Photos and cash for a favourite town

"Prince Rupert is one of my favorite towns in the province because of the spirit you've had, and you've built yourselves a strong future not just because of your port but because of other activities taking place here,"-- Premier Gordon Campbell at Mariners Park Spirit Square announcement

The Premier arrived in Prince Rupert on Thursday afternoon for a meeting with local Liberals in the city that evening and while here, took part in a public presentation where he provided a cheque for 182,500 dollars dedicated towards creating a “Spirit Square” at the city’s Pacific Mariners Park.

Proclaiming Prince Rupert to be one of “his favourite towns”, Gordon Campbell posed for pictures and praised the community and the Spirit Square development.

The money is part of a province wide initiative to create Spirit Squares, public places where everyone will gather to celebrate success and talk with one another. It’s a project that was first launched several years ago, so the money being provided to the city is certainly something that wasn’t unexpected, being part of a province wide initiative of allocations from the Liberal government.

Though with all that goodwill coursing through Mariners park on Thursday, we wonder if the Mayor took advantage of the spirit of the Sprit Square, to bend an ear and chat with the Premier over the million dollar Alaska ferry dock bill.

Recently much was made about the Mayor’s recent trip to Victoria to talk with the Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon over the issue. We’re hopeful that he took advantage of the Premier’s travel plans to push forward his case for a provincial contribution towards the cost of the North Coasts main transportation link to Alaska.

Hopefully, the Premier decides to return north soon with another one of those large cheque presentations, considering the personal relationship that seems to have developed between the Mayor and the Premier, crossing the t's and dotting the i's should be a rather simple thing to accomplish one would think.

The Daily News featured details of the cheque presentation and other points of the Premier’s public agenda as the front page story in Friday’s paper.

PREMIER CAMPBELL SHOWERS PRAISE AND CASH ON RUPERT

Province doles out $182,500 for park in one of Campbell's 'favourite towns'

By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, April 25, 2008

Pages one and three

Amidst a spring hail shower, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell stood in Pacific Mariners' Memorial Park yesterday to announce $182,500 in provincial funding for the downtown waterfront park.

"Prince Rupert is one of my favorite towns in the province because of the spirit you've had, and you've built yourselves a strong future not just because of your port but because of other activities taking place here," said Campbell.

"The Spirit Square's vantage point overlooking the cruise ship facility will not only pay tribute to this community's marine history, but to it's future too, as a key part of Canada's Pacific Gateway."

Campbell pointed out that it was today, April 25, 1959, that the St. Lawrence Seaway was first opened, an event, he said, that will be remembered as important to Canada and the continent as the beginning of trade between Prince Rupert and the rest of the globe. The Spirit Square program was announced several years ago, with the goal of reminding communities throughout the province that towns are places for people to come together and celebrate.

"There are a lot of things that keep us apart in the world today, and the idea behind Spirit Squares is to help communities create the public places where everyone is invited to come and celebrate successes and talk with one another and learn from one another," said Campbell.

"It's really in the tradition of the traditional town-square, and really to reflect the spirit of British Columbia as we celebrate our 150th anniversary this year. I think people sometimes forget we live in great places, we have great community spirit across the province, and I think doing this here at this park is really reflective of not just the history Prince Rupert has but the future it has as well."

Mayor Herb Pond said a lot of the developing work and consultation for Mariners' Park is still taking place, but certain elements will be a part of the plan. One component will be improving wheelchair accessibility throughout the park, another will be the creation of a band-shell for outdoor performances.

An interpretive wall will also be constructed to give residents and visitors a history of the mariners and maritime history of the park, as well as a new fence with the Journey of the Salmon artwork.

The community can also expect a covered picnic area for barbeques and family outings, where they'll be safe from elements, such as spring hail showers.

"Pacific Mariners' Memorial Park honours our historical roots and the brave men and women who helped to build our coastal communities," said Pond.

"It is an important reminder of our heritage, as well as a focal point for the community. The improvements we've planned will build on the park's role as a gathering place for residents and as a place of welcome for visitors to Prince Rupert."