at Communications Corp. which will jointly manage the leg of Connected Coast from Kitimat to Hartley Bay.
Paul Paterson, CEO of Gitga’at Management observed of the opportunities the agreement will provide for community members.
“The Connected Coast project will bring tremendous opportunities for our membership. Through this partnership, and the long-term nature of the relationship, we will see both revenues and opportunities which will directly benefit Gitga’at First Nation and its members,”
The Gitga'at Development Corporation is owned and operated by the Gitga'at First Nation and has a number of investments in the Prince Rupert area.
Towards the community access initiative, Hartley Bay will be connected to the world through the Connected Coast network, an undersea cable project that will bring backbone bandwidth to 139 rural and remote coastal communities along the BC coast, as well as around Vancouver Island.
The Connected Coast project, which is funded by the federal and provincial governments, is co-managed by CityWest and the Strathcona Regional District has been making a string of partnership announcements similar to the Hartley Bay agreement in recent months.
Stefan Woloszyn, CEO of CityWest hailed the agreement today as the start of an expanded relationship with the Gitga'at Nation
“We see this partnership as just the beginning of a strong relationship with the Gitga’at Nation, a group that we hold in the highest regard. Their entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiastic approach to business opportunities fits perfectly with the vision and values of our company, and we’re excited about the many new adventures we’ll have with our new partners.”
Hartley Bay will be one of the communities served by the Connected Coast initiative with a fibre connection to run from Kitimat to the community
