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| YEAR IN REVIEW 2021 |
"I know that many of us are fatigued it has been a long road for us and another year of challenge, and COVID-19 has proven to be a difficult burden and an ever-changing burden for us.
We have lost parents, friends, grandparents. We've faced isolation and separation, but through all of that we have found ways to connect and support each other. Even though it had disruption of things we enjoy in life, from arts to sports to music.
Despite these hardships through what are highly effective and safe vaccines combined with the efforts of everyone, we have, without exaggeration saved many, many lives" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry at today's information session
The success of the first and second dose program made for some of the data review from the session, as well as a look towards the vaccine program for children and for the third booster shots.
Towards the oncoming crush of Omicron Doctor Henry noted:
"But what we are seeing right now, is once again this virus has changed and as we've talked about in the last two weeks, it has changed to become more infectious it is spreading rapidly in our communities and we see that reflected just in the numbers of people who are tested and the numbers who are positive ... For those people who are vaccinated it is mostly causing mild illness and that is a good thing but with rapid increasing in numbers we are also facing challenges.
We are facing challenges in people being off work because of illness and that is stretching some systems, it's stretching our health care systems and we know now that we can spread this rapidly even with very mild symptoms. "
In the health care sector, Doctor Henry observed of the impacts on the provincial health care system and that of Long Term Care, that making for the lead in to a new measure, that will restrict visitors to Long Term Care facilities to those who are only essential visitors only, that as a move to decrease the number of visitors to better protect the Seniors and Elders.
That measure will be re-evaluated on January 18th.
"You know I think it's a remarkable feat that we continue to increase the numbers of fully vaccinated British Columbians, we're up to 92% of our province has been vaccinated with dose one, of those who are eligible and 89% dose two, is a remarkable achievement and to Doctor Henry's points, is actually providing us very significant protection against this new phase of the pandemic.
Since we started our booster program on October 27th, we sent out 1.146 million booster invitations, we've actually provided 905,784 boosters to date, that's up to the end of yesterday ... One of the things if you look at access to appointments for vaccines, there are 720 locations as of today in British Columbia that are providing vaccinations and that will continue to increase in the coming weeks.
And there are accessible appointments even this week, as of yesterday we had another 8,400 slots available for you to get your vaccination before the New Year rings in on Saturday"
For the New Year, Doctor Ballem outlined the work to increase capacity through January and into February to bring it to a conclusion even sooner, noting that as of today there are 240,000 British Columbians with invitations to book an appointment today, who have yet to take the province up on the offer.
The coming weeks could see whole community clinics in plac and an increasing reliance on Pharmacy partners spread around the province, Dr. Ballem noting of the work of the pharmacies to join in on the BC Vaccination network information program, and makes for one point to book an appointment.
As for the booster vaccine rollout the priorities have followed the guidance of the previous dose one and two program, of those as risk, who are vulnerable due to immuno suppression, because they are elderly or to protect the health care system.
As well Indigenous communities and those who work in the Health Care system have been among those to gain an invitation as a priority group.
"But our biggest test, this may be as big a test as we have faced though this pandemic. And so we are taking those steps and we need everyone to take those steps.
To exercise the control we have and the cases numbers rising like this, is a sense of lack of control. But we have control. Control means, this evening limited gatherings, celebrate with the ones you love.
Control means limited the gatherings in general, control means staying home when you're sick, control means wearing your mask, control means washing your hands, control means when invited to be vaccinated to book an appointment and to get vaccinated"
The gap between vaccination invites and acceptances so far, was also a focus for HealthMinister Asian Dix, who urge British Columbians to book their appointments as soon as invited.
"When you get your invitation, book your appointment and get your booster ... this would be a good day, this would be a good day. When you're one of those people in those vulnerable categories, and if you're one of those 240,000 people you're there, because you have vulnerability to COVID-19.
This would be a good day, the final day of 2021, to book your booster dose and I encourage everyone to do so"
The province has also reduced the period of time for self-isolation after testing positive to COVID-19 to five days down from ten for those who are vaccinated, people who are infected however, will still be require to wear a mask for an addition five days after leaving self isolation, that when they are around others.
If you're not vaccinated, the full ten day period of self-isolation remains.
The Q & A session with media reporters covered much of the vaccine rollout program, as well as themes of testing and the current pressures on the health care system.,
You can review that session below:
Locally Northern Health has been providing guidance on the Vaccination program, though if the comments from the Prince Rupert specific Facebook page in recent days are an indication. There may be a need for a more comprehensive information campaign to be introduced in January to share the word on the program in the Northwest.
You can follow the daily updates on COVID from the Province through our archive page here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
The final weeks of 2021 traditionally brings the annual remembrances of events and activities for politicians of all levels.
Already on the North Coast this month we have seen an update from MLA Jennifer Rice as she shared some remembrances of the year soon to end.
On the Municipal side of the reviews of 2021, Mayor Lee Brain provided for a fairly active social media feed prior to the Christmas period, with a string of daily postings on a range of projects put forward in 2021 by Prince Rupert Council.
The final notes from that flurry of announcements, some original, some recycled themes making for a parade of achievement from the to do list on the year as the Mayor and Council viewed them.
The Mayor's work of Christmas week serving as a teaser of sorts of much more to come in 2022, some perhaps to be revealed as part of his New Year's Eve message set to be posted as 2021 comes to an end.
The blueprint for many of the projects comes out of the 2019 Vision making Presentation at the Lester Centre of the Arts, where the Mayor moved forward on the agenda of progress that he has envisioned for the community, that a build out from his days of the Hays 2.0 period of his first term of office.
As things are evolving, many of the items on the checklist will come to fruition just in time for the October 2022 Municipal election, something which will make for some nice photos for the household flyers and social media messaging to come in the lead up to Election Day, if indeed the Mayor seeks a third term of office.
Likewise, considering how they have been lock-step with the Mayor on the program as it has been revealed, the current six council members are very much tied into the Rupert Vision program and will also be closely aligned with it as they consider whether another four years of municipal service is in their future.
Many of the projects outlined have moved forward with a mixed bag of discussion, some making for conversation and overview in public session more than others.
A few others coming as a bit of a surprise for residents and showing up with little in the way of conversation or any idea if they were universally acclaimed, or if some on Council may have had a few questions to ask behind the closed doors.
Questions to ask, may be a theme that the six councillors may want to work on as a resolution for 2022, far too often the Public Council sessions move by with little in the way of feedback, or questioning by the six councillors of the information presented or the plans that are developed.
The Council members frequently refer to their collective as a team, which while a good thing for collegiality, also seems to have left a few things on the floor when seeking accountability in such areas as increased costs, or delays when such intruding themes come along.
There has been some progress made towards better information sharing with the public, or at least the promise of such.
As the year comes to an end, the Mayor and Council had previously announced plans for frequent updates on Major Projects for the public, something for residents to hold them to as the list of work on the go currently continues.
Though so far the promised online resource through the City website of a checklist of sorts has yet to be delivered.
As they took to their work in 2021, Council it seems relied a fair bit on the conversations that they have on topics outside of the public council meetings, the location where where the real municipal action seems to take place.
This past year was one which featured 20 public council sessions, some meetings lasting over an hour, others less than 20 minutes. In some the councillors were very engaged, particularly when it came to those themes they they were passionate about.
But in many other cases there was little in the way of explanation of the details for the public, or making for a vigorous discussion.
As well it was a banner year for Closed sessions, with Council closing the doors to the public on 23 occasions.
Considering how they seemingly had the time, the shorter of the public sessions of the last year left much on the sidelines that could have been addressed; had the council members wished to raise some of the themes they surely have heard about through the year from residents.
You can compare the Prince Rupert Council's public engagement footprint with that of some of the surrounding communities of the northwest by reviewing the work of Terrace, Kitimat and Smithers councils over the last year.
Of note from all of the council themes of 2021 and a topic that will continue to generate much interest in 2022 is the state of housing in the community.
Particularly the lack of affordable housing, already a major issue for the community and something that once again has become a point of concern following the Angus Apartments fire of this week.
Last year saw a few contentious public hearing periods on proposed housing developments in the community, with the main concern of those who addressed council that of a lack of communication on the plans in motion and the impact of the projects on those already living in the areas to be developed.
City council has revised some of the process of housing engagement and approvals for the community, so time will tell if those measures provide relief in the future for residents, or if they just raise more questions on how City Council approaches housing issues in town.
One thing is certain, there is already a dire need for many more housing units in the community and if the anticipated growth that Council frequently suggests is coming does develop, there will be a need for much much more.
And so far the list of projects of the past considered by this current Council membership that were cancelled, or suspended ... by far out number the projects currently either in development, or under consideration.
You can review some of the housing themes from 2021 here.
A look back at the Council year from 2021 can be reviewed from our Council Discussion archive page here.
As for the Vision plans and the ongoing rebuild of the city's infrastructure those themes can be explored below:
Prince Rupert 2030 Vision Tracker page
Infrastructure and Major Projects
The Council members return to their duties on January 10th, set to begin the journey of the final ten months of their current mandate, with decisions to be made in the months ahead by the current membership as to whether the six councillors and Mayor Brain will seek a return to office.
The next few months will also provides some hints as to whether they will have any competitors for elected office when we go to the election booth on October 15th, 2022.
With those on the sidelines over the last few years giving their consideration towards whether a quest for a Council seat, or even a run for the mayoralty is something they wish to take on.
When it comes to the Mayoralty, how the next ten months move forward will determine if Mr. Brain has a free path to another four years as that of 2018 when he was acclaimed as Mayor without any competition; or if there are some members of the community considering making for a challenge to the Mayor's office in 2022.
As the year ahead evolves, we look forward to covering all of the local political scene on the way to Election Day in October.
A wider overview on a range of municipal themes from 2021 can be reviewed here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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| Commercial fishing vessels making use of the City owned Cow Bay Dock this past summer |
The union representing the members of the once thriving fishing industry on the North Coast have provided for an end of year message that looks back at a challenging twelve months and observes quite correctly that things will remain much the same for the year ahead when it comes to fishery issues in the region.
UFAWU-Unifor posted their message to members through their Social Media page last week, reviewing the difficulties faced by Fishermen, Tendermen and Shoreworkers, while noting of how they have tackled challenging times in the past and will continue to do so in 2022.
While they resolve to carry on in the New Year, they could use some help from government, with regulations from DFO in the last few years bringing a halt to many fishing opportunities, along with a changing narrative as to how the industry may look in the future.
As we noted earlier this month, the herring season, once a major income generator for local shore workers and fishing crews, not to mention the economy of Prince Rupert has dwindled in recent years, and next year won't take place at all.
The industry also once again has to reintroduce itself to yet another new Federal Fisheries Minister, with Joyce Murray taking on the duties as part of the new cabinet introduced in November.
Minister Murray's portfolio includes a number of new directions outlined through her mandate letter which we shared the details on prior to Christmas.
More notes on the Fishery on the North Coast and Haida Gwaii can be explored here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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| The Angus Apartments on Wednesday following the Tuesday fire |
A full count of how many residents are impacted has yet to be outlined, but for those who called the Angus Apartments home, the search now begins for new accommodation.
That as the building has been declared uninhabitable following the Tuesday night fire that sent tenants into the streets on a bitterly cold winters night.
Officially the structure is listed as a fifteen unit apartment complex, but it's likely that there were a number of additional residents living in the apartments other than those listed as the renters; and for them the task ahead will be a daunting one in a housing market still constrained with few affordable apartments or rooms for rent.
Included in the story from reporter Kate Partridge are the rulings from the Residential Tenancy Branch, which highlight the litany of concerns of tenants that led to the fines.
The report also features commentary on the situation in Prince Rupert from local housing advocate Paul Legace, as well as to note that no one was available for comment from the City of Prince Rupert.
For the short term, the residents that were forced out of their homes by the fire are part of the City's Emergency Social Services program which offers up to 72 hours of lodging and food service and other items of need at times such as these.
Should you have word on potential accommodations for them you might want to contact that service to ensure that those options are known for those in the most need.
You can reach them at emergency.response@princerupert.ca
The community has also responded in the last few days to the now former residents, with a growing list of items collected to be turned over to them to help rebuild their lives and replace in some fashion some of their belongings lost earlier this week.
Find out more on those efforts here.
A review of the state of housing in Prince Rupert can be explore from our archive page here.
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
