Mayor's vision and Prince Rupert's future noted in Premier Clark's UBCM address Friday

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark made special note of the
potential for economic development in Prince Rupert during her
closing address to the UBCM convention on Friday
(photo from BC Gov't website)

Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain got a one minute shout out during Premier Clark's keynote address to the UBCM convention on Friday morning, as the Premier noted the enthusiasm that Prince Rupert is feeling with the prospect of future growth on the horizon.

Calling on the history of Charles Hays and his vision for the port city of 100 years ago, Ms. Clark noted that like Hays, Mayor Brain is focused on the future for the community, with a vision that emphasized how the community can achieve success.

"Lee Brain in Prince Rupert, Lee has an incredible vision.  Charles Hays who died on the Titanic in 1912, had a vision too.  And he wasn't able to complete it, his vision was to make Prince Rupert a port for the world, to open up the Northwest. 

Well Lee has taken on that vision, with gusto, so that he can make sure that  he realizes that future for Prince Rupert, that so many, so long ago may have already given up on. 

Because he knows, that when he sees his Chamber of Commerce grow by 46 per cent, it means that small businesses are coming and that small businesses are growing.  

And that is his vision and a vision of many leaders in the Northwest, a part of our province that has sat out economic growth for far too long"

Prince Rupert's delegation 
to the UBCM convention,
(right hand side)
 snared front row seats
for Premier Clark's 
closing address Friday
(photo from BC Gov't website)

The Premier's comments for Prince Rupert reflected much of her talking points of the full address, one of  looking to continue to see economic growth for the province and the opportunity to bring back former residents who are now returning home to take advantage of the possibilities being considered for their former home towns.

Towards that theme, the Premier announced the creation of what is called the Rural Dividend, a 75 million dollar project to be delivered over the course of three years.

Other items of note from her address included a focus on crime, with a re-dedication towards getting tough on criminals, with a focus on gang related activity.

Those themes and other notes for the UBCM delegates can be reviewed below:

Wildfire prevention funding increased, new approaches to forest enhancement
$90 million available for infrastructure in October
Communities to benefit from expanded high-speed Internet service
Up to $75-million Rural Dividend will help smaller communities
B. C. invests $5 million to further tackle crime

The speech which lasted a bit over a half hour, delivered a stream of points for delegates to take home with them.  You can review the full presentation from the Province's You Tube video feed.



For those looking for the Premier's comments on the North Coast, her notes directed towards Mayor Brain and on the prospects for the  future for the North Coast arrive at the 17 minute mark.

For a review of some of the talking points from the UBCM convention this year see our archive page here.

UBCM delegates hear concerns on how City Council's may be approaching Open government

A fascinating seminar took place at this weeks UBCM convention focusing on the mechanics of City Council's across the province, a conversation which may provide for a number of talking point for all delegates to bring back home with them when the municipal gathering ends today.

Wednesday's Vancouver Sun provided the background of a presentation by Vancouver lawyer Raymond Young, a founding member of the Vancouver law firm of Young Anderson which specializes in municipal law.

In his presentation, Mr. Young outlined for those in attendance that some of the current approaches of City Council members may be breaking the law, particularly those councils which work in a caucus format prior to their regular council duties.

Meetings outside of the normal Council routine appear to be the focus of his attention on the issue, though the main reproach was issued to those communities which seem to have evolved into a political party system for municipal matters.

Still, some of his thoughts might be transferable to other situations in smaller communities, where much of the council business seems to take place more and more in private sessions or informal settings.

In Prince Rupert, Council members in the past have frequently noted that they hold many internal workshops, committee meetings and such other discussion mechanisms as part of their normal range of municipal duties.

Vancouver Lawyer Raymond Young
offered up some interesting notes on
Civic matters to UBCM
delegates this week

It would be interesting to see what Mr. Young might make as to how some of those approaches fit into the concept of more open government, though we do get some glimpses as to his overview on municipal government from his presentation this week.

To the theme of discussions outside of normal council business, Young was noted in the Sun as expanding that sense of what might constitute a meeting outside of the normal routine of Council considerations.

Observations that could change the way many of British Columbia's elected officials think about their day to day engagement on issues.

"even when councillors email, text or call each other serially, or sequentially, they could be considered to be having a meeting. Even informal meetings such as a breakfast at a house can become an illegal meeting if the conversation turns from the weather to a city issue ... Maybe they’re talking about raising taxes a little bit so they can do this or that. It’s a nice breakfast and they go home and think, ‘Well, we accomplished something today, probably bring that up in council one day.’ That was a council meeting"

Mr. Young offered up the recommendation that the province needs to improve legislation when it comes to municipal governance, calling for some thought towards sanctions or enforcement options for those communities that violate Open Meeting laws.

That is a step that the province isn't quite ready to take yet, preferring to educate municipal leaders further on the theme, something that they believe the UBCM is working to address.

The full article is a fascinating look at the issue of Open government in the province and how at the municipal level, much of what takes place seemingly is going on outside of a regular open council session.

You can review the item from the Sun here.

For more items related to this week at UBCM see our Talking Points archive page here.

Aurora LNG outlines design plans for proposed Digby Island terminal

For many at Wednesday's Open House for the Aurora LNG project, the backdrop of Digby Island visible from the North Coast Convention Centre, provided the main talking point for the evening's review. With a number of the members community that call Digby Island home, noting their displeasure at the prospect of having to share their patch of the North Coast with a major development.

A look at the design of the proposed Aurora LNG
Terminal proposed for the south end of Digby Island

The proponents for an LNG Terminal on the southern approach to Digby Island provided a comprehensive overview of their project on Wednesday, offering background to their work so far, noting the engagement process that they have taken on to this point and how their efforts will continue on into the future.

Much of what those residents in attendance on Wednesday might have taken in has already been provided to the public by way of Aurora's most recent Community update.

That information guide was posted to the Aurora website last month, featuring some background on the current level of survey work taking place on Digby Island and the introduction and explanation

Aurora LNG has debuted the
new corporate log for their
North Coast LNG project

of their new logo for the project to identify its connection to the North Coast.

As for some of the details of the proposed development, Aurora LNG highlighted some of the economic benefits that the project would bring to the region, among them:

A construction workforce of 3,000 to 5,000 people, with plans to develop a work camp at the LNG Terminal site.

Upon completion, the operational workforce for the Terminal would be in the range of 200-300 workers. Aurora notes in its information package that they will have a hire and buy local first policy in place as their plans move forward.

Training opportunities will also be part of their presence in the region, with Aurora LNG planning to consult with the community as to how best approach those training requirements through educational and training institutions.

Local businesses and service providers that might wish to work with Aurora LNG can register with the company through the Work With us section of their website.

As for why they selected Digby Island, Aurora officials noted the large size of the proposed development area and the sheltered bay area which offers easy access to the proposed site, making material offloading less of a concern.

As well, with a site as large as what Digby Island has to offer, the company believes that they can confine all construction and operational activities to the immediate area.

Wednesday's Open House was part of Aurora's current efforts related to the initial public comment period, part of the early stages of the Environmental Assessment process, with a deadline for comments coming up on October 1st.

"The focus of this open house is to invite comments on the dAIR,“ ... “As we move forward with Aurora LNG, there will be multiple opportunities for the public and stakeholders to learn more about the project. In turn, we are committed to understanding the interests and concerns of Aboriginal groups, local communities and other stakeholders. It’s our experience that early engagement and collaboration ultimately results in a better project." -- Aurora LNG's Darcy Janko outlining the theme of Wednesday's Open House in Prince Rupert

Those interested in making their submission to the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office can learn more about that process here.

And on that theme of feedback, Wednesday provided for a fair amount of comment from those that live on Digby Island, particularly from the Dodge cove region, CFTK TV provided a sample of some of their thoughts as part of their Thursday evening newscast.

The Aurora group in attendance at Wednesday's event will be taking note of the feedback from the community that they received, putting some of those contributions to work for their next Open House which they have tentatively set for sometime in December.

Until that point, more information on the project can be found through their Project office, located in the Coastal Business Centre on 2nd Avenue West, across from the Ocean Centre.

You can learn more about the Aurora LNG project from our archive page here.

A new Marina needs a Manager; City on the search for Cow Bay Marina boss

They may still be putting the finishing touches on the new Cow Bay Marina and the project itself may be a little behind the original opening date, but with the finish line in sight, the City of Prince Rupert is now in the market for Manager for the facility.

The job opportunity for the Cow Bay Marina Manager was posted to the City's website on Thursday, a supervisory position which will provide for management services and operation of the Marina and its facilities.

Offering a competitive salary and benefit package, the successful candidate will report to the City Manager and will be expected to oversee a number of day to day operation matters from administration to sales and human resources to name a few. 

When it comes to qualifications for the job, the City is looking for candidates that will have a diploma with an emphasis on  Recreation and Leisure, Business Administration, Public Relations or a related field.

Also noted on the Job Notice is the advisory that candidates with direct Marine Experience will be given preference.

The deadline for Applications is Friday October 9th at 4:30 PM.

The full listing of requirements can be examined here.

The City has yet to announce how large a staff will be required for Marina operations, or when they anticipate offering those positions to the public.

For some background on the Cow Bay Marina project see our items below:

August 5 -- Federal Government adds two million dollars to Cow Bay Marina project

July 28 -- Cow Bay Marina project showing signs of progress
June 2 -- Pilings in place, but not machine the way of construction for Atlin marina project
April 10 -- Prince Rupert's Cow Bay Marina project gets underway
March 9 -- Cow Bay Marina project to move ahead after weekend announcement

More notes on the Prince Rupert waterfront can be found here.

For more background on recent employment opportunities from the City of Prince Rupert see our archive page here.

Storage Wars! City of Terrace style .. Terrace holds Surplus sale Saturday

Bargain hunters and the curious may wish to make the trek down Highway 16 to Terrace today, with the City of Terrace hosting their annual sale of Surplus City Items and items received by the Terrace District RCMP.

Much like you would see on the popular television show Storage Wars, the City holds a public viewing session this afternoon between 2:30 and 4:30, providing the first and only opportunity to see what items the City has deemed surplus, or those which the RCMP have forwarded to the city

The Actual Sale is set to take place tomorrow from 10 AM to 2:30 PM, with the City of Terrace using a Sealed Bid process for the sale. 

The City of Terrace holds its Sale of Surplus Goods this
Weekend at the City yard

The viewing and sale takes place at the City of Terrace Public Works Yard at 5003 Graham Avenue.

All items are being offered on an "As is, Where is basis"

Metlakatla and Lax Kw'alaams denied respondent status in Gitga'at petition for Judicial Review

The Gitga'at First Nation has found success in a recent court session to determine if the Metlakatla and Lax Kw'alaams First Nations would be allowed respondent status in a Judicial Review being sought by the Gitga'at.

The First Nation located in the Hartley Bay area had previously expressed its concerns over issues related to a lack of proper Environmental Assessment consultation on proposed LNG development in Prince Rupert Harbour.

The Gitga'at First Nation first outlined their plans to seek the judicial review back on July 6th, a notification that the Lax Kw'alaams First Nation responded to in late July.

On Tuesday, a judgement in favour of the Gitga'at was released from the hearing which took place from September 3 and 4, with the findings and accompanying background posted to the BC Supreme Court website  on Tuesday.

In the review from Mr. Justice B. D. MacKenzie, the history as to the request from the two applicants (Metlakatla and Lax Kw'alaams) was outlined, with Justice MacKenzie noting one of the themes of the Gitga'at petition, in which the First Nation asserts that it holds non-exclusive aboriginal rights in the Prince Rupert Harbour and Lower Skeena River areas.

From that petition, the Gitga'at  First Nation is seeking to be entitled to full consultation when it comes to LNG project proposals in the Prince Rupert Harbour area.

The Gitga'at First Nation
had a successful day in
court earlier this month

That petition for Judicial review is still to be heard.

With that process underway, the two First Nations in the immediate Prince Rupert region were seeking to become a participant in the Judicial Review, submitting their own request for applicant status.

Expressing for the court their concerns about the Gitga'at claim of aboriginal title, stating that the Gitga'at has no claim as alleged.

Those themes made for much of the nature of the discussion related to the court session of earlier this month, as the Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla First Nations provided their observations as to why they should be granted respondent status in the judicial review proceedings that the Gitga'at have initiated.

In effect, the Gitga'at suggested, and successfully as things have turned out, that any intervention in their petition from the Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla First Nation would in the end undermine the Gitga'at petition at this time, which is focused on the correctness, or reasonableness of the EAO decision.

After the two days of discussion, featuring a review of events and background information, Justice Mackenzie in the end ruled in favour of the Gitga'at First nation, dismissing the applications from the Metlakatla and Lax Kw'alaams.

Among some of the key notes from his judgement:

"Given the totality of the material presented and counsel's submissions, I accept the submission of the Gitga'at that, even if they are successful at the judicial review, this would not prejudice or undermine the strength of the applicants' ultimate claims, as any declarations made at the judicial review would not be a final determination on this issue."

"In the present case, in my view, the subject matter of the judicial review and the relief sought by the Gitga'at is not an issue between the Gitga'at and the Lax Kw'alaams and the Metlakatla with respect to the relative strength of their competing claims of aboriginal rights."

"There is little doubt, in my view, to allow the applications, would, as submitted by the Gitga'at, overwhelm and in fact undermine the original petition for judicial review" ... "it would not be just and convenient if this were to occur"

"For these reasons, and notwithstanding the very able submissions of counsel for the applicants, I am not satisfied the applicants have established they ought to have been joined as parties, or that their participation in the judicial review is necessary to ensure that all matters pertaining to the scope of the judicial review may be effectually adjudicated upon, or that the test in s. 6‑2(7)(c) has been met."

While the Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla First Nations may have been denied their application on this issue, it would seem that they have set the table and indicated that there will be more to come on the topic of whether the Gitga'at First  Nation has any claim to the Prince Rupert harbour region.

That topic it would appear will be up for further discussion, a process that could capture the attention of the North Coast for some time to come.

Last week, the Lax Kw'alaams First Nation announced it's plans to proceed with title action on the Lelu Island and Flora bank are of Prince Rupert harbour.

You can review the full judgement from the September 4 decision here.

The Gitga'at First Nation has not outlined as of yet where their petition stands with the Supreme Court or when it will be heard.

Photo days at the UBCM

With many of the province's municipal politicians gathered in one place this week, a large number of the delegates to the UBCM convention are taking the opportunity for discussions with BC Government ministers and of course the obligatory photo to commemorate the event.

While there are many events and seminars to attend to, when it comes to getting that memorable photo of the week's event Premier Clark is apparently the one must have selfie for the week.

At least if the flow of photos from the BC Government photo site this week are any indication, with many city council members from around the Northwest settling in for a snap shot with Christy Clark.

Terrace Council members meeting with Premier Clark
and other Provincial officials

Premier Clark and members of Kitimat Council at UBCM

Houston council gets a few moments with the Premier at UBCM

Port Edward gets its moment with Premier Clark

The Premier with a couple of Rupertites at UBCM

Still to be archived for the photo history book however are some photos of the Prince Rupert Council delegation, which to this point haven't it seems made it into hit rotation on the BC Government photo feed.

Making we guess for Prince Rupert to be the Waldo, in the UBCM version of Where's Waldo ...

Update 4 PM: Finding Waldo edition!!

The Prince Rupert delegation met with the Premier, as well as Ministers Fassbender, Stone and Coleman on Thursday.

The Prince Rupert City Council delegation meets
with the Premier and Ministers at UBCM

For more background on some of the discussion points to this point from the various sessions of the UBCM gathering see our archive page here.