Watson Island "Burn Rate" estimated at 50 to 60 thousand per month

The public comment portion regarding the City's 2013 Annual Report of Monday's Council meeting provided for a brief glimpse into some of the financial obligation of the city when it comes to maintenance issues at Watson Island.

The review of recent developments at the industrial site and disclosure of the cost of ongoing maintenance costs came as part of Council's Open Forum section of Monday nights session, which saw  Mr. Larry Golden once again take to the microphone.

This time he asked Council members how much money was currently being spent on maintenance issues at the Watson island industrial site and how the city planned to cover those costs.

As part of the answer to Mr. Golden's question, Mayor Mussallem provided some background on the nature of those costs, highlighting how they had been reduced from their previous totals of 80 to 100 thousand dollars per month.

Those costs apparently reduced after Council had tasked City Manager Robert Long to reduce some of the ongoing burden from the industrial site, mainly through the removal of some of the monitoring concerns from the site.

As for the current "burn rate" on Watson Island maintenance, the Mayor turned the proceedings over to the City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben.

She explained that the current rate of maintenance costs were in the 50 to 60 thousand dollar range and that it was hoped by the City that those costs would be addressed by way of rental income from the site.

While it's quite helpful of Mr. Golden to seek out such information from the city, questions of this nature should actually be the domain of the Council members, who collectively should be more proactive on behalf of the city's residents.

Not only should the city's council members be raising those kinds of questions of staff in public forum as part of their duties on Council, but they should also be seeking out ways to have such details made more accessible to the city's residents, perhaps making better use of the city's website.

Through the trials and tribulations that have been the Watson Island file through the years, few if any details have ever really been delivered in public forum by council members. For many residents developments both past and current remain very much a mystery.

Instead it seems that we have to wait for someone to take advantage of a public question period, in this case, a comment on the Annual report to seek a little clarity on events.

Clearly the flow of information on Watson Island could use a little improvement from Council.

You can review this short review of the Watson island file of Monday night from the City's Video Archive, the discussion starts at the 43 minute mark and continues on for five minutes or so.

For more background on developments at Watson Island see our archive page for the industrial site.

More background on items of note from City council can be found on  our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Lot 444 becomes a talking point at Council

Monday's public comment opportunity as part of the City Council session, provided for an interesting review of how Prince Rupert Council believes they are handling the issue of potential development of a parcel of land along Tuck inlet.

As we outlined on the blog last month, Part of Lot 444, features a section of land that is adjacent to the City's Watershed and was recently proposed as a potential site for an LNG terminal development.

That prospect became the theme of of discussion as part of the Public Comments portion of the Committee of the Whole session of Monday evening. With Larry Golden, a frequent observer of much of Council's work approaching the microphone to make a few inquiries of council over their plans for
the land in question.

The first being a note that so far in the process, there has been no outline of public meetings and other features of public overview of the proposal.

During the course of his questions of council it seemed that at times, some Council and staff members were approaching Mr. Golden's efforts with something a little less than with enthusiasm.

Though through the course of the discussion, he finally seemed to break through to gain some insight into the process ahead for the proposed development of the parcel of land around Tuck Inlet.

One of the more interesting observations on the theme came from City Manager Robert Long, who provided Mr. Golden with a bit of a backgrounder on the nature of the wholly owned Legacy company that the city will operate regarding the land in question.

Suggesting that the nature of the company's operations could be considered similar to the way that CityWest has been created, something that may or many not provide much in the way of reassurance for some in the community.

Particularly when you consider some of the more recent discussion points from Council when it comes to the City owned tele-communication company and the financial return to the city that it has provided for in recent years.

Councillor Thorkelson observed that she wasn't quite sure what Mr. Golden was trying to get at through his line of questioning.

She then however did offer up some comments on the topic of the proposed project and stated that Council is dealing with that, explaining that there would be a zoning meeting put in place to rezone the land to LNG only.

She also outlined up her thoughts on the nature of the wholly owned company and its role in the process ahead, with money gained from any land sale to be allocated towards public use such community infrastructure such as streets, fixing the dam and such.

She reinforced that the whole process would be thorough and public.

The Mayor also highlighted the city's plan to hold public meetings, and introduction of the rezoning process and the public comment that goes with it.

He also reviewed the intention of the city to hire a third party, who will be tasked with a  review of the proposed project and to do an analysis as to how the development may impact the surrounding water, surrounding land and the air shed

Councillor Ashley outlined her talking points on the theme, advising that while dates have not been set up as of yet, all the stages of the process ahead would be made public and council would be seeking as much public engagement as possible.

Councillor Cunningham provided his take on Mr. Golden's points of concern, a outlining that Council wants this to be totally transparent to the community.

Highlighting how the city owns the land and that the community will have a big say with what the City does with it, adding that it will not be like any other land on the waterfront.

Councillors Garon, Kinney and Carlick-Pearson offered up no thoughts or comments on the nature of Mr. Golden's questions, or on the process ahead for the question of Lot 444 development.

As a whole Council seems to be reacting with a bit of consternation as to why some residents may be more concerned about the process than Council members appear to be.

For the most part there is some basis for such concern, beginning with how the land became available for development.

As we remember, Lot 444 came to be placed within the municipal boundary after Council sought  approval to expand the boundary, outlined at the time as a way to bring the watershed to be within the civic boundary.

At that time and during the process in place to seek comment from the public, no mention of developing the land into an LNG terminal location was declared.

Then there's the nature of that process Council used to secure that approval, using the Alternate Approval Process to seek the comment from the public.

That consultation process is one that both Councillors Ashley and Thorkelson had expressed concerns over in the past. So to use that method to expand the municipal boundary and then to also turn around and announce that the land will be offered out for development certainly raised a few eyes in the community.

Perhaps much of the concern over the city's plans for the Tuck Inlet land parcel stems from the lack of information that the City and Council delivers on issues of this type.

They have been slow to provide any public notices on their plan ahead when it comes to Lot 444 and have not made much of an effort to provide background information on the proposal on the city website. A portal that should be used to much more effect by Council, so as to avoid some of these controversies.

Beyond that, the frequent use of special closed sessions by this Council, (12 so far in 2014) doesn't provide the community with the impression that much information is to be expected from Council in their twice a month public sessions.

And if one goes through the archives of past Council sessions, there's really little in the way of discussion between councillors and staff on issues such as this one that take place in those public sessions.

The fact that a resident had to raise questions in one of the few public opportunities available to discuss issues with Council, should be an indication that the City and Council needs to be more engaged with the community on such issues.

Through their talking points at Monday's public session, Council members seem to be floating the always popular theme of transparency, a very much over used word by politicians.

Mr. Golden's comments weren't particularly critical, more to the point he was simply seeking some basic information on a topic of which little information has been provided.

Considering the tone and content of their commentary and follow up remarks to Mr. Golden's very basic questions, the community no doubt will be looking for Council and the City to provide prompt notification, frequent updates and much more in the way of information on any proposed developments that involve Lot 444.

You can review the full discussion from the Committee of the Whole session through the City's Video Archive page, the conversation starts at 14:30 and continues on until 23:30 .

For further items of note from Prince Rupert City Council see our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Woodside LNG looking at two options for Grassy Point LNG development

Monday night was presentation night for the Australian based energy company Woodside, as John Litchfield, the Manager of Indigenous Affairs for the company outlined at what stage their proposed LNG development for Grassy Point is at and what kind of timeline the company was looking to follow in their early stages of review.

He opened his review of the company by providing some background on the work of Woodside in Australia where the company has been operating for over 60 years and operating LNG facilities across the country for over 25 years.

During the course of his twenty minute presentation, Mr. Litchfield provided a glimpse of the two options that the Australian company is considering for their parcel of land at Grassy Point that they are examining on land north of Prince Rupert near Lax Kw'alaams.

He outlined the nature of the agreement between Woodside and the Provincial Government, providing for a three year window to investigate the feasibility of developing any terminal project in the region.

The main focus of their initial review is to determine if it makes financial sense for the company to move forward with the project and that any decision to move on that prospect is a few years in the future.

As for the actual proposals for Terminal development, Mr. Litchfield highlighted the two concepts that Woodside is reviewing for the site, should the project prove feasible.

One a on onshore facility and the other one which would be a floating terminal located offshore of Grassy Point. He offered up a bit of background on the differences between the two options.

The floating proposal would be constructed offshore and floated to the North Coast, requiring less of a construction work force to put it in place. Litchfield estimated that number of workers required on that proposal would only be in the range of 1,000 workers.

The onshore proposal would have a much larger impact on the region, requiring a much larger construction work force, numbering near 6,000 workers.

Both proposals would provide full time operational jobs numbering around 300 over the minimum 25 years of operation for the terminal. He also outlined some of the indirect employment opportunities associated to the operations of the terminal.

The theme of engagement in social investment was also reviewed, with Woodside using their work in Australia with aboriginal people as a template as to a potential path they would follow in British Columbia.

The timeline of the process moving forward was outlined, with the first of the Environmental Assessment engagement to be put in motion as early as July of this year, with a final Project Description to be delivered in the second half of 2014.

In closing he stressed their desire to engage in extensive consultation with First Nations, Governments and the public in the region.

Following the presentation, three Council members offered up some thoughts on the project with questions and suggestions for the Woodside representative.

Councillor Ashley led off the queries, outlining the nature of these developments tend to be those of development outside of the municipal boundaries, but impacting communities that act as service centres, wihtout tax benefits to the communities that host those services.

Mr. Litchfield outlined that it was an issue that Woodside would have to consider further, but that he was aware of the nature of the question of service agreements and that they are familiar with the idea of general land use agreements and how benefits need to be spread more broadly.

Councillor Thorkelson followed up on the theme of development of the project and where Woodside would see workers living during both the construction and permanent operational periods.

Mr. Litchfield returned to the two options they are considering and how they may factor into those numbers. He also highlighted the engagement that Woodside intends to develop with Aboriginal communities in the region.

Councillor Garon offered up some observations on the near shore version of the LNG terminal, calling attention to the nature of our occasional severe weather of the North Coast and the impact that may have on such a structure located off shore.

The Mayor closed the presentation with an inquiry as to whether Woodside would be setting up an office in the community to provide further review of their proposals as they move forward.

It all made for an interesting review,  Woodside however, would appear to be more of a long game proponent.

As Mr. Litchfield outlined for Council, that Woodside anticipates a three year window to examine the feasibility of their proposal, while any announcement of moving forward would appear to be a few years down the line just yet.

You can review more on their proposal from the City Council Video Archive, Mr. Litchfield starts his presentation at the twenty six minute mark, it continues through until the 

For more background on the Woodside proposal, see our Industrial Development archive page for the project.

Those looking for more items of note from City Council can find them posted to our City Council Discussion Points page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

City to take taxation and industrial development issues to UBCM in the fall

When the city's council members head off to Whistler for this fall's UBCM gathering they will be bringing a list of concerns that they hope other communities will take up as their own.

At tonight's Council session, council members will review the draft of the resolutions that the City of Prince Rupert hopes to add to the UBCM agenda.

Many of their recommendations for review and approval will be on familiar themes for council observers. Dealing for the most part with the desire to find ways to access more revenues through industrial taxation and payments.

With those lengthy discussions on the payment in lieu structure of port development in the city still fresh in their minds from the spring budget sessions, the Port issue will be one of their main resolution points for September's UBCM.

On that topic of the Payment in lieu process currently in place, the City will be putting forward the resolution that the BC Assessment Authority valuation be used for the purposes of PILT as it applies to Port Authority properties.

As for the tax cap, the City will be asking that UBCM support their resolution that the provincial taxation caps be repealed, highlighting how a temporary measure became a permanent one.

We outlined some of Council's concerns on those two items of concern back in March, during the heated moments of discussion on revenue issues for the city.

They also will offer up a resolution to seek Funding assistance for large scale Project Proposal Evaluations on project proposals.

Council also is targeting concerns over tax exemptions on Berth corridors, seeking to have those
exemptions eliminated from the Community Charter.

Other items that they hope to bring to UBCM for inclusion in their final discussions will be items of note on Flexible matching grants, Unconditional grants and the need for the provincial government to create and implement a poverty reduction plan.

Their draft presentation provides a fair bit of background on those items, you can review it all from the Agenda for Tonight's council session, it can be found on pages 38 and 39.

For more items of interest on developments at Prince Rupert City Council see our archive page.

Cross Posted from the North Coast Review

Northwest Institute delivers LNG concerns to your door step

As part of their ongoing engagement on issues of LNG development, the environmental watchdog group the Northwest Institute has delivered another in a series of householder updates across the Northwest.

The Spring edition of their work calls attention to their concerns over Terminal development on the North Coast, in particular they focus on the proposed Pacific Northwest LNG project for Lelu Island.

Among their concerns, the location of the terminal on the Skeena estuary and the volume of dredging that will be required should the project move forward.

They also call into question some of the forecasts on job creation and the impact that temporary workers   from outside the region may have on the community during any construction phase.

Their final point involves their concerns over LNG development and air pollution in the region, particularly in the Terrace-Kitimat region which they observe is already facing an increase in air emissions owing to the Alcan Modernization project.

They offer up the opinion, that adding pollution from LNG plants could saturate that air shed making it unhealthy for human health.

The household mailers provide more or less a snapshot of what they want to deliver to Northwest residents, more detailed background on their talking points can be found on their LNG issues website.

They also have taken to social media with a facebook page designed to increase awareness of their campaign.

You can review the household mailer delivered last week from the items listed below.

And while they did make mention of a number of LNG proposals in the region, they clearly went to press before the City of Prince Rupert's most recent announcement on LNG development.

As Council outlined in May they making moves to designate land along Tuck Inlet for further LNG development, with Exxon/Mobil the prospective LNG terminal operators.

Considering that location's proximity to the city's watershed, we imagine at some point the Tuck Island inlet proposal will also be a featured item on future mailings and website offerings from the Northwest Institute.

We have a full overview of LNG development items and issues on the North Coast on our archive page.

Cross Posted from North Coast Review.

BC Ferries to expand sailings for summer... for summer routes

It's an announcement that is sure to raise the hackles of  North Coast communities that continue to feel the impact of cutbacks to Ferry Service on the northern routes, as BC Ferries on Wednesday outlined an increase to sailings on many of routes in the south.

The schedule additions announcement highlights an increase in southern sailings that as BC Ferries explains; will ensure for smooth sailing for summer holiday users, offering details on the 80 sailings per week to serve Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

In the same media release, BC Ferries also makes mention of the the 100 unique vacation packages that they offer. Though residents of the North Coast and Haida Gwaii, as well as the Central Coast might wonder how anyone is supposed to take advantage of what they have to offer with the fewer opportunities for travel that the Northern Schedule continues to offer.

An article in Business in Vancouver magazine highlights just what some tourism operators of the region are facing this summer, with one operator on the Central Coast reporting a rather dramatic 90 per cent drop in business after the cuts were put in place.

In addition to the vacation plans and schedule updates, BC Ferries offers up a snapshot of their 2013 Customer Satisfaction Survey, which suggests 87 per cent of customers on recent trips have reported satisfaction with their BC Ferries experience.

A number which we imagine is more indicative of the Southern experience, than that of the North.

Among those that surely would offer up a different opinion on the Satisfaction scale, would be the Mayors of Prince Rupert, and  communities on Haida Gwaii as well as those along the central coast.

Through the Spring they and North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, have made much comment on the impact that the BC Ferries cutbacks are having and will continue to have on their communities.

We imagine, that with Wednesday's announcement of better schedule options for the southern routes, they might have a few more comments to share not only with BC Ferries, but with Transportation Minister Todd Stone.

You can review some of those past issues from our Transportation archive page.

Cross posted from North Coast Review

Province to consult Mayors, Community leaders on Northwest Transportation concerns

The lack of transportation options between isolated communities along Highway 16 will be the focus of upcoming consultations between the Provincial Transportation Ministry and Mayors and First Nations Community leaders of Northern British Columbia.

The announcement and background on that plan was revealed last week by Transportation Minister Todd Stone, who outlined what the province hopes to achieve through its consultation process.

The meetings are to be held from June until mid July, looking to find practical ways to connect residents with services and amenities in major centres, running the range from medical appointments to shopping and visiting family and friends along the highway 16 corridor from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

As part of their announcement, the Transportation Ministry observed as to the nature of the challenges in the region and how a multi-community approach will be required to find practical solutions to the issue.

You can learn more about that engagement process from this item from the BC government website.

The issue has been an ongoing concern for North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, who has raised the topic a number of times during the recent session of the British Columbia Legislature.

She, along with many residents of the Highway 16 corridor will no doubt be watching the process as outlined by the province and we imagine will be seeking opportunity to contribute to that dialogue.

Some of the other items of note on the Highway 16 issue can be found on our Transportation archive.

Cross posted from North Coast Review

Pacific Future Energy Corporation announces plans for North Coast Oil Refinery

The prospect of yet another oil refinery proposal for the North Coast was revealed on Tuesday morning, as Pacific Future Energy announced plans for what they are calling the "greenest refinery in the world" to be placed somewhere on the North Coast.

The proposed development was outlined in a press release that provided some background on the 10 billion dollar bitumen refinery project.

"We believe this is an incredibly unique opportunity to build the greenest refinery in the world and there's no better place than BC,"... "Our pre-feasibility study has begun, which will analyze the economic, social and environmental aspects of the refinery and help to determine the prospective site and expect to launch our feasibility and regulatory process in the next 9-12 months." -- Samer Salameh, Executive Chairman of Pacific Future Energy. 

The management team for the refinery proposal includes a number of businessmen with experience both globally and in British Columbia, led by Executive Chairman Samer F. Salameh, who manages new business devlelopment for Grupo Salinas, a multi billion dollar industrial conglomerate based in Mexico and operating in 11 countries of the Americas.

Also on the team is Executive Vice-President, Mark Marissen, who has in the past provided public consultation services to the Prince Rupert Port Authority (and as Black Press reminds us, is the ex-husband of Premier Christy Clark).

Other members of the six member Executive group have had experience with other energy proposals for the region.

The proposed refinery would be built in modules, with each capable of processing 200,000 barrels of bitumen per day.  The bitumen would be converted into gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other distillates.

As part of the launch of their proposal, the company outlined the nature  of the NZNC emissions technology that they intend to put in place in their refinery project.

A portion of their debut announcement addressed issues of First Nation consultation. With Pacific Future Energy providing an overview of the engagement process it intends to take with the First Nations of Northern British Columbia.

With consultation and accommodation the main points provided by Jeffrey Copenace, Vice-President Indigenous Partnership.

"From the very beginning, and every step of the way, our partnership with First Nations will ensure that we all benefit from traditional and ecological knowledge, while respecting their rights to full consultation and accommodation—all with the goal of shared prosperity and health for future generations,"-- Jeffrey Copenace, Vice-President Indigenous Partnership.

Mr. Copenace once served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Former First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo.

Also, included in the announcement of today was a review of their Commitment to British Columbians, a vision statement of sorts of what their project is about.

As for actual details and the scope of the development, not much else was revealed about the proposal. Other than the timeline that Pacific Future Energy will now start out on.

With a pre-feasibility study now underway to analyze the economic, social and environmental aspects of the refinery and help to determine the prospective site.

They plan to launch their feasibility and regulatory process sometime in the next 9-12 months.

Pacific Future Energy is just the latest proponent looking to deliver an oil refinery to the North Coast.

David Black was the first to propose such a project with his Kitimat Clean refinery project, which has yet to deliver any further steps of progress since it was first announced in 2012.

More recently, Calvin Helin has been putting forward a proposed pipeline and oil refinery project for Grassy Point, with Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings also providing for engagement and consultation with the First Nations of Northern British Columbia.

Residents of Northwest British Columbia will be quite interested to learn more on all of those proposals as the process moves forward, with Pacific Future's proposal one which will be of particular interest as North Coast residents await their site selection announcement.

You can review the full press release here, there is more on the Pacific Future Energy proposal available on their website.

As part of our efforts to provide background on many of the economic development projects of the region, we have created an archive page for future items of note on the Pacific Future Energy project which you can access here.

You can review more items on the growing number of proposals for oil refinery development in the Northwest from our Archive page.

Update:  Global BC reports that the proposed site will be somewhere near Prince Rupert, with three potential locations to be reviewed.

Cross Posted from the North Coast Review

Federal NDP household mailers under the microscope at Parliament Hill

The bounty of postage free household mailers that residents  receive from their MP's has suddenly become a bit of a controversial publication list and one that is heating up the dialogue in Ottawa these days.

The recent controversy has flared up as the Board of Internal Economy conducted a recent review of some NDP mailings of the fall.

The governing body of Parliament Hill which oversees the House of
Commons reviewed the procedures in place surrounding the NDP's use of free mailings of the fall, during Federal by-elections.

An investigation that the NDP is more than a little annoyed over.

NDP Spending to Be Condemned in Blistering New Report
NDP may have to repay House for mass mailouts
Impartial officials found NDP mailouts broke rules, documents show
NDP might be on hook for millions over mailouts to riding's
NDP may be forced to pay back millions in tax dollars after 'kangaroo court' decides MP's didn't follow rules
In seeking a loophole for NDP mailing scheme, Thomas Mulcair is channeling Mike Duffy and Stephen Harper 
Speaker denies approving tax dollars for party mailings...

And while that investigation is related to a specific incident and time frame, it does raise the larger issue of whether the mailouts should remain postage free and if they are even required in this era of electronic  communications.

Bulkley Valley-Skeena NDP MP Nathan Cullen offered up some background on the current controversy through this item from a Smithers radio station.

Residents of Bulkley Valley-Skeena are no doubt rather familiar with the visual of the household mailers, a popular method that is used by Mr. Cullen to deliver discussion points on a wide range of issues for the Northwest.

In recent months the MP has sent out information sheets on such things as his Renewal Northwest initiatives, or his report on the need for a Social Licence for resource development in the region to name a few.

The subject of the household mailers is also part of the ongoing debate over Canada Post and that organization's need for a better revenue stream and ability to rein in costs.

At the same time as the mail service increases the cost of postage for Canadians and continues on with plans for service cutbacks, the free postage program remains widely used by MPs.

That program allows for up to four flyers to be sent to constituents free of charge over the course of the year, for those MP's that want to send mailers on a more frequent basis  a deep discount rate is available for their use.

During the discussion on Canada Post issues over the last few months, no one on Parliament Hill has apparently floated the idea of eliminating the free postage provisions, or increasing the rates on the "deep discount" provided for their constituent bound mailings.

Part of the free postage provisions for MP's include the opportunity for residents to write letters to their MP and Government officials free of charge, a process which handy, is one that most likely isn't used very much in an era of electronic communication by way of email, twitter and other forums.

Should MP's wish to continue with the process of home delivered mailings, perhaps their individual parties should pick up the tab for the cost of the publication and distribution process.

Much of the material delivered to homes through those mailers is also available through many MP's websites, including that of Mr. Cullen.

A point of access that leaves one to wonder if the need for costly printing and delivery of the home mailers is really a necessary part of the dialogue between MP and constituent anymore.

You can review more on developments related to the work of the MP for the Northwest from our archive page.


Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Port of Prince Rupert success highlighted in business publication article

It's the engine that now drives the Prince Rupert economy and with more projects still to come, the Port of Prince Rupert is firmly making its statement as one of the key contributors to the economic future of not only Prince Rupert, but British Columbia and Canada.

To celebrate that fact, Business in Vancouver magazine offers up a fairly good snapshot as to how the Prince Rupert economy has started its rebound, based primarily on the port and port related developments.

The item starts off with the familiar story of the failure of Watson Island's paper mill and with it, the long running saga of trying to redevelop the Watson Island industrial site.

An agenda item and constant companion for the City of Prince Rupert over the last decade and a controversial story that it appears is far from over just yet.

For the most part however, the magazine focuses on the growth of the Port and how it has transformed the waterfront of both Ridley Island and the city itself.

Bringing new industry and opportunity to a city, that saw its population dramatically drop in the years that followed the Watson Island closure.

And while the article perhaps provides an optimistic thought as to the current state of our cruise industry, it's focus on the future of container operations, mineral exports and the enthusiasm of potential LNG terminal development is reviewed.

A fairly enthusiastic piece which suggests all signs continue to point to even more impressive through put numbers yet to come or the
Pacific Northwest gateway to the world.

Though just to bring us all back to an even keel from the heady thoughts of LNG, the final points of the article return to the old Skeena mill site.

With the Mayor providing a quote that offers up the best in understatement on the never ending nature of the troubles from Watson Island.

"On one hand, we have all this other activity, and we've had a hell of a time dealing with Watson Island"

You can review the full article from the Business in Vancouver website here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Dan Miller makes the case for a resource driven British Columbia

Former NDP Premier and one time North Coast MLA Dan Miller has offered up a wide range of discussion points for consideration when it comes to the importance of the resource sector to the province.

In an Op Ed piece for the Vancouver  Province over the weekend, Mr. Miller outlined a number of the contradictions in the arguments of those who are opposed to the extraction and transportation of the provinces resources, whether it be oil, gas, minerals or forest products.

He calls out politicians such as Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who recently led the charge  on the lower mainland against the transportation of coal through his community.

As Mr. Miller points out, the irony of the Mayor's attempts to limit those shipments out of Vancouver ports is rather glaring, coming as it does at the same time as that city is making a request for money from higher levels of government, seeking funding for a transit corridor in the city, an amount that could reach one billion dollars.

As Mr. Miller points out, where exactly does Mr. Robertson believe that kind of money for infrastructure projects might come from?

That is a legitimate question and one that perhaps might resonate around the old council table at which Mr. Miller once sat.

In recent years in Prince Rupert, the councillors of the current council have at times expressed their thoughts on industrial development in this region. Making their views and wishes known to proponents of a number of proposed projects on the North Coast.

As well as the comments directed to municipal politicians, Mr. Miller offers up much the same argument towards some of the membership of the BCTF. Where the social activist side of the Teachers' Federation has taken on such projects as coal shipments and pipeline development to name a few.

Framed amid the current labour negotiations between the Teachers and the government, Mr. Miller observes how the BCTF leadership continues to campaign against a resource sector that helps to pay their wages.

When it comes to the position on resources of both the urban politicians and teachers' union, Mr. Miller observes how it continues to be a case of wanting their cake and eating it too.

You can review the full editorial page contribution here.

The former Premier recently became involved with the group Resource Works, an organization that highlights the importance of the resource sector to the province. He serves as a member of their Advisory Council.

His thoughts on the nature of resource development would appear to be somewhat different from those of the current  MLA for the North Coast.  Who may be sitting in the same Legislature as our former Premier, but on many issues of resource development seems about as far away from his position as a politician might get.

It would be rather interesting for those of the region to hear what North Coast  MLA Jennifer Rice might have to say about what the highly respected former city councillor, MLA and Premier has observed on the issues.

His contribution to the oped piece provides an interesting examination of the current split among the members of the party that he once led and the riding he once represented.  A chasm which features a vocal portion of the current contingent of NDP's clearly not on the same page as their former leader.

You can find more items of interest out of Victoria from our Legislature archive.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Spectra Energy updates council on pipeline development and community outreach plans

It was presentation night once again at Prince Rupert Council, as last Monday evening brought Mr. Graham Genge from Spectra Energy to Council chambers to provide an update on the progress of the Spectra pipeline project.

During the course of his sixteen minute presentation Mr. Genge provided some background on the progress of the plans from Spectra to deliver natural gas from Northeastern British Columbia, to the proposed BG LNG terminal at Ridley island.

He explained the options for the pipeline route and the current status of their environmental work on those routes.  And how local businesses and workers could obtain more information on the proposal and what it may offer the North Coast.

As well he provided some background information as how local businesses could become registered vendors in the Spectra data base, with the potential to become a supplier as the project moves forward.

As part of their ongoing information process, Mr. Genge reminded Council that Spectra will be holding a public open house in the Community on June 3rd.

That Open House takes place from 5-8 PM  at the North Coast Meeting and Convention Centre (Chances) on 1st Avenue West.

He also provided more background on the nature of some of their community engagement opportunities for the region through their Commitment to Communities program.

You can review the links to those projects through the Spectra website.

EnergyforBC.ca

Those with questions on either the pipeline project, or the community engagement opportunities can also contact the Spectra representatives at their Northwest office in Terrace at 1-855-757-4755

Residents of the region can also sign up to receive updates and newsletters on the project, as well as invite members of the Spectra Community team to attend local events.

Following his presentation three of the city's councillors had observations and questions on the pipeline project.

Councillor Ashley was focused on the community engagement projects and how local residents could access more information about them. That was a theme of interest that Councillor Carlick-Pearson would also inquire about later in the session.

Mr. Genge offered up background on Spectra's West coast Connector grants,  an opportunity he thought might be of interest to the region.

As part of the Council Question and Answer period, Councillor Thorkelson offered up her thoughts on the transmission corridor and the impact that they may have on salmon bearing streams.

You can review the full presentation from the City's Video Archive, it starts at the 33 minute mark and continues on until the 49 minute mark.

For more items on developments from Prince Rupert city Council see our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

LNG "Boot Camp" comes to Prince Rupert June 2nd and 3rd

“We’re working to ensure that B.C. businesses can participate in the opportunity LNG offers. Workshops and seminars will provide practical information including specific tips on what proponents look for in a contractor and the steps small- and medium-sized companies need to do to be ready to take part when these global proponents start looking for B.C.-based suppliers. 

Premier Christy Clark made a commitment to help B.C. companies connect with the opportunity of LNG and these boot camps and workshop are part of meeting that commitment.” -- Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skill Training and Labour, on the the LNG Boot Camp experience


An opportunity for local businesses to learn more about accessing the hopeful tide of LNG development comes up next week in Prince Rupert.

The Northern Development Initiative Trust is bringing its popular LNG Boot Camp sessions to Prince Rupert, setting up shop at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre on June 2nd and 3rd.

For local business owners and contractors, the Boot Camp project provides background on the many proposed industrial projects for the North Coast region, providing some helpful advice on how to work the procurement process for those developments.

Some of the main points to be reviewed during the sessions include:

What supplies and services will be required by project proponents.

How local businesses can take advantage of the major projects and become part of the supply chain of goods and services.

Understanding the bidding process.

Understanding more on the opportunities and obstacles that could be part of the process.

Make contact points with those who can your business get prepared for LNG development.

The Contractor Boot Camp takes place from 5 to 8 PM on Monday, June 2nd.

Tuesday provides for more background for those interested in preparing to make a bid on LNG opportunities in the region.

The Tuesday morning session starts at 8:15 features a workshop as well as a Question and Answer period.

In addition it provides for a good opportunity for local contractors and business leaders to conduct some networking with those that may be able to assist them in accessing the LNG industry and the requirements that will come from development.

Attendance to the both the Contractor boot camp and the Proposal and Bid workshop is by registration, those looking to secure a spot in the Boot Camp should contact Paul Venditelli at the Prince Rupert and Port Edward Economic Development Office, he can be reached at 250- 627- 5138.

After the Prince Rupert events, the LNG boot camp program moves on to Kitimat on June 4 and Terrace on June 5.

You  can learn more about the two days of events on LNG development from the NDIT website.

Some background on the program can be found from the BC Government website.

For more on LNG development on the North Coast see our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review