Gitga'at First Nation outlines latest notes on Reconciliation work and Forest Stewardship Plan

Members of the Gitga'at First Nation have some reading ahead of them in the weeks to come, that as the First Nation Leadership outlines a few of the current initiatives underway.

The first notice of the new year was related to their ongoing work on Reconciliation Negotiations, the program one which continues forward towards their plans for self governance and asserting jurisdiction  and authority over lands and waters in their territory.

Towards that work, the Gitga'ga have released a fifteen page backgrounder document, it provides a glimpse into their findings last year when it comes to what members rank in priorities with Education, Housing and Health care high atop the list of topics of note.

You can review that document here.

The Gitga'at First Nation hosted previous Reconciliation meetings with their members in 2023, more are planned for this year before March arrives. 

Follow their social media stream for updates to note when they will take place.

In late January the First Nation introduced its proposed Forest Stewardship Plan, a document which they are now accepting comments towards from Gitga'at Members.

From this information sheet, the Gitga'at note that the  Forest Service Plan is available for viewing at the GOLD Office in Hartley Bay during regular business hours.

It is also available to explore at the Prince Rupert Public Library, and the Terrace Public Library until March 22, 2024.

March 22nd also marks the last day for comment towards the Draft Plan.

More notes from the Gitga'at can be reviewed through our archive page. 

BC Port labour troubles percolate again as Dock Foremen and Employers go to conciliation talks

Will there be another work stoppage on BC waterfronts?
The next two months of conciliation talks  with Dock and Ship Foremen
will chart that course for the BC shipping industry

There may be more uncertainty on the docks of British Columbia in the months ahead, that after ILWU 514  the union which represents Ship and Dock Foremen and the British Columbia Marine Employers Association reached a deadlock in their recent round of negotiations in early January.

The Employers Association updated the labour situation last month, noting that they had filed a Notice of Dispute and were seeking the services of Federal conciliation.

A request that has seen three Conciliation officers appointed to the negotiations to try to resolve the impasse.

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The ILWU website has yet to taken note of the current status of negotiations 

The labour dispute involves 730 Ship and Dock Foremen working on the waterfronts of British Columbia, it follows the labour troubles of 2023 which saw extensive port shut downs through much of July.

From the conciliation work ahead, the next benchmark of note is March 19th when the  60 day mandate for the Three Federal conciliators will expire,  any extension to that mandate would require the approval of both parties. 

Once that March 19th date arrives, a 21 day cooling off period would commence, which would mean any potential labour disruptions would not likely take place until after April 9th, that is if the two sides have not reached an agreement by that time.

So far, Seamus O'Regan, the Federal Minister of Labour has not spoken to the latest labour troubles for BC Ports.

Minister's Facebook Page, Twitter X stream, Ministry news releases.

Last year following the ILWU/BCMEA dispute the Federal Government noted of the impact on trade that the labour issues has on the Canadian Economy. 

"Canada is a reliable trading partner to the world. That is a good thing for every employer and worker in this country. But our credibility depends on the stable operation of our supply chains. We must do everything we can to preserve that stability.”  -- Federal Minister Seamus O'Regan on  port turmoil last October

A review from that dispute was to be completed by December, so far none of the findings from that work have been released.

More notes on Labour on the North Coast can be reviewed here.

Correspondences towards CityWest Fibre problems, Coast Guard service interruptions and Budget Planning among the themes from January Regional District meeting

North Coast Regional District members met in mid January for their first session for 2024 and from that gathering some concerns on communication services for the North Coast and Haida Gwaii became topics of note for the Directors.

The fist items of note to that theme, was the ongoing challenges for CityWest and their Fibre connection link with Haida Gwaii, service had been interrupted since before the Christmas holidays following damage to their fibre line between the North Coast and the Islands.  The issue is one that the Board Members will be taking up with Lisa Beare the BC Minister of Citizen's Services.

The Board resolved to write a letter to the Minister of Citizens' Services, copying the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry and CityWest to outline concerns from Haida Gwaii residents regarding disruption of their internet services as a result of damage to CityWest's subsea fibre-optic line due to the crab fishery.

The CityWest fibre issues have made for some controversy in the region following a recent CityWest update that attributed the damage to what CityWest called unsanctioned fishing activity.

January 29 -- Area A Crab Association challenges CityWest Accusations on Hecate Strait fibre cable issues, notes of 'inaccurate and inflammatory' statements  

January 25 -- CityWest points to unsanctioned crab fishery as cause of recent fibre breaks affecting service to Haida Gwaii 

January 16 -- Unsanctioned fishing activity off Haida Gwaii latest challenge for return of CityWest internet and TV Services for Haida Gwaii 

January 5 -- CityWest to offer discounted services to Haida Gwaii customers --once fibre connection service is re-established  

December 28 -- CityWest awaits break in adverse weather to explore Haifa Gwaii sub sea fibre issue and make repairs  

Also of concern for Regional District are some Service interruptions for Marine Communications and Traffic Services from the Coast Guard, an issue that they will take up with two Federal Cabinet Ministers.

The Board resolved to send a letter to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, copying Marine Communications and Traffic Services, and the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding service interruptions at the land weather station on Holland Rock.

The Board has also notes that it has updated  its Travel and Other Expenses policy. 

Also of interest is the ongoing work on Reimbursement for officials some committee work that has been  led by Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond. 

No details towards those initatives were outlined in their information release of January.

The Regional District talking points from their January session can be reviewed here.

The Regional Directors also noted that they have begun their work on their 2024 Budget planning, the first session having taken place in mid January.

The future home for North Coast Regional District on
Second Avenue West 

Among the items of note from  the financial planning is the work required on their new offices on Second Avenue West in Prince Rupert, a report for the Board providing a look at how they may want to address the cost towards the $434,605  for repairs for the building.

The Regional District Board announced their plans to move to the new Second Avenue West location in the fall of 2023.

The report also observes that Regional District has engaged the services of Boni Madison Architects towards plans for renovations on what they note will be the tenant side of the building, with a cost estimate for that work still to come.

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How they plan to finance those renovations will be determined as part of this month's Budget planning session.

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Towards their Financial planning for this year, Regional District members will host their next round of Budget discussions on February 10th,  a third round of meetings is scheduled for March 6th, the Budget process should be concluded by March 15th

You can follow Regional District's work on their Budget planning from this link to their website, which lists the agenda items up for review.

The next Regular Board meeting for Regional District takes place on Friday February 9th one day before their Second round of Budget meeting.

More notes from North Coast Regional District can be reviewed from our archive page. 

Strong results for Trigon Terminals with 10.6 million tonnes of product shipped off of Ridley Island

2023 was a year of significant success for Prince Rupert's
Trigon Pacific Terminals
(image from Trigon website)

Trigon Pacific Terminals has declared 2023 as a 'banner year' for operations at their Ridley Island shipping terminal, the Prince Rupert based industrial giant sharing some data from their last year through a statement earlier this week.

In their January 30th notes, Trigon Pacific notes of an impressive volume of 10.6 million metric tonnes of dry and liquid bulk products shipped through the terminal in 2023. 

Trigon observes  how that number accounts for almost half of the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) export volumes for last year.  

The 2023 output for Trigon is up from 36 per cent of PRPA volumes in the previous year. 

“It was a very strong year for our terminal – in the volumes we handled, our safety and environmental performance and our connections with local communities. This was in large part due to the close partnership between our valued customers and the Trigon team, in particular the strong commitment of ILWU 523 to ensuring Trigon’s success,”  -- Rob Booker, CEO of Trigon.

As we outlined in early January, the Prince Rupert Port Authority noted of the significant volumes from Ridley Island terminal as part of their year end report.

Trigon Pacific Terminals results from the PRPA
Year End Report for 2023

Of that volume of export shipments,  more than 50 percent of the shipments was destined for Japan, with the rest delivered to China, South Korea, India and parts of Europe.

Trigon Pacific Terminals  handles Canadian steelmaking and thermal coal, petroleum coke and iron ore pellets. Trigon also provides rail unloading and berth services for liquid propane gas exports.

CN Rail lines heading to Trigon Pacific Terminal
(from Trigon website)

CEO Booker paid tribute to the strong relationship with CN Rail towards their success of 2023.

“Successful terminal operations require ongoing collaboration; from the production site, CN rail through rail car unloading to vessel loading, and 2023 was a great example of doing that exceptionally well,”

The information release also notes of the progress for their Berth Two Beyond Carbon project which is advancing towards the construction of a second berth, that is anticipated to be completed by 2028.

Trigon Pacific also reaffirmed its plans for expansion for an LPG project which would repurpose lands currently used for coal storage. 

While the statement this week notes of their recently completed Project Description, the future for that proposed development is still somewhat in limbo as the Shipping terminal and their landlord the Port of Prince Rupert are of two very different minds on the progress for that venture.

The full statement from Trigon Pacific can be reviewed here.

More notes on what's been happening out at Ridley island can be reviewed from our Trigon Pacific Terminal Archive page.

New ILWU Hall progress reaches street level

Those travelling along Second Avenue West are getting a daily glimpse of the progress for the new ILWU Hall with the project now set to move above street level at the Corner of First Avenue West and Eighth Street. 

The project which broke ground in April of 2023 has already seen some significant work take place at the site adjacent to the Highliner Hotel and Conference Centre.

The project which was focused on the ground level foundation and prep work deep down into the property over the last ten months,  is now ready to make the climb above street level

How things looked at First Ave West and Eighth Street
in April 2023

How the ILWU Hall build site looks today

The structure which will be three storeys high and make for close to 10,000 square feet marks one of a few major construction projects that are underway this year, a hopeful sign of some regeneration for the downtown core.

There have not been any updates since the groundbreaking, the last timeline noted was for completion of the building for a 2025 opening.

Some of the past notes on the project can be reviewed below:

October 30 -- A busy construction site as ILWU Hall takes shape in downtown core

June 7 -- Work well underway for new ILWU Hall in Prince Rupert 

April 24 -- More details unveiled towards new ILWU Hall in downtown Prince Rupert 

April 21 -- ILWU 505 makes it official, work to start soon on new Union Hall for Prince Rupert 

More notes on Labour themes in the region can be explored here.

Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue welcome newest member to the First Avenue Fire Hall

The latest round of recruitment for an open position with the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Service has now come to a close, with the PRFD introducing Fire Fighter Alex Toering as the latest member to join the City's Fire Department.

The hiring call came back in October and comes as some of the old guard for the Department take retirement; or in some cases have moved on to other Departments in the province.

The news of the newest hire for PRFD was released through their social media stream .

You can follow some of their calls for service by way of our Archive page here.

Siren call comes Sunday for Women's Rugby in Prince Rupert

The 2024 Rugby season is just ahead on the North Coast and what plans are in motion for the Prince Rupert Sirens Women's Rugby Club will be up for the sharing this coming Sunday.

The pre season meeting to take place Sunday February 4th at the Pavilion Restaurant on Stiles Place things are set for a 5:30 PM start.

More on what's on tap for those dropping in can be found here.

You can check out some of the play from 2023 from their social media stream here.

We'll be tracking the season ahead for both the Sirens and Seamen through our archive page.