International Students chase marks in class; while making mark in the community

There is a growing International flavour to campus life in Prince Rupert
as the International student program continues to find success at
Coast Mountain College

The launch of an International student program at Coast Mountain College appears to have been a successful one, with growing numbers of newcomers arriving at campus locations across the region over the last few years.

The increasing registration numbers serving as an indication that the Northwest is making for a welcome destination for students beyond the borders of Canada.

The impact on the local scene can be seen at the Prince Rupert campus where the International students have been taking classes in growing numbers over the last few years; the majority of them focused on the Business program that is offered in the city, as well as at similar programs in Terrace and Smithers.

Sarah Zimmerman, the Executive Director of Communications for Coast Mountain College provided a glimpse into the numbers for the International Student program which has 315 students registered for the winter semester at all campuses for Coast Mountain College.

For the Prince Rupert Campus, 51 new international students have arrived this year at the local campus, those numbers from a total number of 111 International students that are taking their courses in the city.

That makes for a significant increase for the student population in Prince Rupert which as of January had 231 students both International and Domestic registered on campus.

In an email correspondence with the North Coast Review, Ms. Zimmerman noted that Coast Mountain College does not anticipate that those numbers will change much in the upcoming years, though she did add that the level of participants in the International cohort will evolve as the programs start and finish.

Such has been the interest in the Prince Rupert campus and the program offered here, that the college is looking to fill a vacant international student advisor position for the local campus, with recruitment for that position currently underway.

Coast Mountain College's January convocation  at the Smithers campus
celebrated the successof Domestic and International students

The Smithers campus has also found success through the International program and at the recent convocation celebration in Smithers  this month, the contribution of the International students to both the college and the community, was commented on often by a range of officials that were in attendance.

Prince Rupert will get an opportunity to learn more of the success for the locally based International students this Spring, which is when the campus hosts their own convocation and those students set to complete their studies take part in the farewell to college life in the city.

Beyond the benefits that the International program is providing to the college, there has also been a spin off benefit for the city, with a number of the students starting to make their way into the local work force, many of them taking up positions in the retail and service sector.

Those are two areas of business that recently been noted for their struggles in finding staff owing to the lure of Port related jobs that are scooping up employees at a fairly quick pace.

Redesign Rupert to spearhead labour market study of Prince Rupert area
Hiring pressures and employee retention the focus of study presented to City Council

With a number of regulations in place related to the employment options for International students, the part time nature of many of those service and retail positions is making for a good fit for both employer and student.

As well, the opportunity to access job opportunities serves as another welcoming introduction for the newcomers to the community and one that should be beneficial to all.

Later today, those attending the Thursday Rotary Club noon hour luncheon will get a snapshot of what's happening at the Prince Rupert campus as Ms. Zimmerman provides an update on college developments for the Rotarians, appearing at today's event as their guest speaker.

You can learn more about Coast Mountain College and the programs offered in Prince Rupert from their website here.

For those looking to explore some background on the International program, the college provides a glimpse into the Coast Mountain experience here.

For more notes related to education in the Northwest see our archive page here.


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

Public Health Officer for British Columbia updates confirmation notes on first case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the province

After additional testing at the National Medical Laboratory in Winnipeg, the Provincial Health Officer issues a statement tonight confirming the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus to be found in British Columbia.

The announcement from PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry was released at 6PM and much like the previous advisories from her office and the Provincial Health Ministry, British Columbians were reminded that the risk of spread of the virus remains low for the province.


“On Jan. 27th, our BC Centre for Disease Control public health lab locally confirmed a presumed positive test for 2019-nCoV. Following this, samples were sent to the National Medical Laboratory in Winnipeg for additional testing.

 This afternoon, those tests returned positive for 2019-nCoV, confirming the presumed case is indeed novel coronavirus. Public health officials are in regular contact with the individual who is in isolation at home.

The risk of spread of this virus within British Columbia remains low at this time. All necessary precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection. We have multiple systems in place to prepare for, detect and respond to prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases in the province"

Dr. Henry also made note that British Columbians need to only observe the usual preventive measures that they would for other common respiratory viruses.

“It is not necessary for the general public to take special precautions beyond the usual measures recommended to prevent other common respiratory viruses during the winter period. Regular hand washing, coughing or sneezing into your elbow sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately and avoiding contact with sick people are important ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illness generally. 

Anyone who is concerned they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of, the coronavirus should contact their primary-care provider, local public health office or call 811.”

The Wednesday evening statement and links to other information on the virus can be reviewed here.

You can also find more notes on the ongoing accounts of the coronavirus from our archive page here.

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

Environment Canada issues New Wind Warning for North Coast, Haida Gwaii

The latest satellite imagery from Environment Canada
show the line of weather forming in the North Pacific, much
of it will transit further south than Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii
though both areas will see strong winds Thursday into Friday

For those that may have missed the early morning gusts of a pacific front passing over the city, a return engagement is on the way, with Environment Canada once again issuing a WIND WARNING at 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon.

The winds which will be 90 km/h in strength, will come from Southeast and develop early Thursday morning over Haida Gwaii and exposed areas of the North Coast, they then veer to the West/Southwest and ease by early afternoon.

The winds will herald some changing weather for the North Coast inland areas, with Showers Thursday, changing to Rain or Snow through Friday and Saturday.

The full forecast for the week ahead can be reviewed here.

The unsettled weather also means Marine Warnings are in place, with the Northern Half of Hecate Strait currently under  a Storm Warning, with winds of 55 knots from the Southeast expected after midnight, along with seas of 6 metres.

More notes on past weather events can be found from our archive page here.

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

Funding in place; Applications now open for next round of Business Facade program in Prince Rupert

The 2020 intake for a popular business initiative in the city is now open,  as the City of Prince Rupert begins to accept applications towards grants to improve the façades of businesses in the community.

The program offers  a 50% reimbursement grant up to a maximum of $5,000 per building to improve the façades of existing businesses.

The funding comes from a program hosted by Northern Development Initiative Trust.

Joel McKay, CEO of NDIT observed how the program has served to assist communities to remain vibrant and viable.

“Business Façade is one of Northern Development’s flagship programs and we see the benefits of it year after year. Vibrant and viable communities are key when it comes to recruiting residents and businesses, and this program supports local governments and business owners in this endeavour.”

The guiding themes of the program for the City of Prince Rupert  include:

Making Prince Rupert a more inviting and interesting place to eat, shop, walk and play. 

Promoting the marketability of retail and commercial businesses 

 Helping building owners to attract and retain tenants 

Improving the quality of life residents, workers and visitors to Prince Rupert enjoy. 

Building civic pride among the business community and the citizens.

The applications are being accepted by the City's Economic Development Office, Paul Venditelli, the Manager of Economic Development and Transportation for the City took note of the focus for this years program roll out.

“Downtown revitalization is a key focus for the Economic Development Office and we are proud to offer this program again this year with the support of Northern Development Initiative Trust,”

In 2019, the program awarded funding to City Furniture, Spero's and the Gitga'at Development Office in downtown Prince Rupert.

Improvements that are eligible for funding include exterior lighting, window/siding replacement, façade painting, accessibility improvements, signage, awnings, and more.

To be eligible for this one-time funding opportunity, participants must be located within the Downtown and Cow Bay Development Permit Areas of the City.

Projects must have a minimum total cost of $4,000 in order to qualify and a maximum of $200,000.

The program will be accepting applications until May 31st, reviewing each on a first come, first served basis.

Today's information statement can be reviewed here, while the details to the grant program can be explored here.

The Guideline booklet for the Facade program is available here.

For more items of note on the City's commercial sector see our archive page here.

A wider overview of City Council initiatives can be found from our Council Discussion Archive page.

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

CIHL Season set to go down to the wire in weekend play

The road to the top spot in the CIHL for the Prince Rupert Rampage will most likely require a sweep of their final two games in the 2019-20 regular season.

The idle Rampage were watching the past weekend scoring summaries on Monday morning and the results from Smithers would serve to chart their course for this Friday and Saturday, that after the Terrace River Kings vaulted over the Rhinos to reclaim first place overall in the waning days for the regular season.

The River Kings took advantage of a late game power play opportunity to get ahead of the Steelheads for good and claim a 6-5 victory in the hard fought battle.

The reward for their perseverance the shift into first, something which makes this Friday's showdown against the Rampage at the Jim one that will be filled with even more drama than usual for the two Northwest Rivals.

The two teams who always bring their A game to the rink when they meet up will be looking to secure the top spot, though should the Rampage come out on top, they will still need a bit of help on the weekend, with Terrace set to wrap up their season at home Saturday night in a return match up with Smithers.

The Rampage will also need to tend to business at home on Saturday, when the Hazelton Wolverines come to town.

The weekend will also be worth watching to see if the Rampage players can turn on their offence to make a move towards the top of the Scoring leaders for 2019-20.

Heading into the final games of the regular season, five Rampage players are still in the midst of the leading scorer conversation.

The path a little less challenging for Tyler Ostrom (20 points)  and Judd Repole (20 points) than it is for Kory Movold (18 points ) Kolton Chasse (18 points) and Jordan Weir (17 points ).

All of the CIHL's offensive threats are chasing League leader Tayden, Fowler McNab who currently has 25 points on the strength of 16 goals and 9 assists.

Puck drop Friday against Terrace is 8 PM at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre.

Saturday's regular season finale with Hazelton will have a 7 PM Start.

Keep track of any game time notes from the Rampage Facebook page here.

For more notes on the CIHL see our archive page here.

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

City Council approves near million dollar contract for sewage outfall study

An extensive review of the city's sewage outfall system will come at a cost
of near one million dollars

The next big film project for Prince Rupert City Hall will take staffers and council members deep into the heart of the city's sewage outfall system, the project part of the city's planning towards a waste water treatment facility at some point in the future.

The plan to map the city's sewage infrastructure was presented at Monday's City Council session as Council members approved the contract award for 995,000 dollars to McElhanney Engineering Consulting.

The City of Prince Rupert's Director of Operations Richard Pucci
outlined the nature of the project as part of the contract award on Monday

As part of his presentation on the night, Richard Pucci, the City's Director of Engineering provided  a short overview of the pertinent details towards the contract.

"As part of the City's obligations to meet the Federal wastewater regulations, the City must conduct an outfall study, this study is the most significant of all of the studies. And what it does is to looks at the condition assessment, flow monitoring and the collection of all other relevant data towards waste water.

 This was previously messaged to Council during the budget and was approved as a capital item, the operations department conducted an Open RFP process, that received one compliant bid from McElhanney Consulting Limited for 995,000 dollars. The Operations Department reviewed the proposal and we have a recommendation to proceed with the award" 

Following the project outline, the Director of Engineering entertained a number of questions from City Council members who made note of the near million dollar cost of the work ahead.

Councillor Niesh, asked for some background on the scope of the information on the wastewater system to be studied, while Councillor Mirau spoke to the cost of the work and what the city will be receiving from the work to be done.

In reply Mr. Pucci noted that the amount of the sewage outfall to be covered by the work would be approximately 60 percent of the wastewater system which is the largest catchment area for the City of Prince Rupert.

As well the Director outlined some background for the Councillors as to the mechanics of the city's current system and what the city will be looking for as part of the study.

Mr. Pucci observed that towards a timeline of the work required  to collect data from the volume of pipes in the city, the project will take close to a year.

Councillor Cunningham asked for an explanation as to how much of the city's outfall was to be covered by the project, as well as to if there are any grants available to help reduce the overall cost of the project that the Federal government has required of the City.

"We will be applying for grants as well, just because we're starting this doesn't mean that we still can't apply for grants, as we go on we are going to be applying for grants"

Mr. Pucci also addressed that theme in a follow up report and request for Council, which outlined the potential for some infrastructure funding opportunities towards the city's wastewater initiatives.

In that update, he noted that there was an opportunity for the city to apply for a Federation of Canadian Municipalities grant towards the study of the city's outflow system and its plans for a wastewater treatment facility.

"We can receive up to 80 percent  of funding, so we are looking to move forward with a study that will look at waste waster treatment feasibility within the City of Prince Rupert. And so we would like approval through a resolution to apply for this grant. Any monies that we get will just reduce the cost of feasibility studies moving forward.

Some further background on what the outfall project is all about can be found from our previous review of the original bid process below:

September 2019 -- City opens Request for Proposals process for Sewer Inspection project

You can review the two presentations on the theme from Monday night from the City's Video Archive starting at the one hour, sixteen minute mark.




For more items of interest related to Monday's Council session see our Council Timeline Feature here.

A wider overview of City Council Discussion themes can be explored here.


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

Owners of Unsightly properties put on notice, Council set to take up issue of enforcement in 2020

What to do about unsightly buildings and property issues
once again was on the mind of City Council

A topic that has made for many conversations in recent years for Prince Rupert City Council received another airing on Monday evening, as Councillor Barry Cunningham once again inquired about the city's efforts towards addressing unsightly property issues in the community.

Speaking towards the end of Monday's Council session, the Councillor asked for an update from City Manager Robert Long as to what has been done and what can still be done to spur the property owners to action.

Noting that the city now has two by-law officers on staff and with forward momentum underway for the 2030 vision plan, Mr. Cunningham sought some details on how the issue will be tackled this year.

"Is there going to be any emphasis put on the property maintenance bylaw, just some of the buildings on Third Avenue alone fall into the property maintenance bylaw and all the different aspects of it, never mind getting into the other parts of town"-- Councillor Barry Cunningham

Towards the discussion, the City Manager provided an update observing that City staff was preparing to present a report to address the issue, advising  Council about a number of property owners that have not responded to past civic attempts to effect a clean up.

He advised that they would be coming forward in the Spring to  set up a Special Council session to pass resolutions to Act, dealing with a large volume of the problem areas at once.

"We intend to come forward probably in the Spring and present to Council a number of locations that are not responding at all, to what I call moral suasion, or letters to smarten up and clean up and then Council will be required then to pass resolutions for us to act and put it on their taxes" -- City Manager Robert Long outlining the challenges in enforcement of property maintenance bylaws in the city

Mr. Long further outlined what steps that City Council will have to take to move forward on the issue.

"Each one of those circumstances will require a show cause hearing, notification, the people will come and they can talk about it, so we were anticipating doing that as a Special meeting and doing them all at once. That's what we intended, when we do this, you will see the level of problem and severity and I would suggest that Council would start with the most severe circumstances and work our way backwards."

The City Manager also noted that the City has been sending out letters for years to property owners, who for the most part disregard the notices. Observing how one file has had twelve letters attached since 2015 with no response or action from the property owner.

Staff hope to present the initiative to Council within the next few months.

The overview of the situation can be reviewed from the City's Video Archive starting at the one hour, twenty five minute mark.





As we noted previous, the topic has been a long standing theme for Council some of the past reviews of it can be found below:

March 2018 -- Councillor Cunningham looks to property tax solution to issue of derelict and unsightly properties
March 2018 -- Observations on state of downtown and business climate spur on line discussions
August 2017 -- Councillor Cunningham keeps heat on City Council over condition of downtown buildings
May 2017 -- Few options available to council to force Clean Up of downtown eyesores
February 2017 -- A not so inviting vision for tourists, or would be investors to be found in downtown area


For more notes related to Monday's City Council Session see our Council Timeline Feature here.

A wider overview of Council Discussion themes can be explored from our Council Discussion archive.

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