Saturday, December 31, 2022

Blog Watching: The Year that was 2022!

YEAR IN REVIEW 2022

For our Blog watching feature for year's end we once again offer up a trio of headings to provide for a glimpse of some of the news highlights of the year soon to end.

Category number one will be the Overall Top story, as determined by the amount views the article received over the course of the last 365 days.

Category Two will feature those stories of note from Prince Rupert City Hall.

Our third category explores some of the key topics of the year from the Business or Industrial footprint in the community.

All of our results have been determined by the viewer count for the stories through the year.

At the bottom of each section you will also find links to additional blog resources to review themes in more detail, listed by the month.

Our Lists of the year, unfold as follows:

Overall top stories

2022 was a year where we exited the Age of Covid-19 for the most part, the virus still circulating but many of the measures in place to take it on were eased or eliminated.  

That easing of the measures, was something which reopened the community to visitors and allowed for more travel away for those who spent the last two years holding fast to the limits that had been put in place.

The year was one of some achievement on the local scene with progress on the new RCMP detachment and a completion for the much delayed Woodworth Dam to name a few, though other areas continue to be a focus of concern for the new council which took office in November. 

A large shadow crossed over the community in late November with a tragic murder at the Ocean Centre, an incident that left many in the region lost for words at the horror that marked the morning of the 21st in Prince Rupert.

It was also another year of significant fires, with more of the downtown core finding empty lots or rubble still be removed as we head into 2023.

The year closing with concerns once again over the city's water supply, something that has been somewhat of a Christmas/New Years theme in recent years. This time around related to the state of the pipes that take the flow under the surface of our streets.


September

Port Edward application for land use occupation sets stage for potential Recreation area near Galloway Rapids


October 

Registration period for Christmas Hamper program begins this Monday
November

Large Police presence at Ocean Centre

December

Finishing touches for Jehovah Witness Hall as new facility prepares for its debut 


See our right hand column feature North Coast Review Backgrounders for links to archives of the year on a range of topics of note for the region.

Also as part of our right hand column options we have a North Coast Review Extra Edition feature which offers more in depth reviews of some of the larger issues of the Northwest this year.

Tracking the year in politics is fairly easy as well from our right hand column listings as well, just check out our archives for both the House of Commons and Legislature for items of note from the North Coast and Northwest in 2022.

Those who have deeper interest in the federal and provincial scene will find our companion blog D'Arcy McGee of interest, where we have archived notes from both Ottawa and Victoria.  

*************************************************************************

Municipal government

Infrastructure, housing and a change at the council table made for some of the narratives for 2022, with the ongoing work to rebuild our aging waterlines moving towards an urgent priority now and one that is up against a clock of late.

Housing continued to be a dominant theme for the year, with the lack of available housing a note of concern for politicians, as well as business and industrial leaders in the community.

At City Hall it was a fall for change, with the departure of Mayor Lee Brain and Councillor Blair Mirau, the election of October heralding the return of Herb Pond to the mayor's chair after a departure of his own a decade ago, the only new face for the Council chamber this year comes from Teri Forster, who broke the Boys Club theme of the last few years with her election victory.

The municipal election campaign itself notable not so much for a review of the last four to eight years for the previous council, or how the would be council members for 2022 would address the future. 

But instead, it became an election that was focused on the Scrapping of the Port Tax Cap legislation, that through a petition program introduced as the election period began.  

The topic one that dominated much of the discussion and shaped the narrative in the lead up to Election Day. 

What municipal themes caught the interest of the readers through the year looked as follows:

Most Read -- Municipal Government


January





*************************************************************************

 Industry/Retail/Tourism 

As it has for a number of years now, Port development once again dominated much of the year's industrial review, with the container terminal expansion plans and other maritime developments framing much of the discussion this year.

Among some of the other port related items that grabbed attention on the year, the path forward for plans for another terminal on Ridley Island for the Dutch shipping giant VOPAK, Expansion for Trigon Terminals which will move into Hydrogen shipments in the years ahead. Also of note on the year the work on the Wolverine Marine Fuelling terminal, as well as  the completion of the Fairview-Ridley dedicated access route.

The City's own industrial development at Watson Island gained some national recognition, that for its environmental remediation work, however there were few updates towards how the Island is performing financially for the city, or how many new tenants have taken up spots at the Trade and Logistics Terminal lands.

The Tourism Sector saw a significant bounce back from the years of COVID, with the Cruise Industry set for some expansion in the year ahead, that following a new agreement for the Port with a Global Partner to operate the Northland Cruise Terminal and help shape the future for the industry in the region.

CityWest expansion continued forward in 2022 as well, with an expanding footprint for the Prince Rupert based company that now takes it south to Vancouver Island and east as far as Vanderhoof. 

With the expansion came a new Management addition late this year, with former Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain taking on Vice-President duties with the company, that following his departure from civic office in November.

Some of the stories of the year are as follows:

Most Read -- Business/Industry

January

Prince Rupert Port Authority commences with demolition of Northland Seafoods building on waterfront

February

Northern Savings Board of Directors calls for Nominations about to come to end 

March

New Tourism plan features new community signage and Indigenous imprint for Prince Rupert 
December

Lee Brain's parachute comes in Blue and while, as former Mayor is tapped for Vice-President post

For more background on the region's industrial, tourism and commercial sectors see the following:

Industrial Archive

Tourism Archive

To all our readers, we hope you have a very happy and enjoyable New Year's Eve as we all provide our own farewell to an unforgettable twelve months of 2022. 

We offer our wishes for all the Best in 2023. We're looking forward to seeing what stories will be the ones that resonate through the year when we do this all again on December 31st, 2023!


Our archive of weekly Blog Watching for the year now ending can be found here.  

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Friday, December 30, 2022

Victoria Viewpoints: Thursday-Friday, December 29-30, 2022




Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Provincial scene for  Thursday-Friday, December 29-30, 2022



Globe and Mail




CBC



Vancouver Sun 





Victoria Times-Colonist 



Victoria News



Global




The Tyee                                                                   

CHEK TV



Miscellaneous




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Ottawa Observations: Thursday-Friday, December 29-30, 2022



Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Thursday-Friday,  December 29-30, 2022


Murder of Constable Pierzchala




Ukraine/Russia War



CBC



Toronto/Vancouver Star



Toronto Sun




National Post



Global          



Miscellaneous            



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Northern Health reminders for New Years Holiday Period



Northern Health is asking for a bit of patience and some common sense when it comes to accessing Emergency Department services over the New Years period.

The Health Authority putting forward a Social Media advisory today to highlight the challenges and stresses on the health care system across the region at this time of year.

Along with their guidelines towards accessing health services, Northern Health also offers up some alternative options for those who may not be in a situation that requires immediate emergency level care.

The full overview can be explored below:

click to enlarge

In recent weeks, Northern Health has advised of higher than usual patient volumes at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, should that occur over the weekend, we most likely will hear about the situation through the Northern Health Facebook page that is dedicated to Prince Rupert themes.

More notes on Health care across the Northwest can be explored here.

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Port Edward District Council to start 2023 off with some public hearings


Residents of the District of Port Edward will have an opportunity to speak towards some land topics at the first Council session of 2023, with the District set to host a Public hearing towards two recent Public Notices.

The Public Hearings are both scheduled for Tuesday, January 10th at 6 PM in the Council Chambers.

Map of area of note from BC Assessment

One of the two items up for discussion is towards a plan to amend zoning for a property Alder and Pacific, the District to seek a change from Single Family, to to Multiple Family Development in order to accommodate development.

The area of note can be explored further by using the PID number of 012-439-282


Map of area of note from BC Assessment

The second of the land themes to be addressed on January 10th is a trio of lots along Spruce Avenue, which the District is looking to re-zone as Tourist Commercial in order to accommodate development.

The properties are currently listed as Single Family Residential and Multi Family Residential.

The area of note can be explored further by using the PID numbers of 008-744-912, 008-744-882 and 007-759-941

You can access all of the PID locations through the BC Assessment map program

Copies of all relevant documentation related to both zoning themes is available for review at the District Office during office hours, Monday through Friday until Monday January 9th.

At the Public Hearing on the 10th of January, all those who deem themselves affected by the proposed bylaws shall be offered a reasonable opportunity to be heard.

If residents cannot attend the public hearing session, they can submit their comments or concerns in writing to the District of Port Edward, attention of Polly Pereira. 

The address is 700 Pacific Avenue or by mail to Box 1100, Port Edward, BC V0V 1GO.

Those wishing to submit by email can do so at: ppereira@portedward.ca 

Deadline for any submissions is January 9, 2023

Further background from the District on the two Public Hearings can be reviewed from the Port Edward website.

More notes on Port Edward Council themes is available from our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review


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Infrastructure, housing and how to pay for it all, how to get it built ... some of the key areas for City Council for 2023

Work on First Avenue East water infrastructure was just one of a number of
job sites for City workers and contractors in the last few weeks of December.


Prince Rupert City Council put an exclamation point on the year that was 2022 just before Christmas, with an extended cold snap, bringing a snap of some water lines that highlighted just how tenuous the city's long neglected infrastructure needs are.

A sixteen minute Special Council Session called on Saturday, December 17th providing the overview over just how challenging the last few weeks were going to be for the community.

Clearly the days of kicking cans down the road should be over, with the first priority ahead finding funding, in whatever form, to start to rebuild the lifeline of the community, the civic water supply lines.

While other any number of other projects tended to dominate the attention of past councils, some progress was delivered in the four years previous to the new council's arrival; highlighted by the completion of the Woodworth water dam in October, somewhat behind schedule most likely beyond original cost. 

But a job completed that at least secured that aspect of the city's water supply.

Mayor Brain, MLA Rice and others at the official
opening of the Woodworth Dam in October.


Though, as of yet, we have yet to be told officially by City staff if we have returned to the Woodworth water supply.

However, as we saw with the declaration of a State of Local Emergency on December 17th, the community's water mains and those lines to our homes, businesses and industry are fragile ones which should be the focus of most importance for the Councillors and Mayor upon their return to work on January 9th.

If it means some of the vision planning of the past must linger on sketch pads for awhile, or get put up on a shelf, so be it.  

The main job of a civic government is to ensure that the basic requirements for a community are delivered and if the talk of Council and the MLA of December was an indication, that in the case of water may not be a guaranteed thing unless immediate action is taken.

The MLA, through a letter to a range of ministers both Federal and Provincial last week relayed the wish of her office and seemingly that of city council for some direct Federal infrastructure intervention. 

Though it's not really clear how much money that Ms. Rice or the City Council collective may be anticipating arriving from a direct deposit from Federal sources.

Nor if the Federal Government or her own Provincial government, can even respond as hoped for, without having to do the same for hundreds, if not thousands of other Canadian and British Columbia communities with similar infrastructure issues, who likewise would expect the same level of assistance.

Something that might suggest, that City Council best be looking to create a Plan B, to find a solution to the long running issues of the city's waterlines.

The other key area for Council to focus on for 2023 is to take their past approvals for housing lots, and full scale housing projects to some kind of shovel in the ground phase.

Land once proposed for a large town home development on Drake Crescent
remains unmoved the project still one of many that were once proposed
that have yet to ever move forward 



Few reasons as to why those never moved ahead were ever delivered to the public, a rolling wave of new proposals replacing the old, neither of which seemed to find some success.

We've heard many suggestions towards why there's been a lack of success.  

From financing concerns of the builders, to obstacles in the way of available land, or as Councillor Niesh would tell you, the ever present muskeg, which the councillor seems to suggest is what is keeping most projects from ever seemingly getting a start. 

Still if the City council hold to their belief that great things are destined for the community, twinned with port expansion; they had best find ways to get some housing stock in place, there's not enough now for those who desperately need some, let alone for newcomers looking to put down their roots and take up the jobs that will come with the future.

We've seen no shortage of studies, plans and vision statements on housing, hopefully 2023 brings the vision of some shovels digging and framers framing, indicating that the housing issues are finally finding some traction.

The Council members also took a cue this month from their Chief Financial Officer, noting of a dark shadow looming in 2023 when it's time to craft the next budget for 2023.  

The first signs of some tightening of a belt coming with the Community Enhancement Grant allocations announcement this month, which saw some limitations put on expectations.

As they plan to deliver on the financial themes of the year ahead, there seems to be a desire from some in the public towards a more dedicated approach to information sharing on both the spending and the revenues.

Whether it's Watson Island, CityWest, the use of the Legacy Inc financial mechanism,  or any of the growing list of other instruments and endeavours that the City has created in recent years. 

The City Council's of the past few years have moved forward to build a model of growing empire of agencies and initiatives, with few details for the public as to how it all works.  

Explaining how those elements are impacting on revenues and expenses and how they will continue to be used would seem to be a good start towards a more transparent approach to their use. 

In the end, the key question for the City Council ahead is how to balance it all towards what the community really needs, as opposed to what the Council members believes it needs.

For the resident at home the key question for the year ahead will be what kind of additional funding that the public will be called upon to provide towards infrastructure, elements which should all be part of the program ahead when it comes to consultation with residents. 

Others are taking a more direct action approach to local issues, as seen through the efforts of People for Public infrastructure, which has expressed concerns over any potential private/public partnership on infrastructure, something that seems destined to be a significant conversation in 2023.



Mayor Pond and his Council will get their start of the Big issues ahead for 2023 on January 9th, with the first of their 20 scheduled Regular public Council Sessions.


Hopefully the public City Council sessions will provide for much more disclosure from Council members on the issues facing the community and some key questions to ask of staff when it comes to plans when they go over budget, or fall behind schedule.

Recent years have seen the Council Sessions serve more as announcement forums, than they are any kind of actual discussion of how things are, or what needs to be done. 

The real work of Council it would seem is done during the course of their workshops, internal meetings and the list of Closed sessions that  reached 20 in 2022.

Events of the last month suggest that the community will be looking for much more in the way of some public  guidance and reassurance that City Council has the issues of concern in hand, with workable solutions in mind.

Tomorrow we'll take a quick peek back at the stories that our readers found the most interesting of 2022.

Our annual trip down memory lane will be published at 4PM on New Year's Eve.



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Thursday, December 29, 2022

Charter Flight issues make for Revised Schedule for Northern Expedition

Crew staffing for the Northern Expedition make for
a revised schedule for the Haida Gwaii and Port Hardy runs

Assembling the crew required to put the Northern Expedition to sail has provided for a few challenges for BC Ferries, which notes of a charter flight delay yesterday that has impacted on the Northern Expedition schedule for December 29-31

In a Service Notice issued on Wednesday, it was noted that the Ferry was scheduled to Depart the Fairview Bay Terminal at 3PM with an arrival in Skidegate set of 9:30PM

However, so far the BC Ferry Tracking program notes that the vessel is still in port at Prince Rupert.


The Full list of changes to the schedule through New Years Eve is outlined below:


You can follow the BC Ferries Service Notices page as well as their Twitter feed for updates on the travel situation  for routes in and out of Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii and the Central Coast.

More notes on Marine Transportation on the North Coast can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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City of Prince Rupert Urbaloo closed to public once again

The Downtown Urbaloo is closed once again owing to water line issues


The only public washroom facility in the downtown area, has once again been put under lock and key, with the Urbaloo at Third Avenue West and Seventh Street closed to the public. 

The downtown washroom facility had closed earlier this month owing to frozen pipes, had seemingly reopened again briefly; but the Facility closed sign was put back up just before Christmas. 

The public washroom facility just another casualty of the city's ongoing challenges with water infrastructure at the moment.



There has been no update to that December 21st notice provided since, to indicate when the City believes the facility may be able to return to use.

The Urbaloo project was designed in the most part to serve the growing number of the homeless in the downtown area, funding towards the project in part came from federal funding for homelessness initiatives.


A look back at the path towards the new Third Avenue West facility can be explored below:

December 2 -- City of Prince Rupert Urbaloo Closed owing to frozen pipes 
July 15 -- Dwindling menu items to be found on Eat Street of late 
April 2022 -- City to work with RCMP on Eat Street/Urbaloo concerns 
March 2022 -- Rupertites invited to dig into the food fare at Eat Street 
February 2022 -- Progress for Eat Street
January 2022 -- Progress on Water Dam, Eat Street plans ... slight delay in progress for Third Avenue East extension among themes from Major Projects Report
December 2021 -- Mayor's notes provide a bit more detail on plans for Eat Street in city's Mid-town region
November 2021 -- Meet you at 'Eat Street Square'
November 2021 -- Major Projects Review provides for stream of percentages on progress for City initiatives
November 2021 -- Potty progress in the downtown core
November 2021 -- With No more bathroom breaks for Mariner's Park this year, there are few options for for those in the downtown area
September 2021 -- Delays for public washroom project should spur Council members to provide an update on much anticipated initiative
February 2021 -- City Council looks to be Lookie Loos on grant prospects for 24 hour public loo
February 2021 -- Council to consider opportunity to seek out funding for additional public restroom facilities in the city

More notes on the City's project themes can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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