District of Port Edward sets Holiday Office Hours

As the Christmas Holiday period gets closer, the District of Port Edward has become the latest municipal body to outline their Holiday plans for residents.

The District Municipal Office has released the following schedule:

December 23 -- Office Open
December 24 -- Office Open 8:30 AM to Noon
December 25-28  -- CLOSED
December 29 -- Office Open
December 30 -- Office Open
December 31 -- Office Open 8:30 AM to Noon
January 1-3 --  CLOSED
January 4 -- Office Open

You can keep up to date on any holiday season alerts from the District through their Website and Facebook page.

Our archive of all many of the Government Closures and Community events of the Holiday season can be reviewed here.

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Street light replacement program will keep Conrad in dark for period of week ahead

The city has an advisory for those who travel along Conrad Street between 11th Avenue East and Prince Rupert Boulevard to be aware of some challenges starting tomorrow, as work begins on a streetlight replacement program for the area.

As part of the work, the current lights will not be operational with drivers asked to travel slowly and to exercise caution at the pedestrian crossings on the route.

You can find updates on the situation through the City's Facebook page.

Some of the city's past infrastructure work can be examined here.

Lester Centre of the Arts looks to New Year to fill vacant General Manager's position

 

It's been a rather tumultuous year for the heart of the city's arts and culture scene, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic having scuttled the arts calendar for the community and has delivered a reduced revenue flow for the City owned facility.

The Billboard of Events for the Lester Centre of the Arts highlights
the impact that COVID has had on many community events

As the Centre remained dark, the urgency for a new General Manager seemed to fall to the background for much of the year, with the Arts Centre only recently returning to the quest for a new top hand at the Arts and Culture Centre at McBride and Wantage Road.

An indication that planning is underway for when we can gather again in a public setting comes from the recently released Safe Reopening plans and accompanying document,  and with it the search is back on at full pace to fill the GM's Position, with the details  as follows:

The Prince Rupert Performing Arts Centre Society launched the search for their former GM Michael Gurney's back in March, noting that the scope of the General Manager position will be responsible for directing all aspects of the theatre’s operations.

The new posting closes for applications on December 31st, the successful applicant will report to the Prince Rupert Performing Arts Centre Board of Directors.

The Career Opportunity listing can be viewed here.

More notes related to community events can be explored here, while our overview of the Arts and Culture scene can be reviewed here.

COVID related themes discussed as part of December SD52. Board meeting

School District 52 engaged in what has been described as a robust debate on the implications of changes to the Winter Break schedule during the current pandemic, with the option of extension of the break and the requirement of wearing masks upon the return, as part of an evolving COVID response program, however in the end, the Board decided to continue to follow the specific guidance of the Public Health Authorities.

A theme they continued with last Friday with a letter issued by the School District in response to the recent car caravan organized and hosted by the PRDTU, as well as some of the notes of previous concern  outlined by local teachers and support staff. 

As for the School Break at Christmas, classes will be dismissed starting December 21 with a return to class set for January 4, 2021.

While the issue of COVID loomed large at the December 8th session, there were other topics discussed, including an update on the Breakfast for Everyone program at École Roosevelt Park Community School, a program which has seen some changes owing to COVID precautions.

Pricpipal Andrée Michaud outlined the nature of the change "rather than students going to a specific room prior to classes, breakfast is now being served in each class at the start of the day. This allows teachers to have meaningful conversations with students in a different context. While costs have increased for a number of reasons, the community has supported the school to make this possible."

School Board Chair James Horn observed of the community spirit that has assisted the program:

“The Board is very thankful for the generous contributions provided to Roosevelt School. Hearing that this new program has helped to remove any stigma attached to students participating in the breakfast program is good news.”

The Board of Education is also set to update the Framework  for Enhancing Student Learning for the 2017-2021 document, with more information to be shared in the New Year.

Also update ahead is the District's plan to participate in a youth mental health survey sponsored by the BC Children's Hospital, information on the program will soon be posted to the District's website and participation will be voluntary. The goal of the survey is to help identify gaps in mental health services in District communities.

Early 2021 will also bring the annual Budge Consultation process, with meetings to take place by remote methods owing to the pandemic.  The Consultation will run from February 4 to April 13, a glimpse of the schedule is available  below.

The full overview of their December 8th session can be explored here.

More notes on Education across the Northwest can be reviewed here.
 

Weekend totals of new COVID cases in British Columbia top the 2,100 mark

As has been the case in recent weeks, the First glimpse of the weekend totals of COVID reports brings for a startling figure, with the last 72 hours providing for over 2,100 cases since Friday.

Today's review of the statistical accounting and other themes of note were delivered by Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

“Today, we are reporting on three 24-hour periods. From Dec. 11 to 12, we had 698 new cases. From Dec. 12 to 13, we had 689 new cases and in the last 24 hours, we have had a further 759 new cases. 

This represents 2,146 new cases of COVID-19, including 16 epi-linked cases, for a total of 42,943 cases in British Columbia. 

There are 10,039 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 359 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 87 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. 

Currently, 11,177 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases and a further 31,207 people who tested positive have recovered. 

There have been 49 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 647 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic." 

Across the province, the Health Authorities relayed the following case counts over the weekend.

300 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,474 new cases in the Fraser Health region, 29 in the Island Health region, 250 in the Interior Health region, 91 in the Northern Health region, bringing the Norther region totals of COVID cases to 1,331  since January.

There were two new cases of COVID-19 recorded in people who reside outside of Canada.

With a look towards the upcoming holiday period, the Public Health officials made note of their concerns for. the weeks ahead.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has meant a year like no other for all of us, doing things in ways we have never done before. This is the same for our holiday celebrations. 

 “We have to remember that every time we come together there is risk. No event or gathering is completely safe right now, because the virus continues to circulate in our communities. 

You may be doing all you can to protect your loved ones and yourself, and this is what we all need to be doing right now. Unfortunately, despite everything we are doing, there is still the potential that someone you spend time with may inadvertently bring the virus to the dinner table. 

Our homes don’t have the many layers of protection that we find in other places. In our homes we spend more time close together, we aren’t using masks and we don’t have the barriers and safe distances that we see elsewhere. 

When more people get a COVID-19 vaccine and the number of cases declines, we’ll be able to safely resume the activities that are paused right now."

You can review the Monday statement from the Public Health Officials here.  

The BC Centre for Disease control has some valuable Coronavirus notes related to COVID-19 you can explore that information here.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, those past advisories  can be reviewed here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints 

Ongoing Adverse weather in Hecate Strait keeps Northern Expedition in port tonight

Foul weather makes for a cancelled sailing on the North Coast

With another bout of Adverse weather underway for the waters off Haida Gwaii, BC Ferries has cancelled the plans for a  sailing tonight for the Northern Expedition, which was scheduled to leave Fairview Terminal at 10 PM.

In their Service Notice for travellers, the Ferry Corporation notes that they will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Marine Weather for Hecate Strait is calling for winds increasing to 55 knots this evening diminishing to 45 knots overnight and then further to 35 knots by Tuesday.

For updates on BC Ferries Sailings follow their website and twitter feed.

More items of note on Marine Transportation on the North Coast can be found here.

Not So Glad tiding's of ongoing Turbidity to you

As the City of Prince Rupert and City Hall head towards the holidays and the near two week services closure, the ongoing issues of turbidity in the city's drinking water has made for a reminder for the public on Friday.

Please note that due to continued high turbidity, the Water Quality Advisory issued October 31st for the City of Prince Rupert’s most sensitive water users remains in effect. Northern Health recommends that children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems drink boiled water at this time. Please note this is the lowest level notification, and is issued as a precautionary measure. 

There is currently no evidence of increased risk to water users, and testing is being conducted to continually monitor water quality and adjust recommendations accordingly. This advisory will remain in effect until another public notice, amendment or rescindment is directed by the Drinking Water Officer at Northern Health Authority.

The cause of the ongoing difficulties is believed to be the ongoing heavy rainfall of the fall and the use of the Shawatlans Lake source  both of which are the contributing factors to the increased levels of the turbidity.

The City also repeats a previous reminder on the need for flushing for Residences and Businesses that may contain lead in private Home and Commercial plumbing.

The full review of warnings and notes on the civic issues, including the city's upcoming infrastructure plans can be examined here.

Residents of Prince Rupert have been under Water advisories on and off since August.

Past notes on City Council Discussion themes can be reviewed here.