Containers, Coal and Wood Pellets lead the way in Port of Prince Rupert December and Year End numbers

Over ten million tonnes of cargo set the pace for movements through
the Port of Prince Rupert in year end results from the Port

The Port of Prince Rupert released its finals stats for 2018 last week and the shipments out of the various terminal locations along the Prince Rupert water front are delivered some strong results through the last twelve months.

Movements of TEU's out of Fairview Terminal led the way with December delivering a significant spike in the year to year numbers, with December 2019 finding 908,000 tonnes of cargo passing through the facility making for a year end total of 10,360,090.00 tonnes.

The strong results continued for Ridley Terminals as coal exports to Asia continued on at torrid pace, with Ridley shipping 917,000 tonnes of coal in December, topping the 9 million mark for the year end totals, a significant jump from 7.5 million tonnes shipped at the end of 2017.

The ongoing expansion of the Pinnacle Pellet production facilities is also having a major impact on the Prince Rupert Westview Terminal, And while December delivered a reduced number of shipment totals from December 2017, the Overall shipments in 2018 topped the 1.2 million mark.

The success that the Westview Terminal has found this year was celebrated by the Port of Prince Rupert last week, which noted that the year end results, herald the start of increased results for the future and the placement of Prince Rupert's shipping facility as a national leader in biofuel exports.

Grain shipments out of the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal saw an increase in December numbers compared to 2017, however some of the early season woes of CN Rail's much documented infrastructure concerns did contribute to lower year end numbers compared to 2017.

To address the issues of last year, CN Rail introduced an aggressive program of infrastructure work through this year, adding a large volume of rail sidings and double tracking along the Northern Mainline from Alberta to Prince Rupert.

As well the continental railway launch an expansive hiring program to ensure that they have workers on hand to deliver grain and other products to the Prince Rupert facilities

You can review the full report from the Port Here, which offers a report available for download that expands on the snapshot of terminal performance throughout the region.

For more notes related to the Port of Prince Rupert and the range of terminals that are located on the Prince Rupert waterfront see our archive page here.


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Council to consider support for Kaien Trails plans for McClymont Park

A plan to expand the city's trail system is back on the radar,
with Kaien Trail seeking funding for a project from
McClymont part to Rushbrook/Cow Bay

With the Rushbrook Trail back in service after some emergency repairs over the holidays, Kaien Trails, the local group looking to expand access to to the regions recreation options is turning its attention towards a new project for the community.

In a letter to Prince Rupert City Council to be reviewed at tonight's Council session, Kaien Trails will be seeking the help of the Council members as it looks to access grant funding for the design work on a  trail along the McClymont Creek area east of the Civic Centre.

In their correspondence to Council, Kaien Trails observes how their plan would include access for walkers, cyclists and those with unique mobilities.

They note that so far their success has been limited in acquiring the required funding, but that they remain hopeful that this year may deliver the funding required to launch the design project.

Click to enlarge

The project is part of Kaien Trails ambitious Master Plan to expand the trail system across the region,

The group last provided an update on their plans for City Council members by way of a letter back in May of 2017, a presentation which we reviewed at the time.

Should they find success in their quest for design funding this year,  Kaien Trails hopes to be shovel ready for 2020, providing they can access grant funding for the development of the trail system from the Civic Centre to Cow Bay/Rushbrook area.

You can follow the progress of Kaien Trails with their plans for the region through their website and Facebook page.

For more items of note from tonight's City Council session see our preview page here.

More notes related to City Council discussion themes can be explored here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Clean Water Advocates set to make presentation to City Council tonight

Most of Prince Rupert's residents had an opportunity to take a break from the last six weeks of Boiling water orders, as the first weekend of a downgraded alert of a Water Quality Advisory went into effect.

The shift towards the lower grade advisory was announced in mid-afternoon Friday, with the City highlighting the recent positive results that had allowed for the end of the Boil Order notice, with the exception of what they describe as at risk people; such as newborns, elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

As per Northern Health guidance, some risk may remain for particularly at-risk people such as newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. 

 The following sensitive customers should be careful when ingesting the water: 

Children and infants under the age of 2 years The elderly (65 years of age and older) People with weakened immune systems (if unsure consult with a physician) 

For these sensitive customers, as a precaution, all water intended for the following uses should be boiled for 1 minute. 

 Drinking Washing fruits and vegetables Making beverages or ice Brushing teeth Alternatively, sensitive customers could choose to use bottled or distilled water, or water that has been appropriately filtered through a well-maintained treatment device.

As part of their advisory, the City in conjunction with Northern Health plans to continue with a schedule of testing of the water supply for the immediate future, as well as to conduct a review as to the response from the six week period when the Boil Order Notice was in place.

That will be welcome news for the Prince Rupert Community Organization known as Community for Clean Water, which has designed their own action plan for consideration, with plans to present it tonight at Prince Rupert City Council.

The three key elements of the grass roots community groups proposal for council tonight include:

1. Recognize ​access to drinking water as a human right which must be fulfilled by the municipal government, especially for the city’s most vulnerable residents and even during a Boil Water Notice or Water Quality Advisory.

2. Launch a broad, extensive, ​independent, and transparent investigation into the city’s preparations for, and responses to, a ​46 plus day Boil Water Notice and Water Quality Advisory that includes looking into measures provided for vulnerable residents, the health and safety affects of the situation, and any economic impacts.

3. Ensure that the investigation is conducted by an independent expert on water quality and public water infrastructure who ​gathers feedback directly from those most vulnerable to restricted access to drinking water during an extended breakdown of the public water system. The full results of the investigation should be made public.

You can explore more about the work of Community for Clean Water here.

Tonight's Committee of the Whole session is scheduled to take place immediately prior to the Regular City Council session, with a start time of 7PM.

For a look back at the timeline for the recent Boil Order Notice, see our archive page here.

Notes on tonight's City Council session can be explored here, while a wider overview of past City Council Discussion themes is available here.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Eye catching passage in City Council's Closed Meeting notice offers little in way of clarity on secretive topic

City Council may be setting in  motion the prospect of another round of speculation for their followers on Social media today; with a somewhat cryptic explanation as to why they can't discuss an item in public forum tonight.

That as City Council cites a rarely used section of the Community Charter to keep the proceedings behind a closed door at their 5 PM session, prior to tonight's Public session to address regular business.

In their Notice of Closed Council session of Thursday January 24th, Council observed that tonight's 5PM Closed session will include an item related to law enforcement, with the passage to restrict the public need to know stating:

(f) law enforcement, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the conduct of an investigation under or enforcement of an enactment.

It makes for a rather vague explanation that could provide for more questions than answers as to the nature of tonight's business.

It's a passage which could leave those who have an interest in the work of City Council to hope for a little more clarity, with a bit more explanation as to how the disclosure might infringe in the investigation and to what fashion the City's elected representatives need to be particularly cautious.

While no one would ever want the actions of City Council to have any negative impact on the work of the RCMP in the community, there is perhaps a need to provide just a bit more background.

Council could expand on the scope of that section of the Charter and the decision that has come from it; explaining if the issue is one related to the Council itself, or one that is directed  towards the larger community interest.

Regardless, a cryptic one line overview as to why you can't talk about something in public, probably will mean that the public will most likely start talking about it.

And with that, considering the apparent agitation that social commentary causes, some of the city's council members may want to stay away from Facebook for a while, just in case the city's social media audiences take to the range of discussion forums available.

For more notes related to Monday's City Council session see our Preview Page here.

For more items of note related to City Council can be found from our council Discussion page here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

City Council Preview: Monday, January 28, 2019

Prince Rupert City Council brings their first month of the year to a close with a much anticipated Public comment period in the offing, with the six week Boil Water Order perhaps set to frame some of the discussion from those residents who may have a few words to say.

And while the Boil Water order came to an end just the nick of time for tonight's Council session, replaced by a Water Quality Advisory; such was some of the passion to the discussion on social media that it has become a bit of a high profile topic since the original Boil order was put in place on December 14th.

The monthly opportunity for public feedback will come from the Committee of the Whole session, the first one that this council has hosted since the end of November.

It is also the first opportunity for public comment since Councillors Niesh and Skelton-Morven injected some talking points into the debate with their thoughts on the use of social media in the community.

One presentation is listed on the Agenda for the COW session on the evening, with Tom Kertes, the organizer of Community for Clean Water scheduled to appear.

The Regular Session Agenda features a range of reports from a number of Civic departments which include: The Director of Recreation and Community Services, The Manager of Communications and three reports from the City's Corporate Administrator.

Council will also receive a correspondence for action from Sean Carlson, the President of Kaien Trails seeking support to pursue design funding for a trail at McClymont Park.

City Council members will also meet behind Closed Doors on Monday with a Special Closed Session planned for 5 PM, the Council membership citing two elements of the Community Charter for the closed session.

Included in the reasons for keeping the doors closed is a passage related to law enforcement, an unusual element that might perhaps require some kind of further explanation from Council.

90.1 (f)  law enforcement, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public; and

and (k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public.

The opportunity for residents to review the Agenda for the night was provided with significantly less lead time this week, with the heads up on the night ahead only posted to the City's website on Monday morning.

You can review the Full Agenda Packages for the Regular Council Session and Committee of the Whole from the City's website here.

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COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Adoption of Agenda and Past minutes -- Mayor Brain call the meeting to order and then will review the COW agenda for the evening and Council will adopt the minutes of past meetings.

Petitions and Delegations

Presentation from Tom Kertes of Community for Clean Water

Question Period from the Public

Reports, Questions and Inquiries from members of City Council

Adjournment to reconvene to the regular Council Meeting

**************************************************************************

REGULAR SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL

Adoption of Agenda and Past minutes -- Mayor Brain will review the agenda for the evening and Council will adopt the minutes of past meetings.

Petitions and Delegations

Unfinished Business

Reports and Recommendations

Report from the Director of Recreation and Community Services  -- Mr. David Geronazzo will outline the background to a grant application for a number of renovations to civic facilities. Should Council decide to move forward with the grant application, the City's share of the funding requirement to be $175,560. Council will consider whether to ask staff to include the city's share in the 2019 Budget.    (see page 8 of the Agenda)

Report from the Communications Manager   -- Ms. Veronika Stewart will outline the grant funding opportunity through UBCM towards upgrades in equipment for the city's Emergency Operations Centre   (see page 10 of the Agenda)

Report from the Corporate Administrator --  Mr. Rory Mandryk will outline the background to a proposed three year Service Agreement Renewal with the Prince Rupert Branch of the SPCA. (see page 12 of the Agenda)

Report from the Corporate Administrator --  Mr. Mandryk will outline the background to a proposed three year lease renewal with the Prince Rupert Racquet Centre . (see page 22 of the Agenda)

Report from the Corporate Administrator --  The final report from the Corporate Administrator will review the background to a proposed five year lease renewal with the Prince Rupert Curling Club . (see page 41 of the Agenda)

Correspondences for Action 

Council will also receive and review a letter from Kaien Trails, with the local ogranization seeking the support of the City of Prince Rupert as it seeks to obtain funding for design work on a trail for the McClymont Park area. That proposed project is part of Kaien Trails Phase 1 loop proposals (see page 58 of the Agenda)

Resolutions from Closed Meetings

Bylaws

The evening will come to an end with any Additional Items as well as Reports, Questions and Inquiries from Members of Council.

Council members can also take advantage of the period to offer up any items or concerns that they have for consideration on the night.

The Live broadcast of the City Council session can be found here, a video archive of past sessions is available here.

Our items of note related to the January 28th session can be found here.

While our archive of all sessions for 2019 for Council is available here.


To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

City Council Session: Monday, January 28, 2019

Our archive of items from the session can be found below.

Regular Session of Council for  January 28, 2019

Home page and archive of sessions can be found here.

Live Broadcast of session can be found here


Agenda for Regular Council Session for January 28, 2019

Agenda for Committee of the Whole Session for January 28, 2019

City Council Preview for January 28, 2019

Notice of Closed Meeting for January 28, 2019





Info to Council 

--


Attendance

Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Absent
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa -- Present

Minutes of Regular Session of Council, January 28, 2019

Minutes of Committee of the Whole Session for January 28 2019

Video Recording of January 28, 2019 Council Session 

City Council Timeline for Monday, January 28, 2019


**********************************************************************

North Coast Review Items related to the January 28, 2019 Session of Council 

City Council approves funding for SPCA, along with leases for Curling Club, Racquet Centre
Council approves quest for grant funding for range of projects and proposals
City Council's cannabis process called into question by hopeful production proponent
As Mayor reverts back to previous salary status; City's Council pay issues to be reviewed as part of budget process
Council members express faith in upcoming Staff review of recent Boil Water Notice process
Council to consider support for Kaien Trails plans for McClymont Park
Clean Water Advocates set to make presentation to City Council tonight
Eye catching passage in City Council's Closed Meeting notice offers little in way of clarity on secretive topic 


Further notes, as well as any Media items from other sources for the January 28, 2019 session can be found in our Discussion Points from City Council feature.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.

Saturday Showcase in Vancouver puts Rainmakers onto an even higher pedestal in the south

A strong showing for the Senior Boys Rainmakers in Vancouver with a
thrilling match up in the final of the Emerald Tourney, The maker's
finished second following a 74-70 showcase finale on Saturday night.

The Charles Hays Rainmakers will clearly not be flying under the radar as they continue their path towards a hopeful berth in the British Columbia High School Basketball Provincials in March, as the Maker's come off a Saturday night showcase in Vancouver that brought out the best of their game.

The Rainmakers took on some of the very recognizable names in High School Basketball over three days at the Vancouver College Emerald Tournament, earning their way to the Saturday final with some strong play and hard work.

It was a path that took them towards a finale with one of Greater Vancouver's most well known teams in the AAAA division ball Terry Fox Ravens and a game which the AA division Rainmakers battled in to the very end.

Saturday's final provided for one of the most entertaining basketball games of the year so far, a closely contested match that had the two teams trading points back and forth for the majority of the forty minutes.

The Rainmakers made use of a strong mix of aggressive offence and hard nosed defence along with an excellent use of the transition game to give the Terry Fox team as much as they could handle.

The two teams exchanged scoring opportunities through the first two quarters of the first half the pace of the first ten minutes one of frantic energy with a buzzer beating shot propelling the makers to a 17 to 14 lead after ten.

The Rainmakers served notice that the road would be challenging for Terry Fox through out the second frame of the match up, with another last second three pointer finding the range giving the Prince Rupert boys a 37-34 lead heading into the dressing room at half time.

The lead would change hands a number of times through the third quarter with the Fox Boys making the final scoring play of the third in the final minute and then shutting down the Rainmakers defensively to take a 57-54 lead into the final ten minutes.

The only setback to a near perfect game came in first half of the final quarter where the Terry Fox team seized opportunity to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Rainmakers opening up a six point lead, the widest margin for the night,  by the time the final three minutes would arrive.

Yet the resilience of the Prince Rupert Senior Boys was such that they clawed back right to the very end, coming close to either putting the game into some overtime, or stealing it outright with a late game run that saw them close to within two points with 4 seconds to go

As the final seconds wound down however, that late surge comeback wasn't meant to be, as the Fox squad gained two key insurance points and then shut down the final frantic Rainmaker attempts to secure the 74-70 final on the night.

The road to the tournament final took came following a pair of Rainmaker wins in the first two days of the three day event at Vancouver College.

The first was an 89 to 60 victory over Lord Tweedsmuir on Thursday, followed by an 88 to 69 win in the semi-final over Kitsilano to set up the showdown with Terry Fox.

Among  as strong unit of Rainmakers  who stood out on the weekend was Liam McChesney, who was selected to the Best Defensive and Best Offensive teams and First Team All Star.

Judging by the stream cast from Vancouver College on Saturday night and by the growing list of twitter notes and emails we have received at the North Coast Review, there was a loud and quite proud contingent of the Rainmakers supporters in the stands Saturday night to watch the fast paced and entertaining affair.

Our thanks to former CHSS teacher Brian Cameron for some of the highlight reel photos from Saturday's showdown, some of which you can view below:

If you haven't had a chance to watch this 2018-19 edition of the Senior Boys in action, there are only a few opportunities left before the push for the Provincials begin, and taking in a game should be something that hoops fans will want to pencil in on their to do list.

The quality of their play, commitment to their game and ability to shut down the opposition for extensive stretches of time makes for an enjoyable forty minutes of sports viewing and bodes well for a shot a Provincial title in March, should they navigate the twists and turns that can come up along the way through February.

With the out of town travel now at an end for the run up to Provincials, an extended period of time at home is ahead for the Rainmakers.

Your next chances to head over to the Charles Hays Gymnasium for tip off comes up this weekend when Prince George's Duchess Park comes to town on February 1 and 2.

One week later it's another team from the Spruce City, as DP Todd make the trip to the coast for a two game series on February 8th and 9th.

The home stand continues into mid February with two games against Caledonia on the 15th and 16th.

And the high school season in the Northwest comes to an end with The Northwest Zones and the opportunity for a berth in the Provincials takes place at Charles Hays Secondary on February 22nd.

You can follow the Rainmakers through their twitter feed here.

For more notes related to Rainmaker Athletics see our archive page here.

To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.