Union of British Columbia Municipalities to offer Local Governments engagement session on provincial land use plan changes

A proposal by the British Columbia Government that will introduce significant changes towards land use issues and engagement with Indigenous Nations, will make for the topic of an upcoming webinar session from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

The provincial organization that represents the province's municipal governments has heard the questions of its members on the plans.  

UBCM officials met with provincial staff in late January to request that the BC Government hold an engagement session for local governments,  that to share more about what the Provincial plan for amendments to the Land Act mean for municipal government.

As they note in an information statement to the topic, that webinar is set for Wednesday, February 21 from 9 to 10 AM, those municipal governments interested in taking part are to email the UBCM to register.

The process towards shared decision making with Indigenous Governing Bodies is moving forward as part of the BC Government's provincial framework on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples know as DRIPA.

Towards effecting that change amendments to the pre existing Land Act will be required .

Last week, we outlined how Minister Nathan Cullen had been put in the spotlight related to the rather quiet launch of the  consultation process, the alert for participants limited to a little known page on the government website.

Missing from the the roll out was any larger information statement,  or missives from Minister Cullen who is among the most active of MLA's on social media, 

Nathan Cullen Facebook page

Nathan Cullen X Twitter Feed

The Minister's first mention of the topic coming January 27th with a Twitter X thread that after the Legislature Media had noted of the quiet nature of the engagement roll out.

Mr Cullen added a bit more information to the topic on February 1st with  some important notes to the process from the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.

The main focus for the BCAFN that of the engagement process:

The proposed Land Act amendments are a critical next step for the Province in fulfilling its commitments under the Declaration Act and to align its decision-making processes with the UN Declaration and FNLC supports the Province’s work in this regard. 

The amendments will allow the Province to negotiate decision-making agreements with First Nations under the Land Act in the future. Any agreements that are negotiated will be subject to the public engagement processes mandated under the Declaration Act.  

Contrary to comments that have been made about the proposed Land Act amendments, they will not grant a “veto” to First Nations governments, and they will not immediately alter the existing land tenure system in British Columbia. 

Rather, they will make space for the recognition and implementation of First Nations’ unceded governance rights in relation to land and resource development in their territories – through negotiation and agreement with the Province in accordance with the Declaration Act – rights which have been largely ignored by colonial governments for the last century and a half.

One missed opportunity towards a more engaged introduction came in mid Janaury when the Minister and Premier were in attendance at the Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, which would have seemed to be a good spot to introduce a wide ranging change to the land use process.

As we noted above and outlined in January, the less than enthusiastic sharing of the plans to amend the Land Act, have made for more than a few columns from some of the top observers of the Legislature.

The parade of columns questioning the NDP government's commitment to consultation came from Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer, he had three columns of note on the topic related to the Minister's approach to information sharing.

Also highlighting the BC Government plans, once they became more widely known, were the Globe and Mail's  Justine Hunter and Rob Shaw who covers the Legislature for CHEK TV and Northern Beat.

You can review more of their work from our political Blog D'Arcy McGee and our Victoria Viewpoints archive.

What British Columbians need to know about the Engagement process which comes to a close on March 31st can be reviewed here.

More of our notes on the work of Northwest MLA's at the Legislature can be reviewed here.

BC Ferries highlights improvements towards Employee Safety Program

BC Ferries has released a report towards the work they are taking on to
improve on relations with their workforce 
(image from BC Ferries report)

British Columbia Ferries has provided their employees and those who travel on their vessels with a snapshot of some of their in house Employment Safety Program. 

That after relations between the Transportation Corporation and its employees have been through some rough seas in the last few years coming out of COVID.

As we noted in December2023, negotiations for the current round of labour talks were marked by less than friendly salutations, a situation somewhat reflective of the mood on the vessels in recent months.

The information page from the BC Mariner Workers Union, charting some of the nature of the challenges to the worker/employer narrative. 

Last week, BC Ferries outlined how they were prioritizing Employee well being, with an information statement charting some of that path towards hopefully better relations.

“We’re a people business at our core, and it was critical that we hear what safety at work means to them, the challenges they face and the improvements they want to see. The actions we’re taking will put people’s interests first through a holistic approach that addresses physical, psychological and emotional workplace safety.” -- Nicolas Jimenez, President and CEO.

BC Ferries notes that it will be a multi year process to implement, but that work is already underway to address five key areas where staff indicated work was required.

Those areas include:

Workforce Planning and Support
Supervisor and Manager Leadership Training
New Hire Orientation
Internal Communication 
Access to Information Formal Mentoring Program

The update follows up on the SailSafe Engagement Report and the Recommendations from that document released in December of 2023.

The Introduction and Conclusion to the 20 pages of findings providing a glimpse towards how they plan to address a number of concerns that came out of their information gathering sessions and other  areas of research with their employees.

click on above to enlarge 

You can review the full Report here.

BC Ferries schedule was impacted significantly last summer by challenges in staffing vessels, that led to a number of cancellations on some of the most popular routes of the south, as well as vital local runs for other coastal communities.

More notes related to BC Ferries on the North and Central Coasts, as well as Haida Gwaii can be reviewed through our archive page.

Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach pays tribute to Volunteer Firefighters and Search and Rescue workers in Northwest

Taylor Bachrach provided a look at the work of volunteer emergency workers in the Northwest in the House of Commons today. 

The Skeena Bulkley Valley MP rising in the House to salute the volunteer fire fighters of the region, as well as those who do Search and Rescue work across the Northwest.

"These folks give a tremendous amount of their personal time both training and responding to calls and they do it for one reason. To protect their neighbours, I think it's one of the truest expressions of community that there is" -- Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach

As well the MP in particular paid tribute to those in Terrace Search and Rescue following their work in the hours following the Heli-skiing helicopter crash north of the Skeena Valley City last month.

As part of his commentary in the Commons, Bachrach observed of the work that the NDP has taken on to improve on the financial resources for those that volunteer their services.

Noting of a need to increase the income tax deductions for fire and search and rescue volunteers from 3,000 dollars to 10,000 dollars.

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

Active construction area in front of Civic Centre marks starting point for newest Trail in Prince Rupert, the Cloudberry Trail

Suspend your rumours Prince Rumour, the work at the Civic Centre
is related to trail building out to the old BC Hydro site

Those stopping by the Civic Centre these last few weeks have seen some fast moving Construction work taking place below the plaza at the front of the Recreation facility.

The work is just one part of the new under construction Cloudberry Trail project, the initiative a Kaien Trails project which was moved forward last fall, set  to add more recreation trail space to the community.

Phase one, the segment now underway, will take the trail through the brush adjacent to Highway 16 from the Civic Centre to the former BC Hydro site at Portage Avenue. 

In late January, Kaien Trails provided a look at some of the brush cutting taking place towards carving the trail out to the BC Hydro location.

Last week, when the NCR asked  Veronika Stewar tabout the work at the Civic Centre, the City's Manager of Communications, Engagement and Social Development noted that Kaien Trails has plans for an update on their work on the Cloudberry initiative in the weeks ahead.

Towards that update,  follow their Social media stream for the latest notes on the progress for the much anticipated  active transportation corridor.

Should you wish to donate towards their Trail building work in the region follow this link.,

More on their past work and what plans they have for the future can be explored through our archive page.

As Schools head to second half for 2023-24 school year, PAC 10 Tutoring ramps up their plans

PAC 10 Tutoring has become an invaluable resource for many
students and parents in Prince Rupert and area

With the holiday period now behind us, the final few months of the 2023-24 school year are upon us, with the next few months ahead marking the countdown towards June.

Before they know it students, parents and/or guardians will soon be making plans for the end of school celebrations, exams for some and for the District's Grade twelve students graduation.

For parents looking to get a bit of extra curriculum help for their youngsters or just keep their sills sharp towards the end of the school year, PAC 10 ESI tutoring likely has a program of interest to you.

With tutoring sessions for youngsters from Kindergarten to Grade Nine, both individual an in group settings the staff at PAC 10 tutoring continue on with their successful  program which has been popular with students and their families since they first opened their doors in 2009-10.

Since then they have expanded on the courses that they offer tutoring on and have hosted a number of campus to help make learning fun and improve on results.

Of note for the Spring ahead,  are some of the key core subject programs that they have in place for the city' s High School Students.

You can find out more about their work in the community here.

Follow the PAC 10 ESI Social media page for updates through the Spring on programs that they have to offer.

They are located  in the Long House in the 100 block of First Avenue West; adjacent to the Museum of Northern BC.

More on Education in Prince Rupert can be reviewed through our archive page . 

Rampage top Smithers in Regular Season Finale at the Jim, prepare for Semi Final Series with Hazelton

The Prince Rupert Rampage found their offensive push on Saturday night, putting on a scoring clinic for the over 950 faithful Rhino Supporters in the stands at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre.

The Rampage who had struggled the previous weekend in Smithers reversed their fortunes with the Steelheads in Saturday night's rematch, scoring five times on the way to the 5-3 warp to regular season schedule.

It was a big night for Tyler Halliday who score a natural hat trick on the evening, with three consecutive goals the first two in the first frame, the third and final marker in the Second.

Halliday put the Rampage on the board midway through period one with a power play goal at 9:49 assisted by Jared Meers and Justin Brand.

Nine minutes later he had goal number two at 18:36 assisted again by Justin Brand.

Smithers gained a goal back to open the middle period, but Halliday pounced again on a power play opportunity at 11:14 Hunter Johnson and Justin Brand providing the helpers to give the Rampage a 3-1 lead.

Smithers drew closer two minutes later, but Kory Movold gave the Rampage a two goal advantage once again  at 17:19 of period two, with Jared Meers and Tyler Ostrom getting the assists.

The Steelheads came out fast in the Third Period and narrowed the game to a 4-3 score at 9:18, making for some furious action in the final ten minutes of the game.

Hunter Johnson quelled that uprising at 16:00 of the third, his shorthanded marker putting the game away for the Rampage, Johnson's helpers on the goal were Jacob Santurbano and Braden McAmmond.

Brayden Ferduson had the win in the nets for the Rampage, turning said 17 of the 20 shote he faced on the night.

The game was a physical affair as both teams were assessed numerous penalties for some post whistle activity, Smithers serving  43 minutes on 13 infractions , while the Rampage served 28 minutes on 10 penalty calls.

The full boxscore from Saturday can be reviewed here. 

With the victory, the Rampage find themselves in Third place in the CIHL West, with Terrace and Williams Lake claiming the top spots East and West after the final whistle of the 2023-  2024 campaign.

When it comes to the Scoring race, Hazelton's Tanner Wort ran away with the title  a furry of  four goals against Kitimat on Friday putting the exclamation mark on a remarkable season. His final game of the regular season  putting even more distance between he and his nearest competitor, his own team mate Ethan Browne.

Judd Repole from the Rampage landed in fourth spot on the season when the final accounting was done on Sunday night.

Rampage fans will get a look at that potent one-two punch from Hazelnut on Saturday night when they host the Wolverines in Game One of their Best of Three Semifinal. 

The two teams are quite familiar with each other by now, the split their two regular season matchups with Prince Rupert taking a home win at the season opener of September 30th; the Rhino's dropping a hard fought December contest in Hazelton on December 9th.

There is also some past history of note for the Rampage side for their showdown with Hazelton, one year ago the Wolverine swept the Prince Rupert side out of the CIHL playoffs.

The Rampage will head down the 2024 playoff path Saturday with a puck drop of 7 PM at the Jim. 

The hockey game making for a very busy night for the city's Recreation Centre with the All Native Basketball Tournament also tipping off  in Prince Rupert.

That will make for parking challenges for both sets of fans, sand a need to consider other options and scout out some nearby spots close to the Jim.

The final two games of the Series will take place in Hazelton on February 17 and 18 if necessary.

For Smithers, the path forward takes them to Quesnel for their own Three game semi final series.

We'll preview Saturday's Rampage opener later this week.

You can follow the Rampage plans for the semi finals and review the spectacular success  and community support for the Rampage fight Cancer campaign through their social media page here.

More notes on the CIHL can be reviewed through our archive page.

 

City Staff move quickly on Lester Centre roofing project Bid process

If all goes well and the funding comes through, a New Roof for the
city's Lester Center of the Arts should be in place by October

Once Council approval was in place, Prince Rupert City staffers were ready to go with the call for quotations for required work on the roof for the Lester Centre of the Arts.

Just  a bit more than a week after City Council had approved of the plans and readjusted some funding towards the project, City Staff have posted the call for Quotations to the BC Bid Website.

The Call for Quotations was issued at Noon on Friday, February 2nd, the instructions noting of a mandatory proponents meeting scheduled for February 15th at 11AM.

The focus for those providing for quotations for the work was outlined by the City in the prospectus that goes with the Bid posting.

"The Work consists of the supply of all labour, materials, equipment and anything else required to remove and replace the existing roofs as specified in the RFQ documents. 

All material, roofing or otherwise, is to be installed to Roofing Contractors Association of B.C. guarantee standards or better and/or manufacturer's instructions. 

The cost of a 5-year RCABC RoofStar Guarantee is to be included in the Quotation."

Information on the Lester Centre Roofing project from the City's BC
Bid material posted to the government site on Friday
(click to enlarge)

As noted above, four areas of the Arts Centre roofing structure make for the call for interest.

(click to enlarge)

The Bid process comes to a close on Friday, February 23rd.

A partial award to be announced by March 1st; the full contract award is to be announced subject to grant funding on April 22nd.

Kristin Ziebart, the City's Facilities and Maintenance Manager notes that it is anticipated that the roof work would be completed by October 31st.

You can explore the full prospectus on the project from the City's entry at BC Bid here.

More notes on past BC Bid proposals from the City of Prince Rupert can be reviewed from our archive page.

Items of note from Prince Rupert City Council can be examined through our Council Archive page.