Sport fishermen get a one month timeout from the halibut fishery

The Daily News featured developments from DFO in the halibut fishery, which see sports fishermen in BC having to keep their lines out of the water for one more month.

The start of the sport fishery will be delayed until March 1, due to concerns over a decline in the number of older, catchable halibut along the entire Pacific Coast

The story was the front page entry in Monday’s paper.

HANKERING FOR HALIBUT WILL HAVE TO WAIT A WHILE: DFO
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, February 04, 2008

Pages 1 and 3

Sport fishermen chasing halibut will have to wait an extra month to drop their hooks in 2008 after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DF0) announced a delay in the opening of the recreational fishery.

The season, which normally starts Feb. 1, has been delayed until March 1 in response to concerns from the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) that there has been a decline in the number of older, catchable halibut along the entire Pacific Coast.

Meanwhile, stakeholders and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are meeting to try and figure out how the allocate this year's total allowable catch between the commercial and recreational sectors, which has been dropped by the IPHC from 11.5 million pounds to nine million.

“It is giving us a chance to get the management plan sorted,” said Bill Shaw, DFO recreational fisheries co-ordinator for the South coast area.

According to Mark Reagan, DFO management co-ordinator for recreational fisheries North and Central Coast area, the halibut stocks are still healthy, the problem is they have fished hard on those halibut that are of the catchable size and now need to lower the catch limit until the younger fish have enough time to catch up.

“We fished fairly hard on the biomass that is above the available size limit for catch, which is 32 inches. We have removed the biomass that is there and we have fished it down. Now we have a couple of strong year classes coming through the system but they haven’t grown enough to reach the size to be in the fishery itself,” he said.

“You have to back off the harvest a little bit and allow these fish to grow, and move into that harvestable range. We are reducing our harvest levels to allow these fish to get bigger, so the kids can become teenagers and move in to the adult phase so we can catch them.”

Earlier this year, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), which conducts stock assessments for Canada and the United States, reported a decline in the amount of older catchable halibut along the Pacific Coast and recommended both countries drop their 2008 catch limits from 7.3 per cent of 2007 levels.

The commission recommends harvest levels for the area from Alaska’s Bering Sea south to Washington State.

The IPHC concluded that a reduction in the harvest rate was necessary “to provide the combination of optimal harvest and to ensure viable spawning mass for the future.”

In B. C., the total allowable catch of halibut is divided between the recreational sector, which includes sport fishing guides, and the commercial fishery.

The recreational fishery generally runs from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31 and the commercial fisher from March 15 to Nov. 14 each year.

This is the second year in a row with reduced catch levels for the B. C. Coast and the second year the IPHC has used a new type of stock assessment.

It has left recreational and commercial fisherman asking questions about Canada’s portion of the international allocation.

In 2005 and prior years, the IPHC used to base assessments in each regulatory area, based on the assumption that halibut do not migrate.

However, new data showing the fish do migrate eastward caused them to change they way they determine the health of the stock.

Now they fit the assessment model to a coastwide data set and then apportion the total among regulatory areas in accordance with survey estimates.

What this means, according to the report by researchers for the IPHC, is about half the decrease in this year’s number of catchable halibut is due to a change in the survey methods, while the other half is actually due to lower catch rates reported in 2007.

In 2007, the IPHC used a catch rate of the B. C. Coast of 25 percent of the total biomass to offset the effects of the new coastwide assessment being used. This year, they are using the biologically based 20 per cent of total available biomass as the catch rate in most areas, including B. C.
Reagan said the IPHC has agreed to a workshop on their new stock assessment method sometime in the summer or fall in order to discuss the fisherman’s concerns.

Focus on school closures leads teachers away from visioning committee

The District’s teachers are taking a walk, disappointed in the terms of the recent interim report to the District Visioning Committee. With a number of conclusions which kept the focus on the prospect of School Closures in Prince Rupert, the teacher’s union felt that the best course of action for the moment for them was to remove their organization from the process.

The teachers union was concerned that the Committee was focusing too much on financials and not enough on the students needs, and admits to being confused as to why a decision to close schools was being made while the District carried a financial surplus

The Daily News featured their concerns and some background on their decision in Wednesday’s Daily News, with a front page story.

ANGRY TEACHERS WALK AWAY FROM VISIONING COMMITTEE
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Pages one and three

Following several months of involvement, the Prince Rupert District Teacher's Union has decided to withdraw from the District Visioning Committee.

Originally formed in September 2007 with the goal of having stakeholders engage in a visioning process to determine school district plans for the next five to 10 years, District 52 teachers said the visioning committee was unable to move beyond a school closure plan.

"The PRDTU went into this with the genuine hope that they could contribute planning for the future needs in our community," said Joanna Larson, president of the PRDTU. "We were very disappointed when the interim report to the board was released and instead of a visioning document, it was really a plan to close schools."

The report was the centre of much debate among trustees at the District 52 school board meeting earlier this month when it was made clear to the board that the PRDTU and the local International Union of Operating Engineers did not feel the position of their members were represented in the interim report. As of the meeting two weeks ago, both unions were considering stepping away from the DVC.

"Some of the representatives at the table have been very vocal that the real purpose of the committee is about saving money," said Larson. "Teachers wanted to address issues such as student safety, achievement, comprehension, high school programs and alternate education."
With the PRDTU now gone from the committee, the DVC is now comprised of members from the Principals Association, the IUOE, the District Parent Advisory Committee, the Aboriginal Education Council, secondary school students and the City of Prince Rupert. Larson said that, even if school closure was the focus, of the DVC, the two most costly buildings to upgrade were not identified for possible closure.

"Two of the schools named in the interim report were selected because the board had already slated them for closure last year. The other school was chosen because it would boost the number of students in the remaining schools to a higher capacity."

"This is what has upset teachers. The board, and now this committee have given no consideration to the education needs of the students in the district with regards to closing these three schools," said Larson.

At the January school board meeting, IUOE Local 882 trustee and recording secretary Colleen Wiens told the board that because timelines for the DVC to deliver their report were short, and because the closure of Seal Cove and Kanata had already been given first and second reading, it was decided by the other committee members to complete the process with a third reading.
"To me, this does not support student achievement, and there were no reasons given for student achievement," she said.

"We are all perplexed as to why a decision like this is being made when it is not financially driven," said Larson. "Our school board had a surplus of over $400,000 last year."

District teachers will be meeting again soon to develop future plans to address this issue, and anyone who wants further information can contact Joanna Larson at 627-1700 or 622-7475.

Looking for solutions to climate change

As we trade in the umbrellas for the snow boots on the North coast and further east the down filled parkas come out, it’s probably the right time to discuss climate change.

The University of Northern British Columbia will become part of a search for solutions to the climate problems of the future.

The Daily News featured details of the recently created 94.5 million dollar Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, a body that UNBC will be a major part of.

The background on the issue and plans to study it were found on the front page of Tuesday’s paper.

NORTHERN BRAINS GRAPPLING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE WOES
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Pages one and two

The University of Northern British Columbia will be taking on a leading role to help mitigate the impacts of climate change in the hardest hit region of the province, the North.

Last week, the government of B.C. announced it will be creating a $94.5 million Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, involving B.C.'s four research-intensive universities.

"It is in northern regions where the greatest effects of climate change are being felt," said UNBC President Don Cozzetto.

Current data suggests the temperature increase in northern and central B.C. is about two to three times greater than that experienced in Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island over the past 100 years.

“This makes UNBC’s involvement in this new institute a natural extension of our mission to focus on the issues of the North. We are already a centre for unique academic programming and research on climate change and other environmental issues that affect the sustainability of communities. This is what makes us Canada’s Green University.”

The institute will be a unique joint collaboration between the province’s four research-intensive universities – the University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and University of Northern British Columbia – the private sector and government.
It will bring provincial, national and international climate researchers together to work with governments and the private sector to develop ideas that can be applied and transferred to government, industry and the public.

“We’re eager to make a difference and government is providing us with the tools to do so,” said Cozzetto.

“The four research-intensive universities in B. C. can be world leaders in reducing emissions, providing new information through research, and educating future environmental stewards.”
UNBC is already heavily involved in researching the impacts of climate change. UNBC’s Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute has 63 members, many of whom are involved with climate change research and teaching.

Some of their areas of focus that relate to Prince Rupert include the work of Dr. Ken Wilkening, who studies intercontinental transport of air pollution, also referred to as hemispheric transport of air pollution, or simply, global air pollution.

His interest in the topic started in the late 1990’s when he worked for a small environmental organization in San Francisco. Fresh from researching regional-scale air pollution in Asia, he spotted growing scientific evidence that air pollutants originating in Asia were traveling across the Pacific Ocean and being detected in North America.

“ICT is, except in rare instances, a low-level, long-term, widespread and subtle problem, and that’s the real challenge,” said Dr. Wilkening. “It’s not a ‘hit you between the eyes’ kind of phenomenon. It’s like global warming that way, and it has taken decades for the public and policy-makers to catch up to the scientists who first began calling attention to the climate change issue. The rapid industrialization of China and India will continue to make ICT a hot topic. Right now, the global environment isn’t on the verge of collapse due to ICT, but it’s one small, added strain to our social and ecological system that could lead to a global environmental tipping point.

Port success proves to be positive headline

The Daily News made the weekend reading an upbeat experience as they reviewed the numbers put out by the Port of Prince Rupert earlier this week.

The recitation of facts and figures was found as the headline story in Friday's paper.

BOOMING PORT ENJOYS ONE OF ITS BEST YEARS ON RECORD
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, January 18, 2008
Pages one and three

The Port of Prince Rupert continued its impressive annual growth in shipment volumes, surpassing 10 million tonnes in 2007 for the first time in a decade.

The 2007 total volume cargo of 10.6 million tonnes is a 36.8 per cent increase over 2006 and a 237 per cent jump compared to 2005.

Don Krusel, president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said growing global demand for industrial fuels including coal and petroleum coke, continued strong markets for agricultural products, the start-up of new lines of business including containers and wood pellets, and competitive advantages of shipping through Prince Rupert were all contributing factors to the port's exceptional 2007 performance.

"While 2007 represents a significant milestone and turning point for the Port of Prince Rupert on a number of fronts, Ridley Terminals and Prince Rupert Grain continue to lead the way," said Krusel. "Both terminals continue to elevate their performances and, combined with the opening of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal and start-up of other operations such as wood pellets, have positioned us for strong growth in 2008 and beyond."

Ridley Terminals' (RTI) throughput of 5.09 million tonnes was an increase of 80.7 per cent on 2006 and 500 per cent increase over 2005.

RTI also began shipping coking coal from Alberta as well as wood pellets from Houston, B.C., through its newly-constructed facility to world markets as a biodegradable fuel and a coal substitute. Prince Rupert Grain (PRG), recognized as one of the most productive North American grain terminals, achieved in excess of five million tonnes of throughput in 2007 for the first time since 1994 and for only the fourth time since the facility was built in 1984. Shipments were up 7.6 per cent compared to 2006, and 87 per cent higher compared to 2005.

The arrival of the first container ship from COSCO on Oct. 31 at the recently-completed Prince Rupert Container Terminal, the first dedicated intermodal container facility in North America, marked the opening of a new Asia-North America express trade corridor and heralded a new era for the Port of Prince Rupert.

COSCO's weekly service moved 16,703 TEUs through the facility during the first two months of operation in 2007.

"Overall, the Prince Rupert Port Authority exceeded its throughput targets for 2007 while completing the ambitious container terminal project on time and on budget," said Dale MacLean, chair of the Prince Rupert Port Authority's board of directors. "Our focus now is to achieve full utilization of the 500,000 TEU facility and complete the groundwork to begin the construction of Phase 2 of the Prince Rupert Container Terminal by early 2009."

Forest Company harvesting methods called into question

While the BC Forest industry suffers perhaps the greatest challenge in its history, some companies seem to be working for today at the expense of tomorrow.

The Forest Practices Board has expressed its concerns over the methods that some BC companies are using as they harvest wood in the province.

The Daily News examined the situation with a front page story in Thursday’s paper.

FORESTRY FIRMS HACKING AT INDUSTRY'S FUTURE SAYS FPB

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, January 17, 2008

Pages one and three

Forestry companies are picking the cream of the crop on the North and Central Coasts, at the expense of future harvesting opportunities, according to a new investigation by the Forest Practices Board.

Known as "high-grading", companies have been cherry-picking the valuable trees, selectively logged by helicopter, but at the expense of any future harvest opportunity and with no viable plan for regenerating the forest, said the organization that monitors the health and practices of the forest sector stakeholders.

The harvest method involves selectively removing the valuable cedar and spruce trees and leaving behind mainly old rotting hemlock trees spread across the cutblock.

There is little likelihood that young cedar or spruce will grow well on these sites because of the low light levels under the dense tree canopy that remains, noted the board.

However, the investigation of 54 cutblocks did find that important social and environmental values such as view scapes and biodiversity - often cited as the reason for using this method - were protected. And the practice is also allowed under current legislation.

"This is a bit of a dilemma," said Bruce Fraser, board chair.

"On the one hand, government and industry wants to extract some economic value from these sites and provide local employment and economic benefits while also protecting other forest values. But on the other hand, the result is limited prospects for harvesting in the future.

"Government may decide this is entirely acceptable, but it is not consistent with current policy of sustained yield forestry and legislation that requires maintaining a future timber supply," said Fraser.

The issue is one that affects not just the North and Central Coast forest districts, but also the Kalum District around Terrace.

Forestry experts in the region have long been concerned that without a pulp mill operating in the Northwest, there is no market for lower value, rotting timber in the region's wood profile and no desire by companies to harvest that timber.

If the wood profile is completely turned over during harvest, the area could develop a much improved, highly valuable future timber profile.

However, as conditions currently exist, the valuable timber is being cherry picked and the remaining timber will not contain enough value for anyone to harvest, ever, said the board.
The board determined that, in part, it is provincial government policies that are encouraging this type of harvesting.

The board noted that the Ministry of Forests and Range and the coastal industry are aware of the issue and have a working group set up to look at ways to improve harvest methods on these types of forest sites.

"We are encouraged by the work being done on this issue and look forward to some solutions that will continue to meet the economic, social and environmental objectives of people in coastal communities both today and for the future," said Fraser.

The Forest Practices Board also noted the performance of the forest licensees was variable.
It said some were doing a better job than others, and pointed out that they were affected by the type of forest they were operating within.

Pond ponders the positives

Mayor Herb Pond provided an optimistic forecast for the coming year for Prince Rupert, one filled with opportunities and change for the North coast.

In a front page story, in the first edition of the Daily News for 2008 the mayor spoke of those "concepts" that may soon become concrete.

With change will come the need to make sure that the city is prepared to offer those ammenities that industry needs for a vibrant economy. In his thoughts for the Daily, he touches on housing, telecommunications, infrastructure airport concerns and a need to keep a watchful eye on spending.

All elements that he feels are needed to help make Prince Rupert the "next great port city", a theme that seems to be the new clarion call and positioning statement for the future of the city.

Of course, it being a new year's message of sorts, it focused very much on the potential and the future, with little mention of the many controversies of the last few years. Those issues that many in the community are still concerned about and are keeping a watchful eye out for as well.

Some issues that we're sure will pop up again as the year progresses and will no doubt be recounted for the Mayor at city hall and in the letters to the editor pages over the months to come.

CITY MUST BE READY TO GRAB OPPORTUNITIES IN '08: POND
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Pages one and three

Prince Rupert's mayor is looking forward to a measured economic recovery in 2008, one that allows the city to keep stride with the changes taking place.

Looking back on 2007, Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said the port city came a long way in its goal of becoming a gateway for the Northwest corridor that stretches between Prince Rupert, along Highway 16 to Prince George, east to Edmonton and beyond.

"In 2007, we moved from a place where a lot of people were hoping it would happen but not believing it would happen, and we went from that all the way through to a point where everyone agrees it works," said Pond.

Maher Terminals and CN Rail have been moving COSCO containers through the new Fairview Container Terminal since late October, breaking speed records for the movement of goods from the West Coast to Chicago.

"I believe, in 2008 we will see some announcements around Phase II of the Fairview Terminal but more importantly we will begin to see some of those economic opportunities that right now are just concepts," said Pond, speaking of the associated warehousing components, fisheries and forestry opportunities that could stem from development of the new trade corridor.

While this will be exciting for the local population, Pond said the city needs to remain focused on ensuring all the amenities are available for new industry while at the same time, keeping its finances in line.

Making sure housing stock meets the needs of new and current residents, ensuring telecommunications meets the needs of industry, and ensuring airport infrastructure is maintained and expanded are all elements of ensuring Prince Rupert becomes Canada's next "great port city", said Pond.

There were some movements in that direction in 2007. The installation of the new CityWest fibre link between Prince Rupert and Terrace was a big key to meeting the technology needs of industry, said Pond.

In 2008, Pond would like to see seating capacity at the airport expand.

"There have been times in the last year when air carrier capacity in and out of our community has been a limit to our growth and activity. I am aware of instances where meetings have been cancelled or relocated simply because of the air capacity," said Pond.

The city will also continue to assess future opportunities to improve access to the airport, located on Digby Island.

When it comes to the city's finances, Pond said they intend to continue to keep a careful watch on spending.

"We need to continue to keep a close eye on finances. The challenge for council will be as other entities become financially healthy I think the demands on the city will increase. It was fairly easy to have people understand our economic condition when their economic condition matched ours - when their homes weren't worth much, when their incomes were challenged."

As the local economy improves, he said the city may begin to sound like the party pooper.
However, they haven't forgotten the measures they undertook in 2004 to cut $2 million out of the budget, the funds lost from no longer receiving Watson Island Pulp mill property taxes.

They need to carefully manage the funds to ensure the most pressing needs are met and there is proper planning for future needs, he said.

"We have to stay the course of being financially responsible while meeting the needs of a growing community. I am sure we will see pressure on policing for example. There will probably be pressure on recreation and even though we have fabulous facilities, they haven't been updated for a while and of course there's our basic infrastructure (water, sewer and roads) in that area. We have a lot of work to do."

Port history seen through the words of a long time employee

The last day of December seems to have been the time to bring out the gather the family round the Christmas tree stories for the Daily News.

Monday’s paper featured a front page human interest story, looking at the past of the port and where it’s future may be, all through the words of long serving employee Dave Fisher.

PORT VETERAN PROUD ABOUT PAST, EXCITED BY THE FUTURE
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, December 31, 2007
Pages one and two

For someone who's been working as a Port of Prince Rupert employee longer than anyone else, Dave Fisher is still just as excited about his job in 2008.

Beginning with overseeing the construction of Ridley Island's water supply system in 1982 for what was then called the National Harbour Authority, to the development of Prince Rupert's Fairview Container Terminal, Fisher has seen the city through some of its best and worst times in his 25 years of employment.

"From the National Harbour Authority, we changed our name to the Prince Rupert Port Corporation, and then to the Prince Rupert Port Authority," said Fisher. "Through the years, we've gone through quite a few changes, and several general managers as well. It's a long time to be in one place, but the job is forever changing and it's always very interesting."

In the 80s Fisher was maintenance manager, and since has expanded quite a bit to encompass all maintenance and security operations, as well as managing operations for the larger vessels that dock in Prince Rupert, including summer cruise ships.

It is a large portfolio of activity to deal with on any given day, but Fisher enjoys the surprise of waking up to find out what needs to be done each new workday.

"The operations of the port are 24 hours a day, seven day a week, year-round, and in the wintertime we have more freighters and other issues to deal with, whether operations or maintenance," said Fisher. "This is also when I do a lot of the reviews of our security plans and emergency response plans to get ready for the upcoming year."

Fisher, who is also a master machinist and millwright by trade, says each facility must have their evacuation plans and fire drills reviewed and updated every year, and all changes must be approved through Transport Canada.

With some 120,000 cruise ship tourists expected this year, there's obviously a lot to plan for from an operations and security standpoint.

“It’s a big change from when I started, where there were 12 of us working in the entire operation, compared to over 30 today.” said Fisher. “It’s grown vastly. We have over 365 kilometres of coastline that we patrol. Everyone thinks it’s just the inner harbour, but we also have the outer harbour as part of our jurisdiction that we have to enforce as well.”

Fisher remembers having to use a four-by-four to access Ridley Island, due to the mud road back then. He can also recall the 1,500 - man camp for Ridley Island workers that existed during construction of the grain terminals in his first years on the job. Looking back, Fisher says a container terminal was the last thing on anyone back then for the future.

“In those days, we were only really concerned about bulk, the 50 to 100 logging trucks bringing lumber in each day and the three trains a day bringing lumber,” said Fisher. “As the saw mills kept closing down and lumber prices kept falling, we went into a long stage of dormancy where nothing happened. But with the container terminal, we’ve been slowly making our way back up, and there’ll be quite a number of spin-offs to benefit everybody,”

Looking back at his tenure with the port and the many projects he oversaw in his 25 years working in Prince Rupert , Fisher is thankful for one thing above all others.

“My wife Jeanie is the biggest reason for any success I’ve had,” said Fisher. “She’s the rock that keeps me grounded, along with my kids. Without the support of family, it doesn’t work.”Going into his 26 year with the port, and approaching his 50th year as a resident of Prince Rupert, he still isn’t sure what the distant future holds. But with another exciting year of work ahead of him, and soon toe be a grandfather for the first time, 2008 looks to be another great year for Dave Fisher.

The wheels on the bus won’t go round and round

Northern Health Connections traveling medical bus will be taking a two week break over Christmas, from Saturday, December 22 to Saturday, January 5.

Leaving those that have come to depend on the service linking Prince Rupert with Terrace, Prince George and beyond on their own.

Suggesting that the timing coincides with what they call a slow season, when specialist offices are closed and patients may not wish to have elective procedures take place.

The downtime will see training programs put into place for the staff and maintenance plans put in place for the buses, leaving the customers/patients to take a break as well staying close to home for the holidays if at all possible.

The Daily News featured the bus break as its front page story in Tuesday’s paper.

PATIENTS’ BUS TO BE PARKED DURING CHRISTMAS SEASON
NH Connections set for two-week break, patients may need to make other plans
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Pages one and three

Northern Health is hoping everyone has a healthy Christmas, because if you get sick, you’re not going anywhere on the health authority’s bus.

Northern Health announced Wednesday that their NH Connections medical travel services program will be shut down for two weeks this holiday season. The full service will operate up to and including Sat., Dec 22 and restart again on Sat. Jan 5.

The break will commence for a period that Northern Health says is a very slow period in health services, for providers and patients.

Specialist offices are often closed down during these two weeks, and many patients choose not to have elective procedures during Christmas time when they can spend time at home with family and friends. The break also gives NH Connections drivers time off to be with their families during the festive season.

“We generally run for 50 of 52 weeks a year, and this just seemed the most logical time to do a bit of slow down,” said Mark Karjaluoto, Northern Health director of communications.

“It gives us time to do some additional staff training and maintenance to the buses. We did it last year and I don’t think there was a substantial problem with it.”
During the two weeks that all 15 connector routes in Northern BC are shut down, the BC Ambulance Service will continue to transport patients with emergency health needs.

The NH Connections service is now a year and a half old, and although the program has taken a while to grow, the service is being utilized now more than ever. In its first year of operation, 4,500 people in total used the service, compared to the 700 people in October and more than 800 people in November who traveled for medical appointments.

Before NH Connections, there was some provincial government help in negotiating lower cost fares for people traveling to receive medical treatment. Although Air Canada has pulled the plug on such discount, BC Ferries does provide low cost rates or even free passenger travel rates to those people travelling for medical purposes, under the provincial Travel Assistance Program.

“Before NH Connections, we didn’t have big coach and min buses crossing the North,” said Karjaluoto.

“There really was nothing there and people were very much left to their own devices to find their way to medical services. Ridership is up and the service is going in the right direction, and it is getting the desired results.

A closed chapter, is a closed chapter

Any thoughts of developing a mine site north of Prince George should be shelved forever.

That seems to be the impression that the Tse Keh Nay Chiefs are putting forward regarding the Kemess North project, which was not given approval by a joint federal/provincial panel earlier this fall.

The controversial nature of the mine and the fall out from the panel’s decision was examined in a front page story in Tuesday’s Daily News


CHIEFS WANT TO MAKE SURE MINE DOES NOT RESURFACE
Government urged not to breathe new life into Northwest B. C. mineral project
By Leanne Ritchie ,
The Daily News
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Pages one and three

The Tse Keh Nay Chiefs have asked the B.C. mining industry to stop trying to undermine the recommendation by a joint federal/environmental review panel not to proceed with a mine expansion north of Prince George.

They issued an open letter to the British Columbia Mining Industry, as represented by the Association for Mineral Exploration B.C. and the Mining Association of B.C., urging them to stop and retract the 'harmful campaign' to undermine the Kemess North Joint Review Panel's recommendation to the federal and provincial Ministers of the Environment that Northgate Minerals' proposed mine "not be approved".

The First Nations were responding to brochures and letters put out by the two groups, including one called Kemess North and the Road to Sustainability that was received by Prince Rupert City council.

The brochure notes that "it is extremely unlikely that this project will ever be developed if it does not get the green light relatively soon," and that the panel's "decision requires further examination".

Both the Hartley Bay Band council and Kitsumkalum Band council are among some 42 First Nations supporting the Tse Keh Nay Chiefs in their request.

“They all support our statement to industry that Amazay Lake must be protected because it is so tremendously important to us for spiritual, cultural and environmental reasons,” Grand Chief Gordon Pierre said.

“They also support our call to industry to stop its harmful campaign to undermine the review panel’s major recommendation to government.

“They recognize that the panel’s decision represents to us protection from the company’s terrible plan to destroy the lake,” he added.

The Kemess North project being proposed by Northgate Minerals includes the construction of a second open pit just north of the existing Kemess South mine, 425 kilometres northwest of Prince George.

The Kemess North project being proposed by Northgate Minerals was meant to increase the life of the operation of the Kemess mine for another decade, continuing 350 existing jobs.

The small nation opposes the project because it will use Amazay Lake as a tailings dump and in September the Joint Review Panel recommended the government not provided Northgate with approval for the project because “the economic and social benefits provided by the project, on balance, are outweighed by the risks of significant adverse environmental, social and cultural effects, some of which may not emerge until many years after mining operations cease.”

Since then, the company has shelved the project but it is seeking further clarification from government about its intentions, while mining associations have spoken about uncertainty the decision is causing in the industry.

”In our view the panel’s decision settled the Kemess North issue,” Pierre said.

The chiefs will be seeking confirmation from the provincial and federal governments that the mining industry’s campaign will not influence their decision on the project, expected in January.

“The Tse Keh Nay will continue to build relations with those exploration companies who approached us in a respectful way by recognizing our Aboriginal title and rights upfront,” Pierre said.“In light of the recent Tsilhqot’in title victory, Aboriginal title and rights is something both mining associations have to recognize as well.”

CityWest has ambitious expansion plans, but will cost outrun revenue?

There are some in Prince Rupert who swear their Internet runs much too slow, some Digital Cable subscribers have some channels that were on the list that have yet to appear and the formerly rather reliable cell service has suddenly become like a commercial from the States, where customers frequently are asking “can you hear me yet” or are reporting draining batteries and dropped calls.

Against that backdrop, the city owned communications company revealed some interesting future plans taking the company to the year 2012, at which time they hope to be increasing their revenues by at least 2 million dollars a year.

Among their goals an incursion into telephone delivery services across the northwest, WIFI connectivity from Rupert to Smithers and adding Digital cable subscribers in Smithers, Kitimat and Houston.

It’s all part of a blueprint in which they offer up Northwest consumers with a “bundle of opportunities” delivered by a “local” company.

With competition from Rogers on the way in the new year in the Prince Rupert market and Telus already entrenched east of the city, it’s going to be an interesting study to see if the grand ambition is realized against the more monied and recognized of communication providers available and soon to be available.

While they’ve pretty well been king of the mountain in Prince Rupert for years, the sudden migration to the east, is not quite the same as having the captive (and financially rewarding) audience that they held in Prince Rupert since they first wired those first telephone lines into homes back in the early 1900’s.

Consumers around the Northwest have many more options for their dollars and service requirements, and loyalty to community will only go as far as the reliability of the service can provide.

By spreading their assets and services over a wide area, one has to wonder if perhaps they may not be incurring more expense, than they will recover in revenues.

There are apparently some 25,390 potential homes to be conquered in the Northwest, what Prince Rupert residents and shareholders (ie: taxpayers) might need to know, is how many of those homes MUST CityWest hook up, before the investment in infrastructure will not only pay for itself, but pay back in dividends.

Considering it’s mainly the tax payers of Prince Rupert that are providing the financing for the expansion plans, there may be a few local residents that find themselves worried not only about their local service, but in the status of the former city department and their investment in it as well.

The Daily News featured CityWest’s plans in a front page story in Monday’s paper.

CITY'S PHONE FIRM UNVEILS ITS ONE-STOP-SHOP PLANS

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, December 10, 2007

Pages one and three

As large telecommunications companies plan their strategies in the Northwest, CityWest says it has a double edged-sword that will help it defend home turf.

Rob Brown, CityWest general manager, outlined the company's plans to battle the large telecoms, such as Rogers and Telus, during its annual information meeting Wednesday night.

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The municipally-owned telecommunications company was incorporated almost two years ago and has operations in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Kitimat and Smithers through its cable TV operations.

Within the next four years, it plans to be able to offer some 25,390 Northwest homes triple and quad play bundles that meet all their telecommunications needs - offering customers savings by having their telephone, cellular, television and Internet all on one bill.

"The national telecom landscape is one of convergence, providers are converging and so are their products," said Brown.

In this area, CityWest holds an advantage because neither Rogers nor Telus will be able to offer all of these services together, said Brown.

Secondly, Brown said CityWest's small size will allow it to remain responsive to the needs of the region and people will see the value of a company that puts its dollars back in to the communities it serves.

"We do want to remind people, first of the fact that CityWest is local and believe that distinction will assure the company is more responsive to the needs of the community. And secondly that a high percentage of their telecom dollars are being reinvested in the communities we operate in."

Currently, CityWest employs more than 60 people in the region and contributes more than $6 million back into the economy through wages, purchases and donations, he said.

During the next four years, the company is planning significant infrastructure expansions.

The changes are geared toward allowing the company to add phone services in Terrace and phone and digital television in Kitimat in 2008, with Prince Rupert seeing the addition of cellular data and messaging capabilities. In 2009, the company hopes to add telephone and digital television services in Smithers.

IN 2010, CityWest wants to ffer customer (WIFI) (wireless internet) and video on demand from Prince Rupert to Smithers as well as adding television to Houston and by 2011 it hopes have total Northwest market coverage for phone, TV, digital TV and Internet available from Simthers to Prince Rupert.

While expanding services will be expensive, the company anticipates that by 2012 its net income will have increased to more than $5 milion, up from around $3 million this year.
CityWest will face increased competition starting in 2008 when Rogers enters the market with cell service. Telus already offers cell service in the region.

CityWest hopes for seamless cellular and digital service by Christmas

The city's cellular network run by CityWest has been proving to be problematic for the last few weeks, as bugs apparently related to the telephone service providers switchover to Northwestel cellular trunking has raised the ire of many local residents.

Local residents have been complaining of dropped calls, poor audio and the draining of the cel phone batteries all related it seems to the change over of providers.

With Rogers preparing to launch service in the Northwest in the near future (pictures of their cel tower relays being placed atop the Highliner Inn were seen in the Daily News this week) the timing is bad for a CityWest system malfunction.

The Daily News provided details of the CityWest troubles over the last week as their front page story in Friday's paper.

BUGS WILL SOON BE GONE FROM CELL PHONE SYSTEM: CITYWEST

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, December 07, 2007

Pages one and three

Although there have been some bumps in switching over the cellular system in the last week and a half, CityWest is confident people can have a functioning Blackberry under the tree this Christmas.

At their annual information session Wednesday evening, Rob Brown, CityWest general manager, said much of the cellular system change-over is complete.

However, he added, they are still ironing out some issues with the new system.

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CityWest is transferring its cellular system from its former provider to NorthWest Tel, a division Bell Canada in order to offer a wider range of text and data services for cell phones.
"It is my hope you will be able to have a Blackberry for Christmas," said Brown.

Chad Cunningham, sales and marketing manager for CityWest, said they are now in the process of optimizing the new system in order to get the cell phones running the way they always did, and they want to focus on this goal before they start adding new services such as Blackberry services.

"That's been the focus for the past week and a half. We all wanted the service, but we don't want to rush it before its time."

Cellular customers have been reporting problems with sound quality and dropped calls for the past week and a half as the new system was brought on-line.

Another issue is that cellular batteries are draining faster than usual, and some handsets are locked onto analog. Cunningham said engineers are working to correct the problems.
Getting text and data transfer services for cell phones has been a high priority for the company in order to meet the expectations of residents and visitors alike.

While, some people have been experiencing problems, people with existing Blackberries and those with personal digital assistants (PDAs) from out of this area are already benefiting from the new system, said Brown. And they are confident they will be able to work out the bugs.

Treaty process in British Columbia still faces challenges

While there have been a couple of major successes, when it comes to negotiating treaty settlements in B. C. there are still a number of challenges ahead for the B. C. Treaty Commission.

The Commission released is annual report on Tuesday and the changing dynamic of relations between First nations and government was high among the issues that they explored.

The Daily News featured details from that report on their front page in Thursday’s paper.

TREATY SUCCESS IS STILL FAR FROM A DONE DEAL IN B. C.

Treaty commission says time is right to look at other options
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Thursday, December 06, 2007

Pages one and two

Despite recent breakthroughs, the treaty process still faces major challenges, according to the B.C. Treaty Commission.

"The successful ratifications in Tsawwassen and Maa-Nuulth are taking place against a backdrop of growing provincial, national and international unrest surrounding the rights of indigenous peoples," the commission said in its annual report, released Tuesday.

"Many [B.C.] First Nations are a long way from achieving their idea of 'true reconciliation.' No one can be complacent. There remains much work to be done despite the progress."
Of the 58 nations negotiating, only 20 are "making progress" notes the report.

Of the remaining 38 nations, the commission says 14 are "struggling due to significant differences in positions" and 24 are "doing very little or nothing at all at the treaty table."
The Commissioner for the B. C. Treaty Commission suggested now us the time to look at different formats for negotiation, including a common table.

The common table would allow the parties to negotiate and develop options for the treaty issues that many First Nations say are preventing progress in treaty negotiations. Specifically, they want changes to certainty provisions, constitutional status of treaty lands, governance, co-management throughout traditional territories, fiscal relations and taxation, and fisheries.

The Treaty Commission said it would be prepared to convene and facilitate a high-level, common table for those First Nations with a shared interest in negotiating specific treaty chapters.

In the Northwest, most nations are in the early stages of treaty negotiations, following the dissolution of the Tsimshian Tribal Council more than a year ago.

The newly organized Tsimsian Nation, which includes the Giga’at of Hartley Bay, Metlakatla, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum and Kitasoo. Xaixai from the Prince Rupert and Terrace areas, are working on an agreement in principle. This is considered stage four of the six stage process and includes laying out the basic elements of a treaty.

Meanwhile the Allied Tribes of Lax Kw’alaams, who are currently waiting on the results of litigation from the B. C. Supreme Court on fisheries rights, are at Stage 2, having declared their readiness to negotiate independently.

The Council of the Haida Nation is also at this stage.

Meanwhile, First Nations across the province issued a declaration affirming Aboriginal Title to their respective traditional territories across British Columbia earlier this week. The declaration entitled “All Our Relations”, celebrates the victory of the Tsilhqot’in and Xeni Gwet’in peoples near Williams Lake in last week’s important BC Supreme Court decision in Tsilhqot’in Nation v BC.

In late November, B. C. Supreme Court Justice David Vickers awarded the Xeni Gwet’in title to half the 400,000 hectares they claimed west of Williams Lake in the Nemiah Valley.

Vickers also ruled that the province had no power over the Xeni Gwet’in lands, which means the band has greater control over logging, mining and exploration on its lands.

Rupertites help Prince George celebrate new terminal

Prince Rupert sent a contingent of 11 to help CN and Prince George open up their new inland shipment terminal, destined to be an important link to the Fairview Container Port.

Last Saturday, representatives of the Port Authority, Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Development and the Daily News were flown into the Central Interior to attend the grand opening of the Prince George terminal.

High on the agenda of speech making for the day was an acknowledgement of the importance of CN Rail to the development of the transportation corridor from Prince Rupert through to the southern United States, a corridor that now will benefit Prince George, by making it a distribution and loading centre for containers of BC and Alberta goods destined for Asia.

The Daily News featured the day’s activities as the front page story in Tuesday’s paper.


PRINCE GEORGE EAGER TO TAP INTO PORT'S NEW LINK TO ASIA
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Pages one and three

PRINCE GEORGE - Prince George on Saturday morning offered quite a change of scenery and climate for the 11 Prince Rupert representatives who attended the grand opening of CN Worldwide's new Distribution Centre and Intermodal Terminal.

But even the snow and negative temperatures couldn't keep members of the Prince Rupert Port Authority, Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Development and The Daily News from attending the event that took place inside CN's 84,000-square-foot warehouse facility.

Some 160 other invited guests also braved the frigid conditions to be a part of the noon-hour ceremony, joined by CN staff members as well as local and provincial politicians.

“All of us at CN are proud of our new facility. It used to be an old diesel shop, is’ sure changed,” said Jim Vena, senior vice-president of the western region for CN. “The new facility is a sign of CN’s commitment to this community and recognition of what it offers.”

The facility is the result of a $20 million investment by CN. Products will arrive at the facility either loaded in boxcars on rail tracks that enter the building, or by truck through any of the warehouse’s 38 bay doors. Goods that are destined for Prince George and the surrounding area are unloaded and Canadian products to be shipped overseas to Asia will then be stuffed into containers.

CN is able to move the loaded outbound containers to the container terminal here in Rupert in 15 hours, before they will be loaded aboard ships destined for Asia after brief stops at the ports of Vancouver and Seattle.

“In essence, CN, along with many of you here today have created a supply chain without any weak links,” said Vena. “For us at CN, it’s a dream we’ve had for a number of years, and it took a lot of work to get the terminal in Prince Rupert open. But now that it is, the opportunity is for Prince George and the surrounding communities and the service we can provide for Northern B. C.”


The Distribution Centre and Intermodal Facility will provide rail service daily, and operate from 5 a. m. to 9 p. m. seven days a week. Using lifts and yard tractors, the facility comprises the 84,000 square foot warehouse along with another 10 acres of outside storage.

The facility will be able to accommodate an annual capacity of up to 25,000 containers, with the potential for expansion. The products handled at the distribution centre will include, lumber, panel, wood, pulp and paper, as well as various palletized and bagged goods.

“Today, there’s a new corridor opening up, a corridor opening up between the fastest growing economies of the world in Asia and North America, and Prince George is going to play a very important role as we expand the new Asia-Pacific Gateway,“ said Kevin Falcon, B. C. Minister of Transportation. “If we are truly going to see this gateway materialize and benefit all of our communities, we have to make sure our entire transportation network is operating in sync, so that British Columbia, will, in fact, become the great gateway to Asia from North America.”

Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO Don Krusel also spoke to the guests, and began by acknowledging that there would be no trade corridor today without the work of CN Rail.

“Without that ribbon of steel rails that extends from the Port of Prince Rupert through Prince George and all the way to destinations in the heartland of North America, we would not be able to begin talking about importing Asian goods and exporting Canadian goods,” said Krusel. “This rail system, the best-operated rail system in North America, has allowed us to even dream of having this trade corridor, so thank you CN.”

The opening of the Prince George container facility marks one of the last developments to be completed, in what will be the first of many stages for container trade expansion between British Columbia and Asia.

Nisga’a celebration welcomed all to share in their traditions

Last week the Nisga’a nation held a Feast of Blessing at the local Nisga’a Hall, as its members gathered to celebrate their traditional work that has been accomplished in the last year.

It was a ceremony of continuity as the youngest members of Nisga’a continue to guard their culture and the traditions passed on from their elders.

The Daily news featured details of the celebration as their front page story on Monday.


NISGA'A PEOPLE CELEBRATE THEIR REJUVENATED CULTURE

By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Monday, November 26, 2007
Pages one and three

With nearly 60 new sets of drums, 40 pieces of regalia, moccasins and eight button-blanket replicas, there were plenty of items for Prince Rupert's Nisga'a community to celebrate and bless on Thursday night.

The all-ages community Feast of Blessing at Nisga'a Hall last week was a chance for the community to gather and celebrate all the traditional work that's been done over the past year, as well as welcome other residents of Prince Rupert to witness the blessing ceremony.

"It didn't take a whole year to work on all of the stuff, but it was all made through the whole year," said Carol Smythe Doolan, Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a Society programs and services coordinator. "Basically, everything that hasn't been blessed since the last Feast of Blessing was brought in. It takes a lot of time to make everything, but also to get all the people together. You're lucky if you can get them all out on one night," she said.

The Feast saw a great turnout, and everyone who attended had a chance to fill up on seafood or beef soup and fired bread and other foods before the ceremonies began. New Horizons Committee member Max Haines made a speech in which he thanked all the volunteers, women and young men who made the night a possibility through their hard work, as well as everyone who created the traditional items.

“It’s really encouraging to know that the youngest person to make a drum was only three years old, and the oldest was 92,” he said. “To know the younger generation is preserving the culture, because we almost lost it at one point.

Creating the drums and the regalia is a hands-on learning experience for all the Nisga’a people who take part in making something, as they are guided by the chiefs and matriarchs throughout the creation process.

Many people sew their own regalia, and the elders were able to teach the correct colours or crests to use, since they have to be specific to the house that a person belongs to.

“I’m very pleased to see this night happening, because we almost did lose our culture at one point,” said Sim’oogit Hay M’aas, who also addressed those gathered to explain the significance of the blankets, drums, and regalia.

“But there’s so much pride in the origins of our culture, and it is getting a lot stronger now that we have control of it and it is respected,” said Sim’oogit Hay M’aas.

The drums were put together during seven workshops, with 10 drums made at each meaning there were anywhere from 65 to 70 new sets introduced into the community. Unfortunately, not everyone who put together traditional pieces was able to attend the feast, since many people had to leave town at the end of summer for education or employment.

After Reverend Peter Nelson conducted the blessings and led everyone in prayer, gifts were given out to all those who came to witness the blessing, while tables were also cleared from one half of the Hall to make room for a drum and dance performance.

After numerous songs, dances and drum drills, many people who gathered were exhausted from their emotional evening, and ready to head home for bed.“I believe the Feast of the Blessing may have begun as just a thought, but now it’s a reality,” said Rev. Nelson. “They could have called it many things, but I think they were moved by the Creator to call it a Blessing.”

City councillor picks up the torch on Highway of Tears

Prince Rupert City Councillor Joy Thorkelson has picked up on the concerns of the areas MLA Gary Coons, by urging the city to follow the lead of other Northern communities in placing a sign on the city outskirts to discourage hitchhiking, the common denominator in most of the disappearance on the highway.

Thorkelson who attended the Prince George symposium two years ago is concerned about the lack of progress on the issue and feels that many of the concerns raised two years ago have fallen by the wayside.

The Friday Daily News provided a front page story with details on her thoughts and what she hopes to see done to bring more attention to the issue.

'SIGN WOULD DRIVE HOME THE HIGHWAY OF TEARS MESSAGE'

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, November 23, 2007
Pages one and three

One city of Prince Rupert councillor wants to follow other Northwest communities and place a warning sign about the so-called Highway of Tears.

At the last Prince Rupert council meeting, Coun. Joy Thorkelson noted that there has been little follow through on the western end of the highway following recommendations from Prince George two years ago.

"When I went to the symposium in Prince George and came back, at that time we thought the RCMP would be tasked with being a liaison between the Prince George committee and what was going to go on. My guess is that has sort of fallen by the wayside," she said.

In March 2006, the Highway of Tears Symposium held in Prince George was organized by First Nations and Aboriginal organizations to address the numerous disappearance and murders that have occurred along Highway 16 - the Highway of Tears - during the past two decades.

Thorkelson suggested the city follow the direction of the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District and put up a sign on the highway to discourage hitchhiking, given the numerous disappearances of young women over the years.

"A number of those young women came from here, worked here or were murdered just out of here. There's a highway sign now in Kitsukalum. It would sure be nice to have a highway sign here," she said.

"We could just probably copy somebody else's board, we don't have to be original."

"The two boards I have seen are pretty similar," said Thorkelson.

She added that the city, in upcoming meetings with bands such as Kitkatla, Lax Kw'alaams and Metlakatla, should also discuss the possibility of establishing protocol with the RCMP in cases where young women or children go missing.

"Maybe we could talk to them about their feelings on this issue. I am quire concerned we try to get involved in the Highway of Tears," she said.

On Oct. 12, the RCMP stated that the investigation of missing and murdered women in the Highway of Tears inquiry had expanded from nine women to encompass 18.

The review by the RCMP expanded the geographic scope of the Highway of Tears from the 800-kilometres between Prince George and Prince Rupert to now include the Kamloops-to-Prince George corridor as well.

The most recent disappearance in the Northwest was that of Tamara Chipman, who was last seen hitchhiking outside the Prince Rupert industrial park in September 2005.

The young mother was heading from Prince Rupert to her home in Terrace.

Hecate Strait Wind Farm plans continuing towards 2009 construction start

With the consultation process still underway, the NaiKun Wind Development project for the waters off the Queen Charlottes is still on track for development in less than two years.

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The company recently were visited by both the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell and the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. They both toured NaiKun's Vancouver facilities, during the Premier's recent Pacific Economic summit Besides some snappy photos of the governmental types oohing and aahing over the potential, the visit provided a fair amount of media coverage for their ongoing efforts to harness the winds.

NaiKun’s Ray Castelli provided an update on the project for the Daily News on Wednesday, outlining the process so far, who the stakeholders in the project are and what remains to be done before the much discussed Wind Farm becomes a reality.

The details were part of the Daily’s front page story on the issue.

NaiKun firming up plans for North Coast wind farm
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Pages one and three

NaiKun Wind Development is just waiting for a few final stakeholder groups to complete their comments on its draft terms of reference, in order to formally define the area that will be studied prior to constructing Canada's first offshore wind farm.

"We've been waiting for that to continue the various studies we have been doing," said Ray Castelli, president of NaiKun Wind Development.

While studies on the potential area for the wind farm site in Hecate Strait have been underway for a number of years, the environmental assessment terms of reference will include a detailed study design for the various areas of study for the offshore wind farm.

"The only thing that might change is that one of the stakeholders might want something additional added," he said.

The terms of reference are important as they identify the issues to be addressed and the information to be provided by NaiKun as part of its Environmental Assessment application. Terms of reference indicate the baseline studies needed to describe the project's environmental, economic, social, health and heritage setting, the predicted impacts on the setting, and the proposed measures to reduce, avoid or manage those impacts.

The government decision on whether to issue an environmental assessment certificate focuses on how effectively the application has addressed the issues identified in the terms of reference.
So far, 13 letters have come in from the public in regards to the terms of reference, highlighting concerns that range from the impact on the commercial crab fishery to the migratory birds in the area.

The NaiKun Wind Farm project includes constructing a 320-megawatt project (enough to power 120,000 thousand homes in B.C.), involves installing wind turbines in the waters east of the Queen Charlotte Islands, with an underwater cable linking the energy to a substation near Port Edward.

The area identified for the wind farm is a 36-kilometre area off Dog Fish Banks. However, it is expected not all of this area will be used for the wind farm.

Pending approval and First Nations consultation, construction is anticipated to begin in spring or summer of 2009.

NaiKun is also working toward agreements with the Tsimshian First Nations because the proposed cable link from Hecate Strait to Port Edward will run through Tsimshian territory.
"Obviously, we have put a lot of time and effort in to the Haida relationship because that's where the wind farms are located and we are now working on the Tsimshian relationships because that's where the transmission lines will be moving through," said Castelli.

The Pacific Gateway may not include Myanmar

A proposed ban on Burmese shipping lines from calling on Canada could see a reduced port of call schedule for the Port of Prince Rupert.

As the Daily News detailed in Monday’s paper, at the moment there are four ships that fly the Burmese flag when they call for goods in Prince Rupert, ships that have been fairly regular visitors over the last four years.

The proposed ban is one way that the Canadian government is thinking of using to register its disapproval over recent human rights violations in the Asian country, which recently saw the military junta crackdown on the nation’s monks and those that were seeking a more democratic lifestyle for the dictatorship.

The Daily News featured a front page story with the background on how these Global issues could have an impact on the local economic scene.

TENSION IN BURMA MAY END UP HITTING CLOSER TO HOME
Proposal calling for a ban on Burmese ships, some of which call at Prince Rupert
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, November 19, 2007
Pages one and three

A proposed ban of transport between Canadian and Burmese shipping companies should only be the start of sanctions against the Myanmar junta, said Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen.

Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxine Bernier announced sweeping new sanctions against Burma because of the violent oppressing of monks and democratic protesters by the ruling dictatorship in recent months.

Among the sanctions being talked about are a ban on Burmese-flagged vessels entering Canada and Canadian ships entering Burmese waters.

Four ships flying the Burmese flag – The Global Explorer, Global Nextage, Global F and the Global Pioneer – are part of a fleet of ships that have loaded raw logs and agriproducts in B. C., for at least the past four years.

Ports of call have included Prince Rupert, Fraser River port, Vancouver, Campbell River, and Nanaimo.

“No one in Prince Rupert or the grain growers would ever want to be dealing with a dictatorship that is oppressing its own people,” said Cullen. “If Canadian companies are operating and making profit in a dictatorship like Burma, there seems to me a certain obligation we all share to make sure those operators find another market. Burma is not the only market for Canadian grain and it is important to consider the implications of everything we do.”

Canada will immediately ban all exports to and from Burma with the exception of humanitarian aid.

Other sanctions proposed by Bernier include freezing the assets in Canada of Burmese nationals connected with the Burmese government; prohibiting the Canadian financial services to and from Burma and it will prohibit the export of any technical data to Burma; and a ban on all new investment in Burma by Canadians.

For Cullen, the proposed sanctions are coming a little late in the game.

“The Burma question is very reminiscent of what happened in South Africa. said Cullen.

“We have a very important leader who has been put in jail by a dictatorship and our government’s response up to this point has been to offer her honourary citizenship, rather than actually doing anything that can rectify the terrible situation in Burma,” said Cullen.

“If all we did for Neslon Mandela had been to offer him citizenship while he was still in jail, he would still be in jail.

“We need to apply whatever pressures we can”, added Cullen.

“We need to look at the best way introduce sanctions and to this point our government was late to the game and the sanctions are frankly insufficient to achieve what we want – which is to allow the Burmese people to elect their leadership.

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“It’s a privilege we enjoy and the Burmese people should have that as well.”

A fast boat to China could leave loaded from Rupert

The opening of the Fairview Container Terminal could see an increase of Canada’s natural resources leaving our country packed into containers for shipment.

It would be a new arrangement for the Port of Prince Rupert, which for years has been a bulk goods shipper in the world of natural resources whether it is coal, grains or lumber products.

With a number of containers arriving in our country on a regular basis, a good number of them remain empty as the conduit of trade in finished goods is weighed heavily in China’s favour at the moment.

By using the empty containers to ship any number of goods back to Asia, a good number of those empty containers could be full in the foreseeable future.

It’s a controversial topic however, as a number of Canadians would rather have our resources developed in Canada, providing a finished product and jobs for Canadians. It could help shore up a value added industry that at the moment seems on its knees.

But in the end, we suspect that the demand for our natural resources will outstrip the ability to develop any massive value added infrastructure, meaning that trade along the Northwest Corridor and through the Port of Prince Rupert will be in a two way direction. With our trade to the Orient and beyond in its rawest form, while the containers returning from Asia will still be full of the consumer goods that line our store shelves on a daily basis.

The Daily News featured the export developments as the front page story of Wednesday’s Daily News.

PORT LIKELY TO HAVE KEY ROLE EXPORTING GOODS TO CHINA

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Pages one and three

Canadians may be hungry for imported goods from the Far East, but the Chinese are even more eager for the natural resources that Canadian businesses produce, says a new study by Statistics Canada.

According to the study released on Thursday, Canadian export volumes are growing at twice the pace of imports, and most of those exports are natural resources.

Between January and July 2007, Canada's exports to China surged 43 per cent from the same period in 2006, while its imports from China rose by 17 per cent.

This rate of growth in exports in 2007 surpassed that of any other G7 country, and put China neck-and-neck with Japan as Canada's third largest export market.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority, CN Rail and Maher Terminals recently opened the Fairview Container Terminal, with the idea of not only capturing imports from Asia to North America, but also of handling outbound shipments of pulp, paper and other commodities, that will be stuffed into containers for the return journey.

While CN has been confident it will see full inbound containers, it has been looking to the natural resource sector as a way to fill the returning containers.

Meanwhile, Canadian import volumes continue to grow, although not as quickly as in previous years. Canada's exports to China rose sharply between 2002 and 2006, from $4 billion to nearly $8 billion. In 2005 and 2006, gains were subdued after a surge in 2004.

"Canada is clearly benefitting from the magnitude of China's demand for natural resources. The nation of more than 1.3 billion people is expanding its manufacturing base and building massive infrastructure projects, from ports and bridges to facilities for the 2008 Olympic Games," reads the study.

"This demand has propelled world commodity prices to unprecedented levels. In 2007, metal prices were more than three times higher than in 2002, and crude oil prices quadrupled to more than $90 US per barrel. By pushing prices higher, China has boosted Canada's natural resource exports to other countries."

Increasing exports to Europe and Asia, combined with relatively little growth in exports to the United States, resulted in a sharp increase in the share of Canada's exports held by countries other than the United States.

Nearly one-quarter (24 per cent) of Canada's exports headed to non-US destinations in 2007, compared with 16 per cent just five years earlier.

Not only does the rise in trade potential prod more trade through Fairview, but also Prince Rupert Grain and Ridley Terminals.

Forestry and agricultural exports, notably wood pulp and grains, comprise 16 per cent and 14 per cent of Canada's exports respectively, with machinery (12 per cent), energy (3 per cent) and consumer goods (1 per cent) rounding out the total.

Canada's metal exports to China between 2002 and 2006 registered faster growth than those to any other major market.

During that period, exports surged from $300 million to $2 billion. So far in 2007, metal exports to China have been running 70 per cent higher than in 2006, a much faster pace than in previous years

Like a wind at their backs local Wind farm projects are moving forward

The twin developments of wind power on the North Coast are moving forward with the announcement that Katabatic power has selected an engineer for the Banks Island project and that the Mount Hays project has received a licence of occupation from the province for its development for the south side of Mount Hays.

The latest developments were featured on Monday as the front page story in the Daily News.


WIND FARM PROJECTS BREEZE FORWARD, ENGINEER SELECTED
Katabatic Power is working with CH2M HILL to develop two local wind farms
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Monday, November 05, 2007
Pages one and three

Two wind farms being proposed by Katabatic Power - on Banks Island and Mount Hays - are moving forward.

Last week, Katabatic Power and the Deutsche Bank AG announced they have selected an engineer for the proposed wind farm on Banks Island, just south of Prince Rupert.
CH2M HILL has been chosen to work on the joint venture that is expected to generate 700 megawatts of wind energy on the North Coast.

"We are very pleased to have CH2M HILL working with us to ensure the Banks Island project is a success," said Anthony Duggleby, president and CEO of Katabatic.

"With a worldwide reputation for excellence in energy project development, planning and design, CH2M HILL is an ideal partner as we prepare to bring our project forward as part of BC Hydro's next Call for Power."

The Banks Island North Wind Energy Project is proposed for the north end of Banks Island. Pending First National consultation and environmental approval, the companies hope to install 234 three-megawatt turbines, an access road and 146 kilometres of transmission lines that will feed into the existing British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) energy grid located near Kitimat.

“Our team is looking forward to working with Katabatic on this ground-breaking renewable energy facility.” said Todd Barthoff, director Sustainable Energy for CH2M HILL.

The Banks Island project is the second wind farm project being undertaken by Katabatic. It is also proposing a smaller wind turbine project on the south side of Mount Hays, within the city of Prince Rupert itself.

Two weeks ago, the Mount Hays Wind Farm project received a licence of occupation from the province for 364.4 hectares of land on the top and south side of Mount Hays.

The company has a 25-year electricity power purchase agreement with B. C. Hydro for the Mount Hays project and hopes to have the province’s first land-based wind farm in operation by the winter of 2008.

The Mount Hays Wind Farm will generate electricity from 17 wind turbines, each capable of producing 1.5 megawatts (MW) of electricity for a project total of 25.5 MW. Once in operation, the Wind Farm will produce enough electricity for 10,000 homes from a renewable, clean energy source.

“The Province of British Columbia and BC Hydro have recognized that wind energy is an important part of a renewable and sustainable energy future, and we are very excited to be playing a leadership role in generating new sources of power for British Columbians,” said Duggleby.

Container Port debut spurs interest and excitement across Northern BC

As the Cosco Antwerp sailed out of the harbour this week, the Fairview Container Port finally became the long planned and anticipated transportation link to the world.

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With a frenzy of activity on the docks with the arrival of the first shipment of goods from Asia, the port quickly loaded those containers onto rail cars and sent them off on their cross continent journey.

Needless to say, the story dominated the week in Prince Rupert and Friday’s paper had two main stories to cover the background on the Port of Prince Rupert’s big week.

From the front page of the Friday Daily News a sense of the excitement that the new direction for the Port and the impact it will have on the region.

CONTAINER TRAIN LEAVES AMID A WAVE OF PRIDE, EXCITEMENT
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, November 02, 2007
Pages one and three

The first containers to arrive in Prince Rupert by way of the Fairview Container Terminal left the city yesterday afternoon, much to the pleasure of all the partners involved.

Representatives from the Port of Prince Rupert, CN Rail, Maher Terminals and COSCO Shipping were all ecstatic to see the double-stacked, 9,000-foot train departing on the first leg of its journey that will end in Memphis, Tennessee.

"When that first container came off the ship, I couldn't help but reflect on the many years of planning, designing and constructing all coming to fruition," said Franz van Riemsdyk, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Maher Terminals.

"It was a pretty special moment. COSCO reps mentioned various times that they feel like they're part of history, and I think they're to be commended for taking the first step in recognizing the gateway that Prince Rupert is."

Maher Terminals President Joseph Curto was also onhand to watch the first shipment of containers leave the city by rail, and was at a loss for words to describe the way he felt during recent days as he watched the project become complete.

"We've been working on this for like three years, and to see the ship come around that corner made me proud and extremely excited," he said. "I think as soon as others see that this option is real and that it works, that the ship can come and the cargo can move, we'll have a lot of other carriers also taking advantage of this option."

Curto said he was reminded of the original visionary Charles Hays, who foresaw the possibilities that Prince Rupert had to offer world trade.

"It goes way back to that vision of a land-sea bridge, and we're seeing half of it here from the Far East to this West Coast, but there's no reason to think the land bridge at some point couldn't continue even further east," he said.

"But we'll have to see how this whole process develops because we're at the very early stages of exploring this gateway."

"With great opportunities come great new things," said Curto.

With the arrival of the first COSCO ship, and departure of the cargo on the first CN train, the question everybody wants to know now is, what shipping companies are going to sign on next?

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"There's a lot of conversations ongoing for sure, and at the right time, we'll be more than happy to announce that," said van Riemsdyk.

"For the moment, they're discussions/negotiations that we have to respect the confidentiality of."

'Extremely exciting day' makes dream a reality
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, November 02, 2007
Pages one and three

Despite some windy weather, the first container ship to dock in Prince Rupert has managed to come and go, marking the beginning of operations at the new terminal.

On Tuesday evening, the 5,400 TEU (20-foot equivalent units) COSCO container vessel ANTWERP sailed into Prince Rupert Harbour and berthed at the new Fairview Container Terminal.

"The significance of the event goes well beyond opening a new chapter for Prince Rupert or even British Columbia," said Dale MacLean, chair of the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA).

"When it touched the shores of North America at the Fairview Container Terminal, the ANTWERP activated the first new transpacific trade corridor to be created on this continent in 100 years. The wave from this ripple effect will travel from Prince Rupert to the mid west and back again."

The containers, filled with a variety of merchandise for large eastern retailers, originated in the Chinese ports of Hong Kong, Yantian, Qingdao, Dalian and Xiamen as well as Yokohama, Japan. This is part of the CKYH Alliance's Pacific Northwest Butterfly South Loop service, of which COSCO is one of four shipping lines, that will see a container ship from a string of nine 5,400 TEU vessels make a weekly call to Prince Rupert.

Maher Terminal crane operators began offloading the first of about 1,100 TEUs from the ANTWERP shortly after midnight. The containers were loaded onto Maher bombcarts, and driven through one of four Canada Border Service Agency's radiation portals before going to the intermodal yard less than 200 metres away for loading onto the rail cars.

In the meantime, Maher's 17 reach stackers were offloading about 600 containers, many filled with paper products, that arrived on the CN train from the east and double stacking them on the terminal to be loaded onto the ANTWERP.

The ANTWERP was scheduled to depart from the Fairview Terminal yesterday.

After calls in Vancouver and Seattle, the ANTWERP will sail back to Hong Kong to complete the butterfly service loop.

The collaboration between the Canadian and United States border services to review manifests before containers are loaded in Asia and to collectively identify containers to be opened and examined in Prince Rupert means CN trains will only be slowed down to pass the rail cars through security scanners at the border before entering the U.S.

"COSCO's vision is clear, it includes strong growth in trade between China and North America and given the facilities developed in Prince Rupert," said Dave Bedwell, executive vice president, COSCO Container Lines. "COSCO will be able to build on the advantages and become a long-term supporter of the gateway in Prince Rupert."

"We were in the enviable position of building, not only this state-of-the-art container terminal, but a high-efficiency express trade corridor virtually from the ground up," said Don Krusel, president and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. "The extremely exciting day for us has now arrived to put our new business model to the test and begin to realize the full economic benefits for Prince Rupert and along the northern transportation corridor that we have envisioned."

The event was also recognized in the legislature were Prince George Omineca MLA John Rustad recognized the milestone.

"The arrival of containers from China signals to the world that B.C. now has a new major high-speed, congestion-free container port with enormous potential for growth. This milestone has been a dream of northern B.C., and indeed for the entire province, ever since the railhead for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was created early in the 20th century," said Rustad.

"In my community of Prince George, people are also celebrating. With the recent opening of the new transload inland container port, the first trainloads of containers carrying goods bound for Asia and beyond are already on their way to Prince Rupert."