Skeena River Relay hits Highway 16 at 7AM Saturday from Lester Centre; launching 142.4 kilometre run to Terrace

One of the most popular events on the local running calendar arrives tomorrow morning as the Rupert Runners provide for the start line for the Skeena River Relay a 142.4 kilometre course along the scenic and challenging Skeena Highway between Prince Rupert and Terrace.

Ten Stages mark the event, the first leg comes with the departure from the Lester Centre of the Arts as participants in Six Categories and their support teams head east towards their ultimate destination of Canadian Tire in the Terrace.

Ten Stages mark the travels for runners in Saturday's
Skeena River Relay

As of today, 30 teams had registered for the Saturday event, with Registration now closed.  

That means that all that is left was for participants to do is to pick up their race packages tonight from the Judo room at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre. 

From there it's get a good nights rest, fuel up in the morning and hit the pace early Saturday.

The Skeena River Relay wraps up with a social event Saturday evening at the Hidden Acres Farm and Treehouse Resort on River Drive in Terrace.

You can explore just what has gone into the 2023 edition of the relay from the Rupert Runner's info page here, as well as from the Social Media page created for the Saturday race.

For those not taking part in the race, but still planning a trip inland on Saturday, motorists are asked to exercise caution on their drive and be aware of the runners and their support teams through the day Saturday at the various stages along the way to Terrace.

The City of Prince Rupert provided a reminder for motorists of the plan for Saturday through their Social Media stream on Friday afternoon.

More notes on the running scene in the Northwest can be explored here.

Terrace region turns attention from Floods to risks of Wildfires, as June sets stage for warmer and drier conditions

Just shot of two weeks after they last had to hear about the potential for flooding in the Skeena reign, residents of Terrace are being reminded to be alert to the dangers of Wildfire risk.

The last advisory on the Status for flooding on the Skeena and  area tributaries came on May 23, bringing an end to the watchful times for the area when it comes to rising water.

Today however comes the first advisory of the year from the BC Wildfire Service, which alerts residents of the Terrace region towards heightened conditions in area forests, with much of the Northwest currently listed as a High Risk.

You can access the updated conditions for the Northwest daily from the BC Wildfire Service website, with a range of material to explore as you dig into their information portal.

In May Firefighters in the Terrace tackled a fire near Rosewood, while Kitimat also had a situation to deal on the outskirts of the city.

The province also notes how we can provide for a line of defence for fire fighters in BC, that by reporting any wildfires, or unattended campfires that we may see.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone or download the BC Wildfire Service app. 

The mobile app allows individuals to submit photos along with their report which helps inform BC Wildfire Service operational decision-making. Information on the Wildfire App can be found below:

Apple Store link

Google Play Store link

More helpful information toward safety in the outdoors can be reviewed here.

Not everyone is out of the risk yet for floods however, the Thaltan territory in the Stikine Region is currently the focus of a High Stream Advisory following some heavy rains in the area.

To track the latest wildfire information for the Northwest see our archive page here.

All that's left is the speculation, after some bush carving along Prince Rupert Boulevard

Making some holes along PRB 

Some land excavation in a forested area off of Prince Rupert Boulevard near Charles Hays Secondary School likely has residents of Gull Crescent wondering what's up, that after two swaths of land were cleared earlier this week.

The area of interest from that work is located  between Gull and travels down into the area behind the BC Hydro station located at 11th Avenue East and McBride.

The urban deforestation came on Tuesday and Wednesday, noted only by a traffic advisory from the City of Prince Rupert earlier this week.

By Thursday, the forested area behind the long existing residences had returned to a more tranquil experience, with little activity to be seen along the two pathways that had been carved into the bush.

Other than the Lane Closure notice of earlier this week, the City of Prince Rupert has yet to indicate what the purpose of the exploration was about; or what may be in works for the residents of the Prince Rupert Boulevard neighbourhood.

A situation that likely has set a few of the property owners along the western edges of Gull Crescent to wonder what may be coming next.

More notes on Council themes can be reviewed from our archive page.

Salute in Smithers for popular musical ambassador includes downtown mural, which now makes him a Northwest tourist attraction

The parents of Smithereen. Alex Cuba in front of the town mural
that celebrates his Grammy Award success and sense of place in Smithers 

The long running love affair between the Town of Smithers and musician Alex Cuba continues on, with the Bulkley Valley town main their main man of music a tourism icon,  with a larger than life visual of the Grammy winning musician part of the town's street scape.

The mural which was created in the summer of 2022 by regional artist Facundo Gastiazoro debuted as part of a Block Party hosted Cuba to celebrate his Grammy award for his album Mendo.

The plaque to go with the mural tells the story of how the project came together.

This week the Smithereen with the Latin beat shared a few thoughts on his time in the community and the support he has drawn from the residents of the Bulkley valley since his family moved there in 2003.

His review of two decades, offering up a glimpse as to why Smithers keeps the beat and salutes their local minstrel of exotic sounds as he travels the globe and collects awards.

With a larger than life presence to be found in the town's core, more and more travellers to the northwest  stopping over in Smithers, will soon learn a story of just one of the talents that come from the Northwest.

You can follow up on Alex Cuba's love of community by following his Social media stream here.

More on tourism across the region can be reviewed through our archive page here.

Smooth marine exercise on Prince Rupert waterfront wraps early

Today was a day for putting Emergency responders through their paces when it comes to marine scenarios on the Prince Rupert waterfront, with the Prince Rupert Cruise Terminal the focus for a combined effort in preparation.

The exercise which brought Port of Prince Rupert responders together with members of the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue service went so well today that it was wrapped up by 11AM, which left just the PRFD members to collect their equipment following about four hours of training towards emergency situations along the Cruise Terminal promenade.

Officials had originally set a timeline of 7AM to 12:30 PM for the day's training program.

PRFD members and PRPA staff  take part in these exercises a number of times through the year, keeping skills sharp and responding to a range of scenarios towards emergency situations that could come up on the waterfront.

A video posted Friday Afternoon by the Port Authority provides an overhead glimpse of the exercise from the morning hours.

Follow the PRPA and PRFD Social media feeds below, for further video themes or photos from today's exercise. 

Prince Rupert Port Authority 

Prince Rupert Fire Rescue 

More notes on the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest can be reviewed through our archive page here.

Coastal Marine Strategy focus for June 12 Open House in Prince Rupert

An opportunity to learn more about what the BC Government and regional stake holders have in mind for a Coastal Marine Strategy for the North Coast will be the topic for an Open House in mid June.

The two hour event from 6 to 8 PM will be hosted by the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and takes place on Monday, June 12th at the Crest Hotel.

The session will explore the increasing pressures on marine ecosystems and communities, with the Strategy one which will lay the groundwork for investments that will improve the stewardship and health of coastal ecosystems.

Representatives of the Ministry will lead the presentation and be on hand to ask any questions related to the province's future planning.

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice highlighted the upcoming event through her social media page, the link to RSVP to the event can be found below.

More on the June 12 event can be reviewed here. 

The current round of planning towards a Coastal Marine Strategy began in late 2022.

Yesterday, we noted of some additional funding from the BC Government that has been directed towards a coastal clean up as part of the BC plan towards protection of the marine environment.

Additional items of note from the Legislature can be explored here.

Wheelhouse Move in motion, with plans ahead for special Seafest outdoor celebration

 

Victoria Day marked the final glass of Wheelhouse Brews at their former location
up the hill from the Atlin Terminal

The Big Wheelhouse migration is underway, with the old location being emptied of the memorabilia that marked the many years atop the hill from the Atlin Terminal, with the destination down to the waterfront area adjacent to Rotary Park and the Kwinitsa Museum. 

The last pour at the old locale came on Victoria Day, with some last memories shared over that weekend as the owners made plans for their travels to their new home in the CN Waterfront building.

Since that time, the new location has been a frenetic bee hive of activity with trades workers and contractors putting some of the final touches to the new destination.

Work continues to move forward towards opening day for the
new location of Prince Rupert's Wheelhouse Brewing company

The team at the Wheelhouse has not as of yet outlined a timeline towards Opening Day at the new location,  though it would seem to still be a bit off, that with an advisory towards their plans for Seafest Saturday on June 10th and what has become their traditional Beer Garden festival.

The Wheelhouse's Seafest Saturday poster provides a look at the area set aside for the Waterfront Beer Gardens which will be on the East side of the facility.

You can follow the Wheelhouse Social media stream for updates on what will be a much anticipated reopening for the local craft brewers as they open the doors to their new digs sometime in the near future.

More notes on the city's commercial sector can be reviewed from our archive page here.