Weekend Winter Wonderland

With a dusting of some snow and crisp and clear conditions, the weekend lights festival around the city helped to set he theme of the upcoming holiday period, with some of the more prominent displays lighting up the downtown area.

The Court House as always this time of year looks much like a winter wonderland, with the full lighting show now on display.

The Port of Prince Rupert has also shifted into holiday spirit, creating a winter village theme in the community space at the Atlin Terminal.

The Walk way to the Northland Terminal also making for a Christmas theme with a colourful display between the two terminals this year.

The wintry themes will be leaving us for a bit this week, with the forecast ahead for warming temperatures and the more normal flow of wet Pacific weather fronts soon to return for the week.

Though there is a hint of more snow for next weekend for those looking to get their winter snapshots in for the start of the holiday season.

More notes of interest on Community themes can be found from our archive page.

Real Estate Tracker: Week ending December 5, 2021

A number of changes to be found from our list of ten this week, starting with a drop for the top end pricing for a single family home in the city.

For the first time in months, the top price point has dropped below one million dollars, with our new benchmark listed at $920,000.

Other changes included the return of some previous top ten properties and a new listing for the east side of the city.

All of that makes for a total value of the top ten for the week of just over 7.3 million dollars, with am even split on both sides of the McBride Street line.

There are five listings found west of McBride, five to the east.

The real estate review below is purely for information purposes, for further background on the properties recorded, see our links page for access to the individual real estate listings.

The Archive for our weekly review can be found here

Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending December 5, 2021 can be explored below:

Real Estate Listings for the East Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending December 5

Real Estate Listings for the West Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending December 5

The total value of the list of ten now sits just over  the 7.3 million dollar mark.

The lowest mark for the review of the week is at $515,000 while our top end from the last week remains marked  at the price point of  $920,000


Below find our findings as of the Week ending December 5, 2021

1320 Overlook Street                     $920,000 --      Realty Executives 

1433 Sloan Avenue                        $899,000 --      Remax

219 4th Avenue West                     $849,000 --      Remax

555 4th Avenue East                      $799,000 --      Remax 

129 Crestview Drive                      $749,000 --      Remax 

1160 11th Avenue East                  $729,000 --       Remax

706 Ritchie Street                          $678,000 --       Remax 

1053 First Avenue West                 $649,000 --       Remax

519 Pillsbury                                  $549,000 --       Remax         

341 4th Avenue East                      $549,000 --       Remax

For more items related to Real Estate see our archive page here.  

For background on Housing issues in the region see our past items here.

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

Blog Watching: Week ending December 5, 2021

Some new funding for transportation in the Northwest, caught the eye of the largest volume of readers this week, as our review of the plan to provide assistance towards community to community transportation was well received.

Also of some note for readers this week the return of a range of Public Health Orders related to COVID in the northwest and the latest COVID 19 data from the BC CDC, both of which found much interest of readers.

Breaking News from the downtown core of Saturday afternoon quickly found a strong audience, as we outlined the notes from the Prince Rupert detachment of the RCMP related to a motor vehicle incident at the Rupert Square Mall's lower parking lot that left one injured and a string of damage to assess.

The City's work in preparation to take on a new tenant for the Canfisco Warehouse and some positive signs from Alaska on the potential return of Marine Highway service to Prince Rupert rounded out our list for five for the week.

However, interest was seemingly quite high in a provincial announcement on funding for transportation across the region, with our notes from the start of the week claiming the largest audience of the seven days.

Prince Rupert City Council, if it wishes, gets another chance to join other Northwest Communities  on Highway 16 shuttle bus program -- The Provincial government has announced new funding for a transportation program that has been used by other northwest municipalities and others to link each other by bus     (posted November  29, 2021)

That article was followed by: 

It's last call for alcohol at Bars and nightclubs across Northern Health as expanded health measures now include Prince Rupert, Terrace and surrounding communities -- Officials with Northern Health no longer have a dividing line in place when it comes to Health measures towards COVID, reversing their previous decision to exclude communities west of Kitwanga from the range of Public health orders.  The latest COVID data for municipalizes for the week can be reviewed here. (posted  November 30, 2021) 

27 year old male in custody after motorized mayhem left one hurt and much damage at Rupert Square mall --  Our notes on an incident from Saturday afternoon in downtown Prince Rupert generated a large audience into the evening.  (posted December 4 , 2021)

  

City of Prince Rupert set tp expand roster of tenants in Canfisco warehouse venture; as speculation on future developments along George Hills Way accelerates -- A required public notice related to rental of public space, could be the first indication of some potential development ahead in the city's Marina district    (posted December 3, 2021)

Alaska State Representative suggests all proceeding well for AMHS return to Prince Rupert in Spring of 2022 -- An Alaskan state legislator who has been focused on the status of the Alaska Marine Highway System in and out of Ketchikan had some promising notes to relay on the prospect of a return to Prince Rupert-Ketchikan service in 2022    (posted December, 2, 2021) 

You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.

You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page.

A note for those that previously used our email alert delivery option, Blogger has discontinued that feature, so we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post updates to the blog as we post them.

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.   

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

27 year old male in custody after motorized mayhem left one hurt and much damage at Rupert Square mall

Calls were quick to 911 as  Shoppers on a busy Saturday afternoon called in to call for assistance as an incident unfolded at the Rupert Square Mall parking lot.

As the calls came in, members from the Prince Rupert detachment were dispatched to attend to reports of an erratic driver on the lower parking lot, with the accounts to police outlining the nature of the mayhem in the lot.

"Prince Rupert RCMP received a report of a man driving into vehicles and carts around the parking lot of the Prince Rupert Square Mall. 

Members attended rapidly and located the 27 year-old man behind the wheel of his vehicle. Members initiated a traffic stop and eventually arrested the man for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. 

The man was taken into custody and further investigation revealed the man was suspected to have operated his vehicle under the influence of drugs.  

As a result of the activity, multiple vehicles were hit and one female sustained minor injuries and attended the hospital." -- Statement from Constable Gabriel Gravel, Media Relations, Prince Rupert RCMP

Things are calm now, but Saturday afternoon the
Lower Parking Lot at Rupert Square saw a large police
presence in response to a call of an erratic driver

With the incident now at an end,  the Prince Rupert RCMP will be forwarding charges to the BC Prosecution Service. 

Included among the list of allegations now to be considered:  dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failure or refusal to comply with demand, assault with a weapon, mischief over $5000 and failure to remain at scene of an accident.

The case file for the incident can be reviewed here.

The Social Media feed Prince Rupert community Bulletin Board has been compiling some video which features the post incident scene, with members of the local detachment wrapping up their investigation into the afternoon's events.

More notes on the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest is available here.

Prince Rupert motorists gain a break at the pumps this week as price tumbles to $1.52 to $1.49 per litre

Best value per litre of gas in Prince Rupert this week 
was found at the Industrial Park PetroCan Canada station

After a lengthy period of a price point of 1.57.9 per litre of gas in the downtown core, this week  brought some welcome relief for motorists with a significant drop in the cost of gasoline, which currently is going for 1.52.9 at the three stations close to the main commercial area

For those willing to make the short drive to the Industrial park, the price at the PetroCan on Kaien Road is even more appealing, currently posted at at 1.49.9  making for a drop of eight cents for the city from the last time we did the tour of local stations on November 15.

If weekend travel is on your agenda, the results are varied across the Northwest towards Prince George.

Further down the highway, the GasBuddy website has the checklist of gas prices for those with extended driving on the horizon.

Terrace is set at 1.56.9 per litre for the four  of ten stations reporting, though two have dropped their prices to 1.49.9 per litre

Kitimat is reporting a range between 1.55.9 and 1.49.9 for its three stations

Smithers has a price point per litre at 1.54.9 reported by two of their four stations listed

Burns Lake  ranges from 1.45.9 to 150.0  for two of six stations listed

The 37 stations listed for Prince George have a price point ranging from 1.34.9 to 1.45.7 depending where you are in Northern British Columbia's largest city.

Gas analysts continue to suggest that we may want to buckle up for the next little while as the price is anticipated to fluctuate over the near term. So enjoy the bargain hunting of the moment.

More notes on past gas prices can be explored from our Highway 16 archive and Commercial Sector archive.

Full Weekend of Seawolves Hockey ahead at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre

A chance to check up on Prince Rupert Minor Hockey comes this weekend, with a range of games scheduled against competitors from Smithers, Kitimat and Vanderhoof as teams make their way to the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre.

The weekend starts early with an under 15 match up between the Prince Rupert squad and Kitimat at 8AM, with Sunday's schedule coming to an end with a 12:30 puck drop between the Under 18 Seawolves and Smithers.

The full schedule for close to thirty hours of fast paced hockey  to cheer on can be viewed below:

Prince Rupert Minor Hockey is also noting the rebirth for their website, which has come back on line providing a range of options for hockey players, coaches and parents to make use of as the season moves forward. 

League officials made note of the efforts of Tina Mack to rebuild the portal and get it back into game shape.

Check out the latest themes for the website here.

Follow more notes on Prince Rupert Minor Hockey from their Social Media stream.

We also have items of interest on minor hockey across the Northwest from our archive page.

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen takes concerns over RCMP enforcement on Wet'suwet'en territory to RCMP Commissioner

Nathan Cullen, the NDP MLA for Stikine has posted the details of a letter today, that he has addressed to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. 

With the MLA and resident of the Bulkley Valley expressing his concerns over the recent measures taken as part the enforcement activity by members of the RCMP, near the Coastal GasLink pipeline camp in Wet'suwet'en territory, near Houston.

In the correspondence posted to his Social Media stream,  Mr. Cullen recounts his thoughts on a recent video he has viewed related to the enforcement action and relays the concerns he says have also been brought to his office from constituents in recent days.

The main text of his letter to Commissioner Lucki acknowledges the responsibilities and authority provided to the RCMP under the Police Act; as well as to request that the Commissioner personally review the actions referenced in his letter.

He concludes his three paragraphs of concerns asking for the Commissioner to  consider "what actions might be constituted as necessary during enforcement actions addressing civil disobedience .

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen's letter to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki
(click to enlarge)

The Stikine MLA's correspondence of today follows some fallout in his constituency with hereditary  leaders of the Wet'suwet'en recently issuing an eviction notice for the MLA from his offices in New Hazelton.

Earlier this week, Mr. Cullen had noted that he had plans to speak to those leaders; but as of yet he has not indicated if there has been any resolution to the eviction call, nor the results of his conversation with the Indigenous leadership.

The NDP MLA is not the first public official to raise concerns over the recent enforcement activities in the Wet'suwet'en Territory.

As we noted last week, NDP Skeena-Bulkley MP Taylor Bachrach raised his own concerns in the House of Commons, addressing his comments to Marco Mendicino, the Federal Minister of Public Safety, who has oversight on the federal police force.

So far there has been no indication made public from Federal or provincial government officials, as to what, if any kind of review has taken place or is planned towards the events of mid November.

More notes on both the Stikine MLA and Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP can be reviewed below:

MLA Nathan Cullen

MP Taylor Bachrach