Monday, December 5, 2022

Court House Lights set the tone for Holiday period in Prince Rupert

 

The annual display of Christmas Lights was turned on as part of Saturday's Winterfest celebrations, the colour display lighting up the Court House Lawn at the foot of Second West and McBride.

The lights are an annual tradition in Prince Rupert and the preliminary checks prior to Saturday's lighting saw CityWest employees and Special Events officials making sure that everything was ready for the flipping of the switch.



The Light show remains in place over the holidays, so you have a few weeks ahead to take a break from the hustle and bustle of you holiday shopping take a walk through the festive display.

More notes on Community events can be explored here.
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Asset Management Study to chart course forward for service themes for City of Prince Rupert


The roadmap ahead towards the City's Asset Management program will be outlined tonight, as the City's Chief Financial Officer  Corinne Bomben reveals the findings of overview of how the city has managed its process in the past and where it should go in the future.

The background to the Study comes through the report from the CFO which serves as an introduction to the report compiled by Urban Systems. 

The key overview from the CFO noting as to how the document offers a focus for the next three years of asset management practices.

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The Asset Management Roadmap then outlines specific action items under each of the four focus areas that can be implemented over the next three years to move the organization towards improved asset management practices. 

The report noting that by doing so will enable the City to achieve its broader goals of demonstrating good stewardship and delivering affordable and sustainable services while considering its legacy to future residents.

Some of the key snapshots from the Report are noted below:



Towards what to focus on, Urban Systems identified four key areas for the City to concentrate on, Communicating information to Council, the community and senior levels of Government, Organizational commitment and capacity, Getting Data in the Door and integrating asset management into master planning.







How the City can approach those areas are outlined below:



The full report can be accessed through the City Council Agenda for tonight, starting on page .

The Asset management study is the first of two significant reviews of how the city approaches its work, still to come is a companion report on Infrastructure Replacement Strategy, that report is expected to be completed in early 2023.

More notes on tonight's Council Session can be explored through our Council Preview Feature.

A look at some of the infrastructure concerns for the community can be explored through our archive page.

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City Council to receive Housing Needs Report tonight

Prince Rupert City Council members will get their first opportunity to comment on a wide ranging review of the challenges towards housing in the community tonight, as City staff present the 85 page report compiled by staff and private sector consultants City Spaces.

The City had put out request for Proposals for the Report back in March of this year, with City Spaces, which has offices in Vancouver and Victoria  selected as the successful applicant .

The project which had a timeline of eight months from May to December of this year will offer City Council and staff a better understanding of the city's housing needs and gaps, as well as to outline opportunities and focus areas for future development decisions and policy impact.

The Housing Needs Report is a document that fulfills the legislative requirements that are outlined in the Local Government Act  and analyzed a range of data and trends to reach its conclusions.

As the Introduction notes, the report included engagement with local First Nations, social service organizations, non-profit housing providers, developers, and local government representatives. These opportunities provided the project team with valuable feedback to help inform key findings identified in this Report. 

The deeper you get into the report the more minute the details are towards the challenges ahead towards housing in the community, however the Executive Summary provided for a helpful synopsis of the key findings from the eight month review.

Some of the major themes explored the recent limited growth experienced for the city when it comes to its housing stock, expectations of significant population growth ahead, along with some of the challenges towards housing development that contributed to city's current predicament.

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The Report notes of the Official Community Plan adopted in May of 2021,  which now serves as the main focus for the city's approach towards housing development, noting of the measures currently in place and some of those that have yet to be fully introduced, such as the establishment of a housing commission, agency or corporation  or to establish partnerships to generate more resources to name a few.

One section of many for note from  the review of Housing Need Summary statements, those which provide a snapshot when it comes to affordable housing, rental housing, Special Needs housing, Seniors Housing, Housing for families and single residents as well as additional Shelter housing for those most in need. 

The closing comments tie the full package together, offering up recommendations towards how to address the many challenges ahead, including the need to explore ways to incentivize new construction as well as the potential of further partnerships with First Nations towards a collaborative approach to housing solutions.

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The document also offers up a snapshot of where the state of housing options for Prince Rupert is at, that as of the report's delivery period. 

It offers up a compilation of data related to rentals, sales of homes and the city's Housing targets moving forward. 


The full report can be reviewed from the City's Agenda Package for tonight's session, found on page.

Community resident's will find out what the Council members think about the review, should they have any contributions to make to the topic, following the report's introduction tonight.

More notes on tonight's Council Session can be reviewed from our Council Preview feature.

Some past notes on Housing in Prince Rupert can be explored through our archive page.


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City Council Preview: Monday, December 5, 2022




The final scheduled Regular Council Session for 2022 for Prince Rupert City Council goes this evening at 7PM. 

The night one which features two significant reports to Council that make for some of the narrative towards what is up for review, that prior to the Council's members heading off on their holiday break.

The first will feature a review and receive recommendations towards the City's Asset Management Strategy. 

The second features a comprehensive look at the Housing Needs of the community as the City Council prepares to tackle the challenges of housing to fill the demand to come through port expansion.

Tonight also will see the Council approve the 2023 Community Enhancement Grants, hear a request to adopt a Cultural Humility Training program, as well as to review a range of reports from the planning office.

Tonight's Council session starts at 7PM and can viewed by way of the Live Feed from the City Website, or on Cable Television from CityWest Cable Channel 10/310.

The session is normally posted to the City's YouTube archive within 24 hours of the session concluding.


Council will also host a Special Council Session.  

The 5:00 PM meeting is closed to public for the two elements of the Community Charter cited below:

(c) Labour relations or other employee relations

(g) litigation or potential litigation affecting the municipality

That meeting tonight marks the twentieth of the year by the combined Councils to date.

The outline of Council's work ahead for the evening can be reviewed below:

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REGULAR SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL

Adoption of Agenda and Past minutes -- The Mayor will review the agenda for the evening and Council will adopt the minutes of past meetings.

Reports and Resolutions

Report from  The  Chief Financial Officer  -- 2023 Community Enhancement Grants   -- Council will receive a report related the awarding of the 2023 Community Enhancement grant program .  (see page   12 of the Agenda package)

Report from Chief Financial Officer   -- Report on the City of Prince Rupert Asset Management Strategy and Roadmap    -- Council will receive a report from CFO Bomben outlining the path forward when it comes to Asset Management   (see page 19  of the Agenda package)

Report from Planning: Development Variance Permit for a property on 6th Avenue West   -- Council will receive a report outlining request for a variance for the property at 539 Sixth Avenue West   (see page    56 of the Agenda package)

Report from Planning: Development Variance Permit for a property on India Avenue   -- Council will receive a report outlining request for a variance for the property at 1546 India Avenue   (see page  63  of the Agenda package)

Report from Planning Manager : Housing Needs Report  -- Council will receive a report from the Planning Manager detailing the findings of the City's Housing Needs Report.   (see page 72 of the Agenda package)

Report from Communications Manager  -- UBCM Application for Cultural Humility Training Funding -- Council will receive a report from the Communications Manager providing background to the funding from UBCM for Indigenous Cultural Humility Training for the city's Emergency Support personnel. (see page 171 of the Agenda package)

Report from the Director of Economic Development and Transportation --  Business Facade Program -- Council will receive a  the Director outlining the city's application  to NDIT for a grant of up to 20,000 dollars for the Business Façade improvement program. (see page 173 of the Agenda package)

Report from the Corporate Administrator --$10 Dollar a Day Campaign  -- Council be asked to provide a letter of endorsement towards the $10aDay Daycare Campaign (see page 175  of the Agenda package)

Bylaws

City of Prince Rupert Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 3493, 2022 --Council will  be asked to provide fourth and final  readings to the bylaw  (see page 177  of the Agenda package

City of Prince Rupert Official Community Amendment Plan Bylaw No. 3479, 2022 --Council will  be asked to provide first and second readings to the bylaw to allow a building height higher than contemplated by the COP's building heigh framework for the City Core. (see page 190   of the Agenda package)

City of Prince Rupert Official Community Amendment Plan Bylaw No. 3505, 2022 --Council will  be asked to provide first and second reading and amend Zoning Bylaw 3462, to permit  one shipping container to temporary storage per property in all zones with conditions as outlined and to Proceed to Public Hearing (see page 195   of the Agenda package)

City of Prince Rupert Trade or Business License Amendment Bylaw No. 3509, 2022  -- Council will be asked to give fourth and final to the Bylaw which pertains to the city's Business licensing amendments towards rental  units (see page 203   of the Agenda package)

City of Prince Rupert Ticket Information Bylaw No. 3510, 2022  -- Council will be asked to give fourth and final to the Bylaw. (see page  209  of the Agenda package)

City of Prince Rupert Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 3511, 2022 -- Council will be asked to give first and second readings to the Zoning Amendment Bylaw related to zoning for the RCMP detachment land at McBride and Third Avenue East    (see page 212  of the Agenda package)

The evening will come to an end with any Additional Items as well as Reports, Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council.

Council members can  take advantage of the period to offer up any items or concerns that they have for consideration on the night. 

The Live broadcast of the City Council session can be found here, a video archive of past sessions is available here.

Our items of note related to the December 5th session can be explored here. 

While our archive of all sessions for 2022 for Council is available here.    



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City Council Session: Monday, December 5, 2022






Our archive of items from the session can be found below.

Regular Session of Council for  Monday, December 5, 2022

Home page and archive of sessions can be found here.   

Live Broadcast of session can be found here

Agenda for the Regular Council Session for Monday, December 5, 2022


Preview of Council Session for Monday, December 5, 2022


Attendance

Mayor Herb Pond -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham --    Present
Councillor Teri Forster  --   Present
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh --  Present 
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa --  Present


Minutes of Regular Session of Council,  Monday, December 5,  2022
(not available yet)


Video Recording for Monday, December 5, 2022 Council Session 

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 North Coast Review Items related to the Monday,  December 5, 2022 Session of Council 





Further notes, as well as any Media items from other sources for the December 5, 2022 session can be found in our Discussion Points from City Council Feature.   

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.


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Real Estate Tracker: Week ending December 4, 2022

The million dollar listings are back for Prince Rupert, after an absence from the million plus mark for a number of weeks, a property on Graham Avenue this week marks the return.

The range of the week's listings runs from the top end of 1.149 million to 745,000.

The distribution of our list of ten shifts to the west side, which has six properties of the top ten listings,  compared to the east side's four.

The real estate review below is purely a snapshot for information purposes and reflective of our weekly check on Sunday evening. 

Properties can ebb and flow from the listings through the week,  for further background on the properties recorded, see our links pages for access to the individual real estate listings, to consult them on a daily basis.

The Archive for our weekly review can be found here.   

Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending  December 4 , 2022 can be explored below:



Real Estate Listings for the East Side of Prince Rupert 
for the week ending December 4

Real Estate Listings for the West Side of Prince Rupert 
for the week ending December 4


The lowest mark for the review of the week is at $745,000  while our top end is marked  at the price point of   $1,149,000

Total value of the listings for our ten this week is noted at $8,439,000

Below find our findings as of the Week ending  December 4, 2022


2044 Graham Avenue.                    $1,149,000 --  Remax
535 East 4th Avenue                       $875,000 --     Remax
1042 Edward Avenue                     $869,000  --     Realty Executives
239 Heron Road                             $829,000 --      Realty Executives
104 Barrow Place                           $829,000 --      Remax 
1527 Atlin Avenue                          $799,000 --      Remax
1531 Atlin Avenue                          $799,000 --      Remax
2025 Graham Avenue                     $795,000 --      Realty Executives
1063 Ambrose Avenue                   $750,000 --       Remax
1425 West 2nd Avenue                   $745,000 --       Remax


For more items related to Real Estate see our archive page here. 

For background on Housing issues in the Prince Rupert area see our past items here. 













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Sunday, December 4, 2022

Blog Watching Week ending: December 4, 2022


Tourism notes for 2022 and what's ahead for 2023 found the most attention for the last seven days 

As the Annual Report from Tourism Prince Rupert highlighted, the 2022 Tourism Season proved how resilient the industry is on the North Coast, with stakeholders finding much success as visitors returned to the region.

What's ahead for 2023 was also of some focus this week and one item that Tourism Prince Rupert shared some notes on captured some significant attention, with a large volume of our readers looking to learn more about the plans for a Shipping Container marketplace.

Also finding some good traction this week from our list of Five, was our look at the results of a recent hearing towards an unsuccessful City of Prince Rupert request to refuse an FOI made by a resident of the city to City Hall.

There seems to be some strong interest in the progress for the Lax Kw'alaams led 11th Avenue East apartment  plans, with our look at what seems to be some land clearing on the site gaining a large audience.

It was a long time between home games for fans of the Prince Rupert Rampage, but last weekend brought two home dates in less than 24 hours against the always tough competitors of the Cariboo region, a pair of games taken to the win column by the home side.

And our look at the plans towards a public forum on the city's potential plans for water infrastructure, hosted by a public advocacy group,  found a large audience this past week.

From the weeks review however, the most read item of the week puts the focus on the strong plans in motion for the local tourism industry.

Tourism Prince Rupert offers up a sneak peek at Shipping Container market plans for Northland Terminal area --  As part of the release of their Annual Report for 2022, Tourism Prince Rupert provided a brief look at what the next for Cruise ship tourism may bring, with plans for the creation of the much anticipated marketplace near the Northland Terminal, making use of shipping containers.  (posted December 1 , 2022) 

 That article was followed by: 

City of Prince Rupert quest to refuse FOI request refused by adjudicator   -- City Hall staff will have to dig deep into some records dating back close to two decades after the City lost in a bid to block a Freedom of Information request.  (posted November 30, 2022) 

Signs of progress for 11th Avenue East housing plans --  There's been few updates of late on the progress towards the 11th Avenue East apartment complex, but some visual indications offer up the prospect that some preparation work may soon be underway at the site.  (posted December 1 , 2022) . 

Rampage remain atop CIHL standings after hard fought wins on weekend -- One month off the ice due to a quirk in the CIHL schedule didn't seem to leave much rust on the Prince Rupert Rampage, with the CIHL team taking both games from Cariboo competition last weekend.  The Rhinos and their lodge members from the CIHL renewed acquaintances this weekend in Williams Lake and Quesnel.  You can keep up with the results, (once we have them)  from our scoreboard page.     (posted November 29, 2022) 

Local advocacy group for public water infrastructure ownership makes plans for January forum  -- Just a week after an opportunity to present their concerns to Prince Rupert City Council, the local advocacy group People for Public Infrastructure continued to build on their momentum, making plans for a public forum in the New Year.  (posted November 28, 2022) . 

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. 

For updates on new items posted daily to the blog, we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post notification of new stories as we post them. 

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here. 

 To view the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
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