Reduced Capacity for Lax Kw'alaams Ferry as maintenance required on life rafts

The Spirit of Lax Kw'laams will be carrying a lighter passenger list for the next little while, that as the Band Council takes to some required maintenance work for the life boats aboard the vessel.

The work required means that only 49 passengers can be carried until the repairs are completed.

The listed capacity for the vessel is 16 cars, 133 passengers.

The Advisory to those who travel on the Ferry between Prince Rupert and Tuck Inlet was relayed through the Band Council website and Social media stream today.

Last week the Band Council also released the February schedule for the marine transportation service, the key week of important from that release the ANBT tournament dates from February 10 -17.

For updates on the service follow the Lax Kw'alaams Social media stream.

Updated info as of Jan 31

More notes from Lax Kw'alaams can be reviewed here.

Provincial Government's public land management plans pop up on media and BC United Opposition's radar

Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen, 
Minister of 
Water, Land and
Resource Stewardship

The plan by the province of British Columbia to negotiate agreements with Indigenous governments on decision making towards public land use is getting some additional attention this week.  

That after the initiative was quietly introduced earlier this month by Nathan Cullen, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

The shift towards a shared approach, follows the BC NDP government's commitment towards the principles of UNDRIP adopted previous by province.  

Though as Vaughn Palmer the Vancouver Sun's top political commentator observed Friday,  the initiative is not one that was announced through a news release, but rather by way of a listing on engagement platform a portal that few British Columbians likely know much about.

One of the many observations from the highly acclaimed journalist was that the government probably wants to see the initiative move forward without too much in the way of public attention.

The Vancouver Sun columnist also noted of the accelerated timeline that would see the government's plans in place by the end of the Spring Session ahead, with the Legislation to be in place before the Legislature adjourns in Mid May.

The Minister would seem to have read Mr. Palmer's Friday article, at least it appears that way, that by way of a social media post that he issued on Saturday.

As The Vancouver Sun columnist is one of the most read journalists in the province, it's not surprising that some members of the BC United might have seen the article and the background information outlined towards the NDP initiative. 

And today, BC United Leader Kevin Falcon also took to social media, noting of the Palmer article, as well as a Globe and Mail piece from Justine Hunter from today.

He highlighted the level of oversight that his party plans to make towards the program that is being steered through the Legislature by Minister Cullen.

The added level of scrutiny towards how the NDP Government has introduced the topic, is likely to at least create much more participation in the process than might likely have been found otherwise.

Towards the consultation process, what the Province is looking for from those who choose to participate looks as follows:

You can make your submission by email to:  LandActamendments@gov.bc.ca

The Deadline for participation is 4 PM on March 31st.

Details towards the initiative can be reviewed here. 

A slide show presentation to the plans can be accessed here.

Update: On Monday, Vaughn Palmer added a second piece to his overview of the proposed government proposal, noting of the consequential change that the Land Act changes would bring.

More notes on themes from the Legislature can be reviewed from our archive page.

A wider overview of Legislature themes culled from the media covering provincial politics can be explored through our political portal D'Arcy McGee.

 

Registration Now Open for Nation2Nation Women's Gathering in Prince Rupert

Nation2Nation is making a return to Prince Rupert set to host their  Women's Gathering program in the city on April 25 and 26.

The two day gathering will feature panel discussions, workshops, networking opportunities and vendor booths. Our focus will be on creating opportunities for personal and professional development, and making connections to share skills, and get mentored.  

Taking place at the Highliner Hotel and Conference Centre the agenda so far highlights some of the activities planned for those in attendance

Still to be filled in, is the list of those participants that will provide for the Keynote Address and Goes Speaker Slots as well as to explore further towards the range of panel sessions that will take place.

Among those that participated in the 2023 event was former Liberal Cabinet Minister and author Jody Wilson-Rayould.

Registration information can be reviewed here, with early bird pricing now available for those with an interest in attending.

Some high profiles Prince Rupert sponsors have signed on including Trigon, RayMont Logistics, CN Rail, along with Northern Savings and  the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce. 

Organizers are still looking for more that may want to be involved with the April event.

More notes related to the preparations for the event can be found from the Nation2Nation social media stream.

More notes on the commercial sector can be explored here.

BC's record breaking level of overdoses makes Prince Rupert EHS third busiest in Northwest

A BC EHS Ambulance at the Emergency
door at PRRH

Last week's report from BC Coroner Lisa Lapointe on the growing level of Toxic Drug overdoses in the province highlighted how the issue is not one confined to the large urban areas, but also of significant impact in rural and isolated communities. 

Of note from the report the dire situation in Terrace which has the most reported toxic drug incidents in the region.

Some recent data from BC Emergency Health Services also helps to chart the volume of emergency calls that Emergency Responders attend to in the Northwest on those Overdose/Poisoning calls and their data certainly backs up the Coroner's Review of the situation in Terrace.

Last year Emergency Responders attended to an alarming 383 calls for service in the Terrace region, that number far beyond Smithers which was listed as second in response with 94.

Prince Rupert EHS Attended to 77 calls for assistance in 2023.

The Prince Rupert total makes for a slight drop from 2022's record of 81 calls,  it is however almost double that found  on 2016

2023 -- 77
2022 -- 81
2021 -- 71
2020 -- 78
2019 -- 55
2018 -- 53
2017 -- 41
2016 -- 44

Of the four largest communities in the northwest  Kitimat had the least volume with 53 calls for assistance.

The full list of communities in BC and the volume of calls for help can be reviewed here.

The chart of the last eight years for those communities can be reviewed here.

The notes below outline how 2023 with 42,172 overdose/poisoning calls compared to previous years, 

More on the key findings from the BCEHS Report can be reviewed here.

A look at the work of Emergency Responders from across the Northwest can be reviewed here.

Park Avenue area targeted in recent vehicle vandalism spree

An image on social media over the weekend of some of the
damage inflicted on vehicles in the Park Avenue area of the city
(image from Prince Rupert Community Bulletin Board FB)

The latest in what seems to be an ongoing issue of vandalism and property damage in the city has apparently taken place along Park Avenue in recent days, with a social media post over the weekend noting of a number of vehicles being damaged along a stretch from Five Corners to the Totem Motor Hotel.

It's noted in the social media post that an RCMP file has been generated from the activity.

In recent weeks, the downtown core saw some vandalism at the location for the old Daily News as Second Avenue West and Seventh Street.

And as we noted at mid month, the Prince Rupert Golf Course also was the site of property damage and arson.

The issue of property damage to vehicles comes with some additional challenges for residents at the moment, with the closure of the only auto body shop in town and a lack of ICBC resources in the community. 

That's an issue that City Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa has raised a few times now at City Council.

January 24 -- Councillor Randhawa returns to past questions on ICBC's absence in Prince Rupert 

December 13 -- Council to seek answers from ICBC on service options for Prince Rupert 

The topic of the Downtown vandalism did make for a comment earlier this month from City Councillor Wade Niesh who called for more police patrols in the city and  noted that Council may want to hear more from the local RCMP related to the issues in the area of late.

"I just wanted to talk about the great things of seeing  our downtown finally , some of these old buildings coming down and disappearing. 

But then on the other hand, we've got buildings that are getting more plywood put on to them.

So I think we're going to have to talk to the police ... or more policing downtown to you know keep these people from busting window out and causing these business to board up empty buildings.

So maybe we could have a discussion with the RCMP" -- Councillor Wade Niesh at the January 8th 2023 Council session

So far the Prince Rupert RCMP have not issued any form of statement on any of the incidents in recent weeks, whether through their detachment website or social media stream.

More notes on Emergency Responders in the region can be reviewed from our archive page.

Area A Crab Association challenges CityWest Accusations on Hecate Strait fibre cable issues, notes of 'inaccurate and inflammatory' statements

CityWest's recent statement on reasons for the fibre break between the 
North Coast and Haida Gwaii is not sitting well with
the Area A Crab Association

The Relationship between the local crab industry and the City of Prince Rupert owned communication company CityWest, is resembling that of a pot of Hecate Strait caught crabs on a high boil.

That as the Association which represents the commercial crab industry on the North Coast responds to the recent statement from CityWest related to their fibre break. 

With the Area A Crab Association calling out the Prince Rupert based Communication company for a number of what they describe as inaccurate and inflammatory comments towards their industry.

As we outlined last week, on Wednesday January 24th CityWest through a statement on their website  and through their social media stream, outlined the findings of their review of the fibre optic breaks that have disrupted CityWest service to Haida  Gwaii for over one month now.

With CityWest noting that the: subsea fiber optic cable, stretching from Tlell to Bonilla Island, has suffered four distinct breakages due to unsanctioned crab fishing activities on a critical infrastructure right-of-way. 

The Route of the CityWest fibre from Bonilla Island to Tlell
from CityWest information pages

Key to the CityWest Statement was how they viewed the fishing activity in the area of the Fibre Break.

Investigations have shown that a handful of fishing vessels are deliberately disabling their AIS beacons, making it impossible to track their activities on the water (see image - marine vessel charts indicate an absence of fishing vessels in the vicinity. 

However, crabbing pots are observed directly on top of the Haida Gwaii subsea fiber line and right-of-way). We have been informed, that by law, these vessels are required to keep their AIS systems in operation for at least 30 minutes immediately before departure and for the entire duration of the voyage. 

These unfortunate events seem to only be caused by a small group of less than a handful of crabbing vessels who continue to ignore the right-of-way and directly affect connectivity for all our customers on Haida Gwaii, causing significant damages to all involved.

The CityWest statement was a topic that gained a response from Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach. 

MLA Jennifer Rice, who was on Haida Gwaii last week has not as of yet offered up a comment related to the CityWest review of the situation or its accusations..

The detailed update from CityWest that Mr. Bachrach references however, is not sitting well with the Area A Crab President Khan Shantz, who issued a two page statement on behalf of the association on Friday afternoon.

Among the comments which you can review in full below, the Association cites a number of inaccuracies in the CityWest statement, noting they have not correctly cited the requirements related to the Automatic Identification System,  as well as their outline of where the crab traps set by the Association are placed.

The statement notes of the many circumstances related to waters in that region that make the body of water in Hecate Strait the 4th most dangerous marine area in the world and the particular challenges to the areas of note for both the crab fleet and the CityWest fibre line.

The Open Letter also expresses disappointment at the City West accusations on recklessly causing damage.

With Mr. Shantz noting of the past efforts that the association has taken with CityWest towards the decision making on the fibre route; observing how a route proposed by the Area A Crab association to follow an established BC Ferries route had been rejected by the CityWest. 

The letter concludes with the Association reinforcing its commitment to work with CityWest to find a better route for the fibre cable.

That despite what it describes as the errors and inflammatory comments by CityWest.

Click on images above to enlarge

In a follow up correspondence with the North Coast Review, Chelsey Ellis, the Executive Director for the Association provided some additional background to the current differences of opinion on the issue between CityWest and the Area A Crab Association.

Chelsey Ellis, Exec Director
for Area A Crab Assoc.
(from LinkedIn)

First off, noting how the Association was caught by surprise by the CityWest commentary towards their members of last week.

"We were not contacted by anyone at CityWest before, or after they released the statement."

As well, the Executive Director charted some of the approach that they have taken towards where the cable has been placed and how they continue to be available for consultation towards the route.

"We have sent out the alerts CityWest provided about the cable and subsequent reminders. It's a topic at our meetings as a reminder to harvesters. We have always been open and willing to talk and have given extensive expert knowledge of the area."

Despite the apparent lack of a heads up from CityWest and their rather incendiary remarks towards the Association related to the fibre related issues here.  Ms. Ellis while noting of the desire for a retraction to the allegations, also  reiterates their desire to work with the communication company to resolve the issues.

"Given the numerous errors and inflammatory comments made by Citywest, our Association looks forward to an apology to our harvesters and a retraction of the allegations Citywest has made against the members of our fleet. 

We hope to continue an open dialogue with Citywest and are still committed to working productively together on this important project."

So far CityWest has not followed up on their original statement of January 25th, the update one which has generated some significant discussion on their social media stream.

The topic could make for part of a dialogue for City Councillors and the City owned communication asset should they follow up on a request from City Councillor Nick Adey for a presentation to Council and a Q and A session with CityWest officials.

The Councillor made that request following the expansive discussion with Prince Rupert Port Officials at the December 11th Council session. 

Since that request from Mr. Adey, City Council has received presentations from Magna Engineering the company they are working with on the city's wastewater project; as well as representatives from CrimeStoppers.

There so far is no indication from City Staff if CityWest has been pencilled in for any public sessions ahead on the Council calendar.

More notes related to CityWest can be reviewed here, out archive of items of note from the Fishery can be explored here.

Real Estate Tracker: Week ending January 28, 2024

A number of changes to our list of ten this week with three departures from the middle of the pack, which made room for listings just below the ten spot to make their rise.

The shift does make for a decline to the total value from the last few months.

The distribution of our property listings continues to find five listings on the east side of the city, five west of the McBride street divide.

The real estate review below is purely a snapshot for information purposes and reflective of our weekly check on Sunday evening. 

Properties can ebb and flow from the listings through the week,  for further background on the properties recorded, see our links pages for access to the individual real estate listings, to consult them on a daily basis.

The Archive for our weekly review can be found here.  

Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending  January 28, 2024 can be explored below:

Real Estate Listings for the West Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending January 28

Real Estate Listings for the East Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending January 28

The lowest mark for the review of the week is at $650,000  while our top end is marked  at the price point of   $1,089,000

Total value of the listings for our ten this week is noted at $8,214,899

Below find our findings as of the Week ending January 28, 2024

103 Bill Road                                 $1,089,000 --    Remax

160 Van Arsdol Street                    $999,999 --       Remax

318 Alberta Place                           $910,000 --       Remax

1827 Graham Avenue                     $899,000 --       Remax  

1881 Graham Avenue                     $860,000 --       Remax

1320 Overlook Street                      $729,000 --       Remax

176 Raven Crescent                         $719,000 --      Realty Executives

1063 Ambrose Avenue                    $699,000 --       Remax  return

1812 Atlin Avenue                           $659,000 --       Remax return

1524 Omenica Avenue                     $650,000 --       Realty Executives    return                            

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

For background on Housing issues in the Prince Rupert area see our archive pages here.