Annual Relay for Life launches Saturday at PRMS field

Prince Rupert's Relay for Life takes to the Prince Rupert Middle School Field tomorrow morning, an event that has evolved into one of the most significant and successful of community endeavours over the years and a gathering that delivers strong emotions to go with the social and athletic elements.

An inspirational fundraising event that brings out the best of the North Coast, it has built upon the strong conduit of support that is found in the region, with many of the participating teams long time friends and co-workers, many of them with a strong personal attachment to those who have suffered from cancer.

The days events start at 10 AM at the Middle School Field, at the far end of the Civic Centre Parking lot and the participants will walk, run or push their strollers around the track through the day, raising funds and awareness for the Fight against Cancer.

One of the most emotional and uplifting events of the day comes at the very opening, with the Survivor Victory Lap at 10AM where those that have conquered cancer or continue with their fight lead the way with their opening tour of the circuit.

The event features Music, Food and Games offering something for all members of the family to join in on as they support the team members during the Relay.

The evening winds down with the Luminary Ceremony at 9 PM

The weekly newspaper, The Northern View has been providing a number of inspiring stories over the last few months in the lead up to Saturday's relay, those accounts of the dedication of those that are participating are well worth the read to gain a full understanding of the emotion and resolve that the Relay for Life brings each year.

The best way to find the collection of stories for this year is to use the website's search engine and type in Why We Relay.

The field at Prince Rupert Middle School is a quiet place right now,
but Saturday it will be the centre of action for this years edition of
Relay for Life from 10 AM to 10 PM

The fundraising for this years event has once again provided a glimpse into the generosity of the North Coast, with organizers reporting that as of today, the Prince Rupert Relay has made it to 88 percent of their goal for the year, with $79,503 pledged to this point.

The Relay for Life jail cells are filling
up as Prince Rupert collects the
fundraising cash to make bail (or not)

Fundraising efforts continue today, with the CIBC hosting a Relay for Life Bail and Jail, which has already seen a number of local personalities and residents jailed for the cause.

A full list of the teams that have reserved their place in Saturday's relay can be found here.

Through the day on Saturday you can follow the local event through the twitter feed of #WhyIRelay  

More on the Prince Rupert event can be found here or from the Relay for Life Facebook page

A full review of all North Coast Events can be discovered on our archive page.

Charles Hays students to chart new paths following tonight's Commencement ceremony

The Lester Centre of the Arts auditorium
will look significantly different at 6:30 PM
tonight as the Class of 2016 from
Charles Hays Secondary take to the stage

Another school year on the North Coast is winding down and tonight, students, parents and friends will gather along with the staff and administration from Charles Hays Secondary and School District 52 to officially say farewell to their high school years.

Commencement Night for the Charles Hays student body has arrived and for the 135 students of the Class of 2016 memories of their last four years, along with the excitement of future plans to come will form much of their thoughts on one of the most significant nights for any young adult.

Rehearsals for this years Commencement finale took place May 25th and 26th and Grads are reminded that they are expected to be at the back door to the Lester Centre no later than 5:30 tonight.

The Graduation Ceremony starts at 6:30 PM at the Lester Centre of the Arts, with the roll call of this years graduating class, followed by the scholarship announcements and award presentations. 

Mayor Lee Brain notes on his Facebook page that in addition to providing the congratulations from the City of Prince Rupert to the Grads, that he will also be a Guest Speaker at tonights event, making him a returning speaker to the annual Graduation ceremonies of May.

Those that were not able to secure the always hard to come by tickets to the Commencement Ceremony can watch the proceedings thanks to CityWest which plans a live broadcast both through Channel Ten and through their online portal

To all the Graduates of 2016 Congratulations on all that you have achieved through your years at Charles Hays and may your new adventures ahead bring you much in the way of happiness and success!

AltaGas plans gain national attention with BNN interview

Media attention to the pace of economic development on the North Coast has increased in recent weeks, thanks in part to the efforts of Alberta based AltaGas which has made some significant progress in its plans to ship propane out of the North Coast.

As we noted on the blog on Tuesday, the Canadian energy company announced some background of a shipment agreement with Astomos, a major Japanese energy firm, with Asian buyer set to receive at least fifty percent of all of AltaGas's proposed annual shipment levels for liquid propane out of a proposed terminal location on Ridley Island.

The Memorandum of Agreement which would see some 1.2 million tonnes of propane shipped out of Prince Rupert and marks a giant step in the plans of AtlaGas to diversify their export market plans and should provide confirmation for local residents of the progress to come for the development project at Ridley.

The project which is still in its early stages of the environmental assessment process and awaitin a Final Investment Decision would, if approved, send its first shipment out of the proposed Terminal in 2018.

This week's announcement has been of some interest to the National media over the last few days, featuring a number of items related to the agreement between AltaGas and Astomos.

On Wednesday, the Business News Network took an interest in the story, featuring some background on the agreement, the state of the propane industry and the proposed development in Prince Rupert, featuring the North Coast plans as part of an extensive interview with Alta Gas CEO David Harris on the cable business channel.

You can review the full interview with AltaGas chairman below:

More items of interest related to the proposed development for Ridley Island can be found on our archive page here.

Full Day of events planned for Salmon Festival Saturday at Civic Centre

The celebration of the salmon continues this weekend as Prince Rupert plays host to yet another event to highlight the importance of salmon to residents of the North Coast.

The 4th Annual Salmon Festival  takes place Saturday at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre with the Opening events starting at 11 AM, leading through to the finale of the night of the Drum Drill at 8 PM.

Through the afternoon and into the evening a number of area Dance groups will participate in the event each hour, along with singing and drumming, the full schedule of events makes for a day long festival of culture and tradition.

The listings of some of those that will be participating can be explored below:

The  day's festivities are hosted by the Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a Dancers.

Vendors will be participating in the days events offering up the opportunity to sample a number of foods of the region, or to purchase any number of items that will be available for the public.

One item to be sure to look over is a giant quilt and pillows that will be up for grabs part of the Fundraising efforts for the Salmon Festival.

You can find out more about the 2016 edition of Salmon Festival from the Facebook page that has been created to celebrate the event.  You can also learn a bit more about Saturday's event here, including contact numbers for those that require more information on the Salmon Festival.

For a look at other North Coast Events both from the past and those that are coming up see our archive page here.

Change coming to BC education exam process next year

The exam load and pressures of exam time will be reduced for
secondary school students starting in September

This year will mark the final year for the expanded final exam process in British Columbia's secondary schools, with the Ministry of Education set to introduce a new program next year which will see significantly fewer final exams and more in class assessments.

Education Minister Mike Bernier announced the changes on Thursday noting that the new curriculum designed by teachers across the province will focus on the basics of reading , writing and arithmetic that allows for collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills.

“We owe it to parents and to the next generation to make sure we are setting up a clear path for kids to follow their dreams and succeed. Whether they want to design computer programs, build skyscrapers, or start a business, our new curriculum and our incredible teachers will help students build the foundation they need to make that happen.”

As for the reduced exam regimen the previous five exam program will be replaced by assessments of the core math an literacy skills taught as foundations for all subjects. During their graduation years, students will write provincial exams in both math skills and literacy.

Student programs in subjects such as science, social studies and language arts will be assessed in the classroom.

The days of the Report Card appear numbered as well, with the new program having the school consulting with parents on what they want to know about their child's progress and how they want to get that information.

And starting in the 2017-18 school year, students will take a Career Education course as part of the curriculum in order to graduate, that program is to provide them with a link between the classroom and their opportunities in life.

The Information release from the Ministry of Education, along with links to other background information on the new curriculum can be found here.

As we noted on the blog earlier this month, Students and Parents/Guardians can learn more about the new curriculum plans for British Columbia when School District 52 hosts two sessions on Monday May 30th to outline the launch of the new program.

Some notes from the media on yesterday's announcement can be found below:

Provincial exams replaced with 'core math and literacy skill assessments'
Provincial exams scaled back, more emphasis on class results in B.C.
B.C. students to write fewer provincial exams
New curriculum has fewer high school provincial exams
Province reduces number of exams required for graduation
Fewer provincial exams, more in-class assessments in B.C. next year

More background on education on the North Coast can be found on our archive page.

Skeena Watershed to host free Invisible Migration event at North Pacific

The weekend ahead is one of celebration of the Salmon, with Prince Rupert's Salmonfest set for Saturday at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre (more on that event tomorrow on the blog) and while preparations for the Saturday event continue, another event has been announced to highlight the importance of salmon to the region is set for Friday at the North Pacific Cannery Historical site.

The 2nd Annual  Invisible Migration celebration will take place at the Port Edward Historical site, with free boat tours of the Skeena Estuary, tours of the Cannery museum as well as Special Guest speakers all part of the program which starts at 3 PM.

A free dinner is also part of the Friday event, presented by the Kaien Island Elders.  Door prizes will also be part of the 5 PM dinner presentation.

The life cycle of Salmon is the focus of a
Friday event based out of the North Pacific
Cannery Historical Site

Organized by the Skeena Watershed Conservation coalition, Hereditary Chiefs, Elders and community members are part program for the day, designed to pay honour to the migration of smolt as they reach the Skeena estuary as part of the life cycle of the salmon.

A short animated video from last year highlights what the Invisible Migration.


Friday's celebration in Port Edward is the third event of the month hosted by the Skeena Watershed Coalition, with previous celebrations taking place at the Ksan Historical Village in Hazelton and at Lake Babine .

For more background on the Friday event see this notice from the SWC website.

More items related to Community events on the North Coast can be found on our archive page.

Alaska Marine Highway heads towards Public Review for 2016-17 Winter Ferry Schedule

The MV Matanuska which
services the Prince Rupert - Ketchikan
AMHS run will be out of service
for a month this winter, as part of
a scheduled overhaul period

The first look at the Draft of a proposed Winter Ferry Schedule for the Alaska Marine Highway System is now available for review for communities and individuals with an interest in AMHS developments, offering host municipalities and users of the transportation system a glimpse at some of the proposed changes ahead for the service.

The recently released document notes the proposed schedule patterns that will cover the fall/winter/spring sailing seasons from October 2016 to April 2017.

The Draft Schedule notes that service reductions will be the orders of the season across the many ports of call for the AMHS, as the Alaska Government continues to face financial concerns when it comes to state spending.

Of the 11 ferries that make up the AMHS fleet, five will be tied up for the majority of the time from Mid October through to April 2017. The Southeast area of Alaska will also be without the services of the MV Taku which the State is currently attempting to sell.

Of note for Prince Rupert is the status of the MV Matanuska which services the Ketchikan connection to the North Coast.

If the Draft schedule is approved, the Matanuska will be entering an overhaul period from mid-November to mid-December, which will mean that there will be No Sailings for the AMHS between Prince Rupert and Ketchikan during that period of time.

Alaska Passengers will still be able to access service to and from Ketchikan, through once a week sailing of the Malaspina from Skagway to Ketchikan and on through to Bellingham in Washington State.

It's anticipated that the Matanuska will return to service to Prince Rupert by mid month in December, at that time the once a week sailings will resume on the route.

Prince Rupert will see one sailing a week for most of the
fall/winter/sprig sailing seasons for the AMHS in
the proposed 2016-17 sailing planning

Mid November to December will see a suspension of
AMHS service to Prince Rupert, while the
Matanuska receives an overhaul in Alaska

AMHS officials and the State of Alaska note that at this time there is no plan to make changes to the summer schedules, which should be of some relief for tourism operators in the Prince Rupert region and across the Highway 16 corridor.

The Notice of review and schedule templates can be reviewed here.

Written comments related to the proposed draft schedule can be directed to the AMSH at: dot.amhs.comments@alaska.gov or by fax at 907-228-6874. The deadline for contributions is June 21st.

Ketchikan officials and residents will have their opportunity to comment through a teleconference on June 22nd to be held at the AMHS Office in the Southeast Alaska community.

Ketchikan's Public Radio Station KRBD outlined some of the challenges currently facing the Alaska Marine Highway System with this report from Monday, highlighting the 7 percent reduction in sailings state wide as part of the fiscal strategy.

For more items related to the Ferry Transportation on the North Coast see our archive page here.