Ottawa Observations: Wednesday, January 4, 2016

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for Wednesday, January 4, 2017.


Ottawa spending half a billion dollars for Canada's 150th anniversary
Sometimes it's like Donald Trump doesn't even get how free trade works
O'Leary welcomes 'excitement' after Raitt launches sit to halt possible candidacy
Trudeau hails Canada-U.S. trade in video welcome to Congress
'Irresponsible' populism: Lisa Raitt slams Kevin O'Leary, Kellie Leitch
Former CSIS director says expanded surveillance powers needed to prevent terror attacks
Stakes high for Trudeau as world's last major progressive leader standing
Conservative leadership hopeful Blaney proposes reducing immigration, refugee targets
Trade tribunal says duties must remain on dumped U.S. drywall imports
Justin Trudeau needs to keep his EI promise to sick mothers - soon
Trump's tough talk good news, says Canadian auto union
Canada ignores it's own refugees
Buried government report reveals looming fiscal crisis
Trudeau will bury us in debt
On carbon pricing, ignorance isn't bliss
Raitt drops gloves in Conservative leadership
Fiscal sanity matters in 2017
Reviving per-vote subsidy would be rewarding bad behaviour
Fewer First Nations disclosed financial data after PM suspended key accountability measure
How Nick Kouvalis turns candidates into winners
Royal visit to BC, Yukon cost RCMP $2 million
Transport Minister calling on Canada's airlines to ensure pilots are fit to fly
Ottawa not moving fast enough to prevent suicides among Canada's soldiers, veterans: advocates
'Canada's Donald Trump': Kellie Leitch blasts 'elites' and 'insiders' during Fox interview
Lisa Raitt takes direct aim at Kevin O'Leary, Kellie Leitch
First Nations researchers release open letter to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett

City starts off 2017 with a hiring call

The City of Prince Rupert has started off 2017 with the prospect of adding to the city's workforce, posting a job opportunity on the first day back to work for a Heavy Duty or Commercial Transport Mechanic to work out of the City Works yard on Wantage Road.

The job posing was put on the City Hall Job opportunities page on Tuesday, with the closing date for applications of January 27th.

The Permanent, full time position features a rate of pay of between 36.51 to 39.15 depending on qualifications, with the City also stressing the great benefit plan and pension plan available through Civic employment.

You can examine the full job posting, as well as the requirements for consideration below:
 (click to expand)

The early January notice of employment picks up on the theme of the last few years.

Since late 2014 the City has embarked on an fairly consistent campaign to expand the pool of workers both at City Hall and through a range of positions with such departments as Recreation to Public Works to name a few.

The current job openings available with the City of Prince Rupert can be examined here.

You can review some of the past opportunities from our archive pages here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

AltaGas gives go-ahead to near 500 million dollar Ridley project

All systems are go for development
of a Propane Export Terminal at
Ridley Island this year
(from the AltaGas website)

2017 has started out with some good news from the Economic Development files, with Alberta based AltaGas announcing that it has approved a Final Investment Decision for their Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal at Ridley Island.

The decision puts in motion plans to create Canada's First West Coast Propane Export Terminal, a facility which will receive propane by rail and is expected to ship 1.2 million tonnes of the product per year.

Construction of the project is expected to begin early this year, though no official timeline was outlined by AltaGas officials as part of their information statement of Tuesday.

During the construction phase, close to 250 construction workers will be hired to complete the shipment facility, with 40 to 50 jobs created to operate the facility once it is operational sometime in the first three months of 2019.

The company also outlined that as their plans move forward the Ridley Export Terminal will provide enduring community benefits along with employment and contracting opportunities during both construction and operations phases.

AltaGas noted the considerable reduction in shipping time from Prince Rupert to Asia as one area where the North Coast facility will have a strategic advantage over competing facilities on the American Gulf Coast.

David Harris, the President and CEO of AltaGas provided a snap shot of how the Prince Rupert terminal will help to deliver on the company's vision for export opportunities.

"Propane exports off of Canada's west coast pulls together our vision of offering Canadian producers a complete energy value chain, ... Together with our northeast B.C. infrastructure, once the Ridley Export Terminal is built and operating, we will give producers new access to premium Asian markets for their propane."

Mr. Harris also outlined some of the nature of community engagement with area both First Nations and local communities that was part of the decision making process.

"We are consulting and working with the First Nations whose traditional territory the Ridley Export Terminal is located within, ... Collaborating closely with First Nations and communities to create sustainable social value is of paramount importance to us and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the First Nations in the region."

The Ridley Export Terminal will also benefit from the network of propane producers that AltaGas has developed on its own as well as its access to other producers across Western Canada, a supply system that found some favour with overseas market participants.

Key to their Final Investment planning was the ability to secure a multi-year contract with the Japanese firm Astomos one of the largest LPG players in the world, the arrangement between AltaGas and the Tokyo based company provides an entry point into the Asian marketplace for the Alberta propane producer.

The Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal will begin construction
in the early part of this year on a parcel of land at the south end of Ridley Island
 (from the AltaGas website)

Tuesday's Final Investment Decision comes after AltaGas had received approval from federal regulators. The site for the development will take place on a section of land leased by Ridley Terminals Incorporated, from the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

The pace has been fairly quick from concept to Final Investment Decision, the proposed development first appeared on the local radar last year, with the company hosting a pair of Open Houses to explain their plans both for the terminal and as corporate citizens on the North Coast.

The full announcement of Tuesday's decision can be examined here, a review of their development can be found from the Ridley Terminal Export Terminal page of the AltaGas website which you can explore here.

You can find more items on Tuesday's announcement from our archive page here, the path towards the Final Investment Decision took place in 2016 our archive of AltaGas items from last year can be found here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review

Victoria Viewpoints: Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Provincial scene.

B.C. government reviews homeowner grants after big home value increases
Metro Vancouver homeowners face home assessment 'sticker shock' as real estate market poised to cool further
Alta Gas to go ahead with propane terminal in B.C.
UBC head Santa Ono 'deeply regrets' cancellation of John Furlong speech
To appeal or not to appeal? Expert advice for dealing with your new property assessment
B.C.'s most expensive properties revealed  in 2017 assessments
'A terrible loss': Outspoken Malahat fire chief dies
UBC president apologizes for handling of Furlong cancellation
DND to dispose of Royal Roads property
B.C. teachers, province meeting again this week to discuss court ruling
Assessment values for B.C. condos and town-homes rise in double digit percentages
Jobs a key issue in 2017 election
UBC makes a timid decision
Top 100 highest assessed homes on Vancouver Island
Chip Wilson's Point Grey mansion assessed at more than $75 million
Vancouver property assessment increases soar past 40 per cent mark

Ottawa Observations: Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for Tuesday, January 3, 2017.


Provinces seek end to health-funding standoff with Ottawa
Inquiry into missing, murdered indigenous women will strain health resources: authors
Are CEO's paid too much? That's not for Ottawa to decide
Canada could end up caught in the crossfire of a Trump trade war
Scheer calls on O'Leary to join Tory leadership race before French debate
U.S. comes first, Trump official says about Canadian auto industry
Even small gifts can buy political influence
Canadian fighting with Kurdish forces against ISIS killed in Syria
Canada must brace for 'hardline' approach from Trump's new trade representative, experts warn
10 of 13 provinces and territories call for renewed health talks
'Fish or cut bait': Andrew Scheer calls on Kevin O'Leary to join race before Conservative all-French debate
What it takes for a carbon tax to work
5 years later, Ottawa's federal buildings get extreme makeovers
Time for Ottawa to make sure top CEOs pay their fair share
Trump's thumping of GM headed to Canada?
Security Council resolution reveals UN hypocrisy
It's 2017. Do you know where your Prime Minister is?
Kurdish forces announce Canadian died fighting ISIL in Syria, calling him a martyr and a hero
How the Senate changed in 2016 - and what it means for the government's agenda for 2017
Will Conservatives Court a Dragon's Den Death Wish with Kevin O'Leary?
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reports that 100 top-paid CEO's collected 193 times average industrial wage
Canada set for 'stormy days' with new US trade representative: former diplomat

BC Assessment notices available online; set to arrive this week by mail

Indications seem to be that property assessment levels for many Prince Rupert homeowners may be on the rise, with BC Assessment releasing Assessment information on line yesterday.

That at least from some of the notes starting to be found on social media, as local residents call up their property listings online to see what figure BC Assessment has settled on, with more than a few noting that they have seen increases from last years numbers.

The hard copy of the mailed assessment is in the mail and its way to your home, however, for those that want to check out the latest notice the process is a simple matter of using your PID number in the BC Assessment data base, that pulls up the 2017 Assessment notice for your review.

You can access the BC assessment data base here. The e-value service also allows you the opportunity to look over neighbouring properties and compare sales and assessment values

Some background on how BC assessment determines the value of property and how those assessments relate to Civic Property taxes can be reviewed here.

The assessment agency also outlines how the assessment valuation process works through a video presentation, which takes residents through the various steps that BC Assessment takes to determine their appraisal values.




BC Assessment addresses the topic of assessed value and its impact on municipal tax rates through an infographic, one which wraps up with the reminder to contact local government or taxing authorities if you have a question about property taxes.

Residents who may feel that their assessment is in need of a review from the Assessment Review Panel have until January 31st to file a notice of complaint. That process can be reviewed below:

The North Coast is not the only area that appears destined for a bump in assessment values, even in these early days of assessment delivery, the increased numbers are making for much in the way of discussion around the province.

Though in some instances the numbers being bounced around in the rest of the province are well beyond the pace of assessment for Prince Rupert and area.

BC assessment announce property value changes for 2017
Don't panic if your property assessment shoots up: BC Assessment
Homeowners warned of increases as B.C. property assessments for 2017 available online
Assessments reflect rapidly rising home values across CRD
Higher home values ring in 2017
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson's Vancouver home now worth $75M
Chip Wilson's Point Grey mansion tops BC Assessment valuations at $75.9M
Chip Wilson's Point Grey mansion assessed at more than $75 Million
Chip Wilson's Vancouver home now worth over $75 million
Metro Vancouver home assessment values to rise by up to 50% this year
B.C.'s most expensive properties revealed in 2017 assessments

More items related to Real Estate on the North Coast can be found here, while we also track issues related to housing in the region here.

With the assessment values having an impact on taxation levels for July as well, you can learn more about the City's taxation process from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

City looks to finalize Legacy Land shift this week

The City of Prince Rupert is looking to dispose of some property, but it doesn't appear that it will be moving too far from the reach of the City, with a plan to deliver a thirty year lease on four Lots to Prince Rupert Legacy Incorporated, a corporation created in 2014 and wholly owned by the City of Prince Rupert.

The land shift was outlined in a legal notice published in the weekly newspaper over the holiday period, noting that the land in question is to be subdivided by leasehold subdivision or otherwise, to consist of approximately 78.55 ha, and that the City of Prince Rupert proposes to lease those portions described at below-market rent, as assistance to Prince Rupert Legacy Inc. for the contemplated 30 year term of lease(s), the extent of the assistance being the difference between market value rent and the contemplated rent of $100.00 for the term.

There is little information in the legal notice to outline what plans that the City may have for the land to be transferred to the Legacy Corporation, and the area in question is only listed by District Lot Identification Numbers, which doesn't really give those reading the notice much of an idea as to where the land in question might be found.

A better approach towards information sharing and one that may have helped curious residents to better understand where the land might be located would have been to include a map, much like we have seen with past zoning issues, or other notes of information on city land issues.

Considering the growing list of communication services that the city has created in recent years, it is curious that the the proposed land shift to the Legacy Corporation seems to have made for little in the way of interest when it comes to those methods of information delivery.

A notice of this type would seem to be the kind of thing where the City could have made use of their many information delivery options, whether it be the City website, YouTube page, or range of Facebook pages (here and here) as well as the other social media options that they now have in place to share news.

Those are all forms of communication that city officials have made use of on a frequent basis in the past to share Council's talking points on issues they wish to promote or inform on, as well as for other items which at times have little to do with civic initiatives.

The Legal notice hasn't even made it to the city's own Notices page on the civic website, nor is there any indication of what's planned to be found on the Legacy Corporation home page at the City's website, though updates on anything to do with the Legacy Corporation at that information portal have been few and far between since it was first set up.

Even though the announcement to dispose of the land was launched over the course of the recent holiday shutdown at City Hall, the transfer plan seems to be on a fast track to completion.

The City indicates through it's Legal Notice that it plans to deliver the lease to Legacy Corporation on, or before January 5th, while any enquiries concerning the proposed property disposition need to be delivered in writing to Rory Mandryk, the City's Corporate Administrator no later than 4 PM on Wednesday, January 4th.

We imagine that those comments or questions will be few, especially considering the busy pace of the recently completed holiday season and the approach and timeline that the City has taken to put their land shift process into motion.

City Council does not meet in public session until January 9th, and while matters related to the Legacy Corporation rarely make for discussion topics at council meetings, perhaps during the course of the first session of the New Year one of the city's Council members might ask for some public background from City staff on the city's plans through the Legacy Corporation.

You can review notes from City Hall through our Council Discussion page, with a new archive now created for 2017, a look back at the events from 2016 can be found here.

As well, the 2017 archive of items of note related to the Legacy Corporation can be found here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review