Podunk Below the Masthead April 2007

A daily look at the BIG TYPE headline of the Podunkian Daily News. We'll list that day's BIG STORY, the one the Daily puts out in the big type just below it's masthead, for all Podunkians to ponder. There will be a link to this feature on the right hand side of the blog.

On Wednesdays and Friday's you can access all the stories of the Daily News free on their website, on the remaining days you end up at a dead end, asking you to go purchase your paper, for (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of the story.


APRIL 30--ADVENTURE IS SHORT-LIVED FOR NEW NORTH COAST FERRY--The latest addition to the BC Ferry fleet is to be pulled from service for an unexpected refit. (see story here).

APRIL 27--‘STRONG ACTION 'THREATENED OVER PORT DEVELOPMENT--Two First Nations bands in the Northwest suggest that stronger actions may be necessary in their dispute with the Federal Government and Prince Rupert Port Corporation. (see story here)

APRIL 26--DISTRICT DIRECTORS CLAIM THEY HAVE BEEN ‘LEFT OUT’--The troubles at Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District break out into the open once again. (see story here)

APRIL 25--CITY SPENDING MORE TO BE READY FOR GROWTH: POND--The city goes to the taxpayer well once again for a 4% increase on property taxes this year. (see story here)

APRIL 24--CN RAIL SAYS SHIPPING LINE IS TO BE KNOWN SOON--CN Rail is getting closer to naming the shipping line that will be calling on Prince Rupert once the container port is completed and operational. (see story here)

APRIL 23--TRICORP TO HOST MAJOR FINANCIAL MEETING IN JUNE--Tricorp has successfully bid to become host of a national First Nations meeting in June, which will see representatives of over 150 experts in First Nations economic affairs gather in our city. (see story here)

APRIL 20--PORT'S WORLD CLASS SECURITY SYSTEM OFFERS A SAFER FUTURE--The security arrangements for the container port are explained as the first phase continues to progress. (see story here)

APRIL 19--MODERN DAY SLAVE TRADE A MASSIVE PROBLEM FOR COAST--The problem of human trafficking was addressed a local conference (see story here)

APRIL 18--‘EXCITING' WIND FARM PLANS ARE BREAKING NEW GROUND--The proponents of a wind power project for the North Coast prepare for their next steps in the process (see story here)

APRIL 17--BATTLE LINES NOW DRAWN FOR ANTICIPATED ELECTION--Local Liberals announce the name of their candidate for the anticipated federal election. (see story here)

APRIL 16--LACK OF CHILD CARE SPACES HURTS WOULD-BE MIGRANTS--Local day care providers suggest that current Day care shortages could lead cause problems in attracting new residents in Prince Rupert's future. (see story here)

APRIL 13--SEX TRADE FEARS ON AGENDA AT GATHERING NEXT WEEK--An upcoming conference in Prince Rupert hopes to address the growing problem of human trafficking. (see story here)

APRIL 12--CHOPPY WATERS FEARED IF SHIP PILOTS’ RULES CHANGED--Changes to maritime procedures have some West coast shipping industry officials concerned. (see story here)

APRIL 11--CLEAN UP SUNKEN FERRY'S FUEL LEAK RIGHT NOW: MLA--The fuel leaking out of the sunken Queen of the North is a situation that local residents are demanding action on. (see story here)

APRIL 10--‘B.C. FERRIES CHANGE MEANS NORTH IS MISSING THE BOAT’--Changes to the BC Ferries reservation and information system leave local mayors concerned. (see story here)

APRIL 9--HOMES IN BOOMING RUPERT ARE BEING SNAPPED UP AGAIN--The real estate market in Prince rupert heats up again, with more homes selling for more money and in less time. ( see story here)

APRIL 5--WILDLIFE SHELTER BATTERED, BRUISED BY SNOWSTORM--The regions wildlife shelter suffers a fair amount of damage from last weeks storm and a call goes out to the community to help (see story here)

APRIL 4--AIRPORT FLYING HIGH AFTER OTTAWA HANDS OVER $2 M--The Prince Rupert Regional Airport receives government funding for some much needed electrical work. (see story here)

APRIL 3--GENERATORS POWERING CITY AFTER HYDRO LINE SEVERED--BC Hydro relies on thermal generators to keep power supplied to Prince Rupert after transmission tower taken out in avalanche (see story here)

APRIL 2--SULPHUR IS FINALLY ABOUT TO FLOW THROUGH RIDLEY--The not quite completed Sulphur facility on Ridley Island is about to get a scaled down second life, as plans are in the works to begin shipping sulphur out of Prince Rupert (see story here)

Real Estate transaction values almost triple in Prince Rupert over the last year

The BC Northern Real Estate Board has released its figures for the last year and the number of MLS transactions and housing prices increased in the Prince Rupert area in the March 06 to March 07 number crunching.

60 properties worth $12.5 million sold through the MLS® this year, compared to 47 properties worth $4.7 million by the end of March last year.

The opinion 250 website has a recap of all areas of the Northern Board, including a breakdown on the Northwest real estate developments.

Real Estate Market Remains Strong
By 250 News
Tuesday, April 03, 2007 05:45 PM
The Real Estate Market is still strong in northern B.C.

The BC Northern Real Estate Board reports the value of properties sold in the first quarter of 2007 has increased 35% over the same period last year.

The actual number of properties sold throughout the region is only up slightly from the same period last year. The number of units sold in the first three months of 2007 was 1327, last year, 1298 had been sold during the same period.

President Glen Holling says different areas have different challenges " Oil and gas exploration in the north has slowed, mining activity in the Williams Lake and Smithers area has increased, and some areas are experiencing growth thanks to the construction of the container port in Prince Rupert. Mortgage rates continue to be reasonable and all pundits call for a continuation of these historically low rates. We are cautiously optimistic that all our markets will do as well as last year or better.”

Here are the highlights:

NORTHWEST REGION

Prince Rupert: 60 properties worth $12.5 million sold through the MLS® this year, compared to 47 properties worth $4.7 million by the end of March last year. The accompanying chart shows comparable prices for single family homes over last year, but the median price this year (half sold for less) for the 47 homes sold was $145,000. At month end there were 126 properties of all types for sale, compared to 142 on March 31st last year.

Terrace: 62 properties of all types worth $7.6 million have been sold so far this year. Last year in the same period 73 properties with a total value of $9.3 million sold. Half of the 30 single family homes that sold through the MLS® since January (see chart following) have sold for $142,000 or less. At month end there were 173 properties in all categories for sale, up from 130 on March 31st last year.

Kitimat: 26 properties worth $3.2 million have sold since January 1st, compared to 37 properties (all classifications) worth $3.3 million last year. The median price for houses in Kitimat was $109,000 (see chart following for average prices) . At month end there were 74 properties of all types available for purchase, compared to 60 last year.

Googles of April 2007

Our listings of the Google Alert items that come across our mail server on a daily basis. Archived here for your viewing enjoyment.

April 30-Swamp Point Begins Barge Shipments to Fairview Container Terminals
April 30-Raid the North signs Helly Hansen
April 30-Native leaders vent outrage at opening
April 29-Private eye makes a break
April 28-Airport project planned
April 29-Any port in a storm
April 28-Adventures in writing
April 28-Refit to be tied
April 27-Native challenge
April 27-Lack of Terminal number frustrates Islanders
April 27-Home sales drop forecast
April 26-Port says native critics ignored overture
April 25-Pacific Port faces Native objections
April 24-Conservation group studies Queen Charlotte wildlife
April 23-New ferry making passengers queasy
April 23-Admiral set to hang up his hats
April 23-Far too risky to remove fuel from Queen of the North
April 19-House arrest, fines for B.C. abalone poachers
April 19-Offshore windfarm is looking for direction
April 19-Bigger is really better this time
April 18- No dimming Prince Rupert's tourism potential
April 17-World Port
April 16-ICBC's zero tolerance for fraud saves motorists $75 million
April 14-B.C. providing cash incentive for organ donation
April 13-Study of B.C.’s Street Youth Yields Surprises
April 13-All aboard the Vomit comet
April 12-New Rupert to Memphis service promises to help shippers bypass West Coast ports
April 10-Canada to build Prince George rail terminal
April 10-Prince Rupert's Airport Plans Won't Conflict with P.G's
April 10-Credit union director retires after 53 years
April 8-Northern ferry arrives in Port Hardy without incident after 30-hour delay
April 8-Northern Ferry docked temporarily
April 8-Glitches snarl refitted ferry
April 7-Northern Adventure Ferry off to troubled start
April 6-Damage to pens puts shelter in bind
April 6-Alaska looking south to Prince Rupert port
April 5-Appointments to Prince Rupert Port Authority
April 5-Ferry sinking hasn't dimmed Prince Rupert's tourism potential
April 4-Islander among first Northern Adventure passengers
April 4-Searchers ponder retrieval of heli-skiers' bodies
April 3-Real Estate market remains strong
April 3-Container depot project questions arise from Edmonton, PG initiatives
April 3-Avalanche kills man, woman heli-skiing in B.C.
April 2-BC Bronze gloves return to Prince George
April 2-Replacement for sunken ferry gets off to slow start

Everybody’s looking for a depot

The excitement over the future for the Fairview Container Port is spreading to burgs near and far. Grande Prairie is the latest town in Western Canada to think it might be handy to hop onto those CN expresses to Chicago and Memphis.

In the case of the Northwest Alberta city, it’s the thought that a container depot (much like the recently announced plans for Prince George) might be just the thing to cash in on the new economy soon to arrive in Western Canada. The problem for the folks in Grande Prairie seems to be the increase in interest in Edmonton in building a giant marshalling yard of their own, which might make the yard further north redundant.

Regardless, they won’t be denied the dream in Grande Prairie, even if as they say it’s becoming a bit of a nightmare and the inter provincial rivalry is heating up .

From GP to PG, and all points near and far, fortune it seems comes in a 40 foot TEU…

Container depot project questions arise from Edmonton, PG initiatives


Container depot project questions arise from Edmonton, PG initiatives

Paszkowski admits he hoped project would be further along
By DARRELL WINWOOD
Herald-Tribune staff

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

The dream of building a large container rail depot in Grande Prairie could be turning into a nightmare for local organizers, but they're not giving up yet.

For more than two years, the County of Grande Prairie has been hoping to build a large railyard near Four-Mile Corner. The depot would act as a loading yard, allowing local commodities to be shipped directly to the new Port of Prince Rupert on the B.C. coast.

The yard would be a dramatic economic boost for the region, but it turns out Grande Prairie isn't the only city in Alberta considering such a facility. Edmonton has set its sights on a similar plan, raising the question of whether a container depot in the capital city would kill Grande Prairie's proposed facility.

Walter Paszkowski, the County of Grande Prairie's economic development officer, is Alberta's representative on the board of the directors for the Port of Prince Rupert.
He admits the local project is not as far along as he had hoped it would be with only six months until the port opens.

"We feel we can do a stand-alone here that could be a success. It's been frustrating because it should have been up and running by now," he said.

He said Edmonton is clearly targeting its own expanded depot.
"No question, they're trying to," he said Monday.

Edmonton officials signed a new co-operation agreement Thursday with Prince Rupert and Prince George to strengthen the Alberta capital's position as a potential hub for rail traffic. CN in Prince George is already building a depot yard to service that region and Edmonton is the largest city on CN's main line from Prince Rupert with access to other transportation links such as the Yellowhead Highway.

The Port of Prince Rupert will open in October and become the closest port to the Asian markets, roughly 36 hours closer than Vancouver. An expansion plan is already in the works because of anticipated demand, even though the main port hasn't opened yet.
"We've been watching the progress at the port," said Lori Schmidt, director of transportation and logistics with the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation. "We don't want to see (the trains) whistling through to Chicago without stopping."

Schmidt said Edmonton definitely wants in on the potential of the port, but doesn't feel it would compromise efforts in Grande Prairie.

"We've basically been looking at the Capital Region," she said. "Grande Prairie can look at the same thing ... we didn't look as far as Grande Prairie (in our case study)."

If a container point was built in Grande Prairie, its main focus would be on lumber and grain shipments, while Edmonton is focused on manufacturing and petrochemical products created on refinery row east of the city. However, Schmidt said grain and lumber could also be routed through Edmonton.

Paszkowski said the ultimate decision could rest with CN, which will handle the shipping in and out of the port and controls the rail lines through Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie's plan has received tentative funding support from the federal agency Western Economic Diversification, but it's conditional on support from CN for the yard.

"In (CN's) perfect world, the trains would run from Prince Rupert to Chicago without stopping. We've been caught in the process of getting support from CN," said Paszkowski.

It's not just Grande Prairie that's counting on a Peace Country container depot.

Renee Bernier, economic development officer for Northern Sunrise County, said the North Peace is firmly behind Grande Prairie's plan.

"We need to get CN to the table," she said.

Bernier said the region is already having trouble shipping grain. A Peace River area company, Great Northern Grain, has launched a federal complaint against CN alleging poor service. Having to ship products to Edmonton adds seriously to transportation costs.

"It makes our ability to compete globally that much tougher," said Bernier. "If we had the ability to sort in Grande Prairie ... our ability to distribute would be that much better."

A spokeswoman for CN in Vancouver denied the company is holding the hammer on where a container port will be built. Kelli Svendsen couldn't comment much on Grande Prairie's chances, saying only that CN and the county met in December.

It's now up to the county to prove the economics warrant building a depot in Grande Prairie and the county must also prove the shipping companies would accept cargo from that region.
"CN is not the only decision-maker," she said.

Paszkowski, Bernier and Schmidt are all adamant that even if a depot is built in Edmonton, it doesn't mean the end for Grande Prairie.

"This container depot is not going to go on the back burner. There's no way it's dead," said Bernier.

Podunkian Advertising Festival April 2007

We archive the month of April's Festival selections


April 8 It's a cats life!
April 7 In Flanders field the poppies grow, between the crosses row on row
April 6 Free delivery every Wednesday and Friday would solve this problem
April 5 Flying, it can be a real adventure!
April 4 Don't come home a drinkin, with football on your mind
April 3 Karl Rove has found his posse!
April 2 Honesty, is it really the best policy?
April 1 No Drop (dead) zones

We'll be right back after this short commercial message, April 2

Weary of the cold and the snow, we find ourselves a beach and check out the sights and sounds.

Honesty, is it really the best policy?

Sulphur plans revisited on Ridley Island

The nearly completed sulphur terminal on Ridley Island may soon find a second life, though not quite in the same form as the original design laid out.

Ridley Terminals and ICEC Terminals have begun their environmental work on the site that could lead to the shipment of sulphur through Ridley Island by 2008 and provide employment for 8-10 residents of the area.

The revised plan for the incomplete terminal was outlined in Monday’s Daily News.

SULPHUR IS FINALLY ABOUT TO FLOW THROUGH RIDLEY
Expected to handle 800,000 tonnes a year and provide eight to 10 jobsBy James Vassallo
The Daily News
Monday, April 2, 2007
Pages one and three

Ridley Terminals and ICEC Terminals have begun the environmental assessment process that could see the companies develop the sulphur terminal that was abandoned in 2001.

According to the environmental assessment report, ICEC is planning to complete construction and operate a portion of the sulphur terminal by leasing the incomplete facility from Ridley Terminals.

“The general concept involves receiving molten sulphur by rail cars, unloading railcars into a liquid sulphur storage pit, forming the liquid sulphur into dry bulk form, then stockpiling and loading the dry bulk sulphur onto ocean vessels for export to overseas markets,” reads the report.

The facility will be designed to handle 800,000 tonnes per year, potentially expanding to 1.4 million tonnes per year.

“The project design is environmentally sensitive to minimize fugitive dust, sulphur compound vapor emissions and cross contamination with other bulk products.”

ICEC acts as a international marketer of fertilizer and fertilizer raw materials and has some 20 offices around the globe, with major operations in Crossfield, Alberta; Brazil and Tengiz, Kzakhastan.

Vessels would e expected to pick up sulphur from Ridley Terminals every 35 days.

Unlike the previous owners of the facility, ICEC has no plans to use the liquid storage tanks and liquid loading system, but will move all the product in its dry form.

Although sulphur vapours will be created when the sulphur is heated to get it out of the rail cars, there is not expected to be any smell because the vapours will be collected and put through a scrubbing system that will remove the sulphur compounds before the air is vented into the atmosphere.

ICEC and Ridley Terminals met this January with the District of Port Edward to describe the project and talk about potential concerns.

“Port Edward was interested in the employment opportunities and did not express any other concerns with the proposed project,” reads the report.

“They were happy to see project development occurring in the region,” reads the report. They also met with Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond who expressed similar feelings.

The new facility is expected to create eight to ten new jobs at Ridley Terminals.

“The design of this facility will incorporate current industry standards and be a state of the art world-class facility,” reads the report.

The company is expected to put out a “request for proposals for a contractor to build the new components some time in early summer, with operations set to commence in 2008.

The $60 million sulphur facility at Ridley was a project of the Sulphur Corporation of Canada (SCC). It was started in 2001, however it was never completed and the project was eventually handed over to Ridley Terminals/

SCC was planning on handling both liquid sulphur, which would be stored in large storage tanks as well as formed sulphur, similar to the solid product now exported from the port of Vancouver.

However, the project was derailed after SCC filed for bankruptcy protection. It owed $29 million in debt, some of which was owned to Prince Rupert contractors.

Avalanche tragedy north of Smithers

An avalanche has claimed the lives of two skiers in Northwestern BC, who were skiing with a group from Last Frontier heliskiing, 230 kilometers north of Smithers.

Last Frontier issued a news release expressing its condolences to the families of those that lost their lives and focusing its attentions now on those survivors who were rescued shortly after the avalanche struck the remote mountain range.

The area where the avalanche occurred is listed in Last Frontier's publicity information as the Bell 2 Lodge, which is along ranges of Stewart - Cassiar area and offers some dramatic and stunning skiing, as can be seen from their photo pages.

Monday's tragedy took place as the Heliskiing season winds down for another year, as the warmer spring weather arrives the dangers of avalanches increases quite a bit as can be found on the Canadian Avalanche Center website, which had this advisory for the Northwest today.

Rupert icon passes away at age 76

Dick St. Louis the long time fixture at the Prince Rupert Civic Centre and strong local booster of youth programs for the city has passed away at the age of 76.

St. Louis worked in the recreation department for the City of Prince Rupert for over 25 years and retired a few years ago, but never stepped out of the Rupert sports spotlight.

Besides the numerous sports and general activity programs that he oversaw for the city, he was the long time organizer of Boxing in Prince Rupert. St. Louis was the driving force behind the Salmon belt bouts that frequently would fill the Civic Centre.

He was also one of the organizers behind the Prince Rupert Rainbow Archers, a local archery club that met regularly at the Civic Centre and hosted many competitions over the years.

St. Louis arrived in the city after serving in the RCAF for 23 and a half years, bringing an energy level to the city that helped many of the city’s youth find a home at the Civic Centre. He was director of the programs there during many of Rupert’s greatest years for local sports.

Through his programs over the years at the Civic Centre, the McBride Street sports centre became the place to be if you were young or old and looking for something challenging and fun to do. Through his work for the city, St. Louis would become one of its most admired and respected of citizens, as a champion for youth and youth programs he has seen countless numbers of Rupert grow up and move on to new challenges. Many of whom could possibly have taken a completely different path, had it not been for his efforts on behalf of the youth of the city.

His passing has shocked the provincial sports scene with Prince George in particular missing his presence, as they hosted the BC Bronze Gloves tournament this past weekend.

A memorial service for Mr. St. Louis will take place on Thursday, April 5th at 11:00 am at Annunciation Church with Father Chris Lynch officiating.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Cancer Foundation or the Civic Centre Recreation Department “Memory of Dick St. Louis” noted as for youth recreation.

Rupert power back up, region now powered by back up generator

Monday morning brought yet another new adventure to the North coast, as a snow slide took out a BC Hydro Transmission tower on the main power line between Prince Rupert and Terrace, plunging the city into yet another power outage to start off the week.

The power went out at around 8:40 am and with the exception of a brief tease of lights at 9:35 stayed out until 10 am in some parts of town and until after 11 in most of the city.

The unexpected interruption meant that public schools dismissed students early on in the power outage and closed the schools for the day, much to the chagrin of students at the Independent School Annunciation which had regular classes right through until 3 pm.

And once again Rupert businesses had to make do with flashlights and more disruption to their daily schedules, while drivers tried to make sense of the four way stop rule that is supposed to come into effect at stop lights during power outages but doesn’t always work out that way.

And while last week we were singing the praises of the CBC as the only available source of information during the snow storm, Monday saw them join the rest of the area's media services rendered out of service due to the citywide blackout.

The BC Hydro website tracked all of the areas affected by the disruption and provided a log of sorts as to what had happened and when the power would return, which of course was of little comfort to the locals who had no power to keep their computers logged on.

BC Hydro expects that the repairs to the transmission site will take three weeks or so and is urging local residents to use only the power that they truly need around their homes and businesses.

You may also notice that your clocks will be running rather fast as the back up generator is in operation, the Podunkian clocks were already running some thirty minutes ahead of time as the day was winding down, which is a good thing if your day is going rather lousy, not so good if it’s one of those days you would want to last.

Local RCMP would like your attention April - June 2007

We will archive the press releases and information provided from our local detachment every three months, this session provides information from April through to June 2007.

So we'll provide a link to the site through our portal, you will find it permanently placed on the right hand side column in our Podunk Service Centre. All of the information comes from the RCMP's BC Regional website.

May 21

Dangerous Offender Arrested by Police
May 16th, 2007, Prince Rupert, BC

In the very early morning hours of May 15th, the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald MCKAY inside a licensed establishment in the 1000 block of 3rd Ave West. MCKAY was charged with 3 counts of breaching his court ordered conditions. MCKAY was breaching his curfew, was in an establishment that serves liquor as it's primary business, contrary to his conditions, and was in possession of a controlled substance.

MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court that day and was released.
Background: Ronald Lawrence MCKAY was released from Mountain Federal Corrections Institution on January 12th, 2007. MCKAY served a sentence for three charges including Assault, Assault with a Weapon, and Sexual Assault with a Weapon.

Ronald Lawrence MCKAY is considered Highly Dangerous to the Public. There is a high risk that MCKAY will re-offend violently against a female including a sexual assault. MCKAY’s has an extensive criminal history that includes violent sexual offences and weapons related offences.
January 14th, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP arrested Ronald Lawrence MCKAY for breaching the conditions of his release. MCKAY appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial Court, charged with three counts of Breach of Recognizance. He was released by the court.

MCKAY is subject to many court ordered conditions including:
- Not to possess, carry, or own any weapons including knives
- Not to consume or possess any alcohol or controlled substances
- Not to attend any licensed premise or establishment where alcohol is the primary commodity for sale
- Not to be outside his residence between 11:00pm and 6:00am

Should you note any suspicious behavior including, but not limited to a breach of these conditions, please contact the Prince Rupert RCMP Detachment at (250)624-2136.

Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WestPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

May 11

Many More Charged for Impaired Driving in Prince Rupert
May 10th, 2007, Prince Rupert BC -

Since the last release of names, March 20th 2007, 11 more people have appeared in Prince Rupert Provincial court, charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle.

Recently charged are:

27 year old Jason Eleuterio of Prince Rupert
37 year old Juliius Dileta of Prince Rupert
36 year old Thomas Robinson of Vancouver
71 year old Jerry Brown of Prince Rupert
43 year old Norman Barker of Prince Rupert
47 year old James Chubey of Prince Rupert
25 year old Tyler Nelson of Prince Rupert
42 year old Dwayne Sampson of Prince Rupert
56 year old Paul Lebedick of Prince Rupert
19 year old Alessandra Krause of Prince Rupert

A 15 year old resident of Prince Rupert was also charged for Impaired Driving but cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The Prince Rupert RCMP remains committed to informing the public about Impaired Drivers in our community. We hope that increased public awareness and pressure will help us reduce the incidents of impaired driving in our community.

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

May 10

19 year old arrested, cocaine seized

On May 2nd, 2007, Prince Rupert BC, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence in the 1400 block of Park Avenue. The search warrant was issued under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, authorizing the police to secure the residence and search it for cocaine. Three persons were located inside the residence including a 19 year old male who was living inside the residence along with a mother and her child.

The Ministry of Children and Families was contacted to assist with the mother and child. A search of the residence located a quantity of cocaine and the 19 year old male was released on a Promise to Appear for Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking. The male was placed on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Prince Rupert Provincial Court on June 25th, 2007.

The execution of this search warrant was largely due to the assistance of community members and the information they provided. If anyone has any information of assistance to the police regarding this or any other investigation please contact Cpl. Mike Traas of the Prince Rupert General Investigation Section at (250)624-0700 or call Crime Stoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you give name and you may be eligable for a cash reward. For/ (M.J. TRAAS) Cpl. NCO i/c GIS / Drugs Prince Rupert RCMP

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-->Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

April 20

Two Local Drug Dealers Shutdown by the RCMP

Members of the Prince Rupert RCMP executed search warrants on two local drug traffickers last week. On Wednesday, the 11th of April, a warrant was executed on a residence in the 800 block of 6th Ave East. An ounce of cocaine was seized from the 28 year old male resident.
Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are being recommended by police.

The following night, Thursday the 12th of April, members executed a search warrant on a residence in the 500 block of 8th Ave East. Police seized nearly a pound of marihuana and arrested the 29 year old resident. Charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking are also being recommended against that individual.

While these charges represent only two individuals, thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs were taken off of Prince Rupert's streets in each of these two cases. Your local RCMP detachment understands that many of our citizens can sometimes grow impatient, waiting for action to be taken on what they see as flagrant drug activity in their neighborhood. We ask that you keep in mind that these investigations take time. One of these latest investigations was begun back in October of last year.

Certainly, shutting down the street level traffickers is important. It is also important that we attempt to follow these dealers back to the source. Being able to track the supply back up the chain helps us to go after the larger suppliers. We must also ensure that our investigations will stand up to scrutiny when tested in the courts. It is important to get these drugs off the streets but equally important to provide the Crown with a solid case on which to prosecute to offenders.

These files also require a substantial amount of manpower to investigate. Many members are required to investigate, conduct surveillance, and meet the grounds required to obtain a search warrant. During the execution of a search warrant, more are required to ensure the safety of the public, the members involved, and the occupants of the residence being searched. Operating eight officers short of what our detachment strength should be, means it can be sometimes challenging to keep enough members on shift to respond to calls and free up members to investigate these files. At the municipal detachment level, responding to calls for service must always take precedence. That means that, sometimes, these investigations take longer than we would like.

One of the most important investigative elements to drug investigations is information. Whether these tips comes from Crimestoppers, our complaints line, or other police sources, we need information to further these investigations. The more detailed the information we receive, the better the likelihood that we'll shut down the drug dealers in your neighborhood.

Anyone with information on these or any other crimes are asked to contact the Prince Rupert RCMP or Crimestoppers at 627-8477. Crimestoppers does not require that you leave your name and you may be eligible for a cash reward.

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Steve Richards, Cst.Prince Rupert Media Relations / Community Policing
100 6th Ave WEstPrince Rupert, BC V8J 3Z3
Phone: (250)627-0764
Fax: (250)627-3013
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-gr-.gc.ca

April 2

Police Seize One Kilo of Cocaine

On Sunday April 1st, 2007 members of the Prince Rupert North District Drug Section arrested a 31 year old male as he disembarked from a Greyhound bus that just arrived in Prince Rupert.

A search of the individual resulted in the seizure of a kilogram of cocaine. The Prince Rupert resident was released from custody and a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance is pending.

The Prince Rupert RCMP is asking each and every citizen to do their part in ensuring safe communities by reporting any information regarding drug trafficking to their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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Jagdev Uppal, Cst.
Border Integrity Program
45 Charlie Currie Road
Prince Rupert, BC V8J 4B7
Phone: (250) 627-3137
Fax: (250) 627-3163
Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

RCMP Information Releases

An archive of the Information released provided by the RCMP on matters of locacl concern.

July--September 2007
April--June 2007
January-March 2007

Hop off the bus, hop into jail!

The Prince Rupert RCMP North District Drug Section made April Fools Day a memorable one for one local resident. A thirty one year old male had just arrived in Prince Rupert aboard the Greyhound bus when the Mounties stepped in to take custody of a kilogram of cocaine that was allegedly found in his possession.

Charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance were laid against the 31 year old resident; his name has not been released due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, as the RCMP look further into the case more arrests could possibly follow.

The available details were released to the public on Monday afternoon.

Police Seize One Kilo of Cocaine

On Sunday April 1st, 2007 members of the Prince Rupert North District Drug Section arrested a 31 year old male as he disembarked from a Greyhound bus that just arrived in Prince Rupert. A search of the individual resulted in the seizure of a kilogram of cocaine.

The Prince Rupert resident was released from custody and a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance is pending.

The Prince Rupert RCMP is asking each and every citizen to do their part in ensuring safe communities by reporting any information regarding drug trafficking to their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

-30-

Jagdev Uppal, Cst.

Border Integrity Program

45 Charlie Currie Road

Prince Rupert, BC V8J 4B7

Phone: (250) 627-3137

Fax: (250) 627-3163

Email: media.webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Jib Jab's back with the media in their Bullseye!

It's been a while since the folks at Jib Jab have trotted out a new animation, but just in time for Easter they're back with a brand new evisceration of a sacred cow.

This time around the message is the medium and the medium is the message.

The Jib Jab writers take on the American news machine with their satirical digital bytes, with their presentation "What we call the news".

A fit to be Tied?

Tie Domi can’t seem to avoid controversy in his retirement years. The former NHL enforcer was most recently featured in numerous stories over a less than amicable divorce. A dizzying array of stories that left no rock unturned, no nasty tidbit unreported, as the Domi divorce saga played its way through the Ontario court system.

Now he finds himself cast in the role of Hockey Parent from Hell, as stories start to bubble out of the ever competitive Toronto press, recounting Mr. Domi’s day at the rink and subsequent argument with his son’s hockey coach.

Domi it is alleged exhibited some serious rink rage on Friday night at the end of a minor peewee AAA match, which involved Domi’s 11 year old son. It is reported that Domi was unhappy with the way his son was used in the game and the amount of playing time allotted to him during the pivotal playoff match up.

Instead of respecting the normal 24 hour cooling off period that the Greater Toronto Hockey League recommends, The Toronto Sun, citing a number of eyewitnesses claims that Domi launched into a verbal attack on the head coach of his son’s team. A display that left a few of the other parents speechless, well at least until the Sun answered the phones.

“Several witnesses said that when the game ended Domi confronted his son's coach, Lucas Miller, and launched a tirade filled with profanities in front of young players and fans.” Witnesses are quoted that Domi, “acted like a caged animal” and that Toronto Police were required to bring order back to the arena.

Other witnesses however suggest that the whole thing seems to have been blown out of proportion, which surely is impossible for a place such as Toronto.

That’s the storyline that Domi is taking, in an interview on the CTV Website, he preferred not to discuss the matter, but said it had nothing to do with his son’s playing time. The website item features a story from the CTV National news on the controversy.

Giving this latest bout of parental interference, a much wider platform than most cases would receive! We patiently await the first video of the incident to pop up on YouTube, eventually someone along the wired world will upload their exclusive!

The above post first appeared on my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out.

Back in service, but not quite on schedule.

The debut of the Northern Adventure took place this past weekend, with the newest addition to the BC Ferry fleet making folks feel right at home by heading out of Port Hardy three hours late on Saturday night.

King Lee delivered a special to The Globe and Mail, published on their website today, detailing his early shipboard experience aboard BC Ferries brand new acquisition.

Lee reported that the cause for the delay was never actually made public, with a rather mysterious “the crew is checking things out” offered up for a reason, which may be something for BC Ferries to look at as far as passenger awareness goes, Not all of the 74 staterooms were available for occupancy on the debut journey, leaving a few folks to check out the comfort of the reclining chairs or spending the delay watching the Canucks Flames game on the LCD screens which have been added to the fleet.

The article ends with the vessel sailing out of Port Hardy at 9pm, whether they made up the three hours as promised only the crew and passengers know for sure.

Replacement for sunken ferry gets off to slow start
KING LEE
Special to The Globe and Mail
Monday, April 2, 2007

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. -- The maiden voyage of the Queen of the North's replacement got off to a bumpy start this weekend. But after departing three hours late, MV Northern Adventure glided through smooth waters from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert.

Northern Adventure, built in Greece in 2002, has spent three years as a charter cruise ship.
It replaces the Queen of the North, which sank in Wright Sound on March 22, 2006, after hitting Gil Island shortly after midnight.

The vessel had travelled about 130 kilometres south from Prince Rupert when the accident occurred. Ninety-nine passengers and crew were rescued, but two passengers are missing and presumed drowned.

One passenger on the replacement vessel didn't realize he was a part of B.C. Ferries history when he drove on board Saturday. "It was neat," Michael Scott said. "It was unexpected."
Mr. Scott said he was impressed with Northern Adventure's amenities. "It looks like it's a converted cruise ship," he said.

After a short ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday with B.C. Tourism Minister Stan Hagen, 144 passengers and 39 vehicles -- the vessel's listed capacity is 600 passengers and 101 vehicles -- got onboard shortly before the scheduled 6 p.m. departure only to learn there would be a three-hour delay.

Mark Stefanson, the ferry corporation's executive director of public affairs, said the holdup was due to the crew checking things out. He did not elaborate.

Captain Trafford Taylor, a B.C. Ferries executive vice-president, said the purchase and renovation of the vessel amounted to about $100-million. It is expected to be reassigned to the Queen Charlotte Islands-Prince Rupert route in 2009 and replaced on the Port Hardy-Prince Rupert run by a new B.C. Ferries vessel, the Northern Expedition.

The delay announcement was accompanied by an offer of free meals for everyone onboard Northern Adventure while still docked at the Bear Cove terminal in Port Hardy and assurance that the three hours would be made up during the scheduled 16-hour journey.

Those in the two lounges with LCD high-definition television sets were able to watch the final period of the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs followed by the game between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.

Not all of the 74 staterooms were ready for occupancy on the inaugural run, a situation that did not sit well with Darryn Ludwikowski of Campbell River, who was travelling with two children and was unable to secure one despite booking the trip 10 days earlier. They had to spend the night on some of the 480 reclining chairs or the carpeted floor.

Inside cabins cost $75 while outside cabins were going for $80 a trip. Four luxury cabins at the bow of the Northern Adventure with double beds and televisions were available for $200 a night.

When an announcement was made shortly before 8:30 p.m. that the vessel would get under way "in a few minutes," only one woman in the main TV lounge stood up and raised her arms in a mock cheer.

Shortly after 8:45, the ship's captain, Rory McKonkey, thanked those on board for their patience and suggested everyone cheer for the Canucks, who were down by three goals to the Flames at the time.

At 9 p.m., Northern Adventure inched away from the pier without much reaction from those in the main lounge. The passengers were a little more excited when Vancouver's Brendan Morrison scored later.

Mr. Ludwikowski was taking the inaugural run to visit his father in Prince Rupert.
"I'm impressed," he said when asked for his thoughts on the new ferry.

We'll be right back after this short commercial message, April 1

High School gossip and a bad connection can only lead to something bad!

No Drop (dead) zones!

By age one, Mom, Dad or maybe even both, are down two months worth of sleep!

Well, no news here!

From the Monster’s and Critics water cooler talk section, some confirmation and a smidgeon of helpful advice for the sleep deprived parents of babies.

Parents Don’t Sleep Like Babies

LONDON, March 30 (UPI) -- One-third of new parents lose the equivalent of two months of sleep during their baby’s first year, a survey by a British company found.

One in five parents surveyed said they lose more than three hours a night, almost three full nights a week, according to the survey of 500 mothers from Tomy, the nursery products company, The Telegraph reported.

Half of new parents reported arguing with each other over who gets less sleep, while a fifth of respondents said they brag -- often falsely -- about how well their baby sleeps, The Telegraph reported.

Forty-two percent of mothers reported that they responded to their babies` night-time cries within 30 seconds, while 68 percent of mothers said it takes their partners five minutes to respond.

The sleepless nights don`t necessarily end with baby’s first birthday.

Thirty-eight percent of babies were not sleeping through the night by age 1, the survey said.
'Being up with a screaming baby, several times in the night can be a very lonely experience, especially if you’re not getting support,' Joanne Gray of Tomy said in The Telegraph. 'Our message is simple -- you’re not alone.'

Pictures of Podunk: Open when in need of Snow removal

We've decided to haul out the camera once again and try to keep a more reliable video archive alive with some timely pictures of Podunk.

We begin with a shot of something the city might have thought of pulling out of retirement on Wednesday night. The vintage snow plow currently on display at the Park Avenue Campground, last used in Stewart in 1958, it might have come in handy on a snowy night in 2007!

The Gagmeisters of Google

Every year on April 1st, the folks at Google break out of their cubicles and offer up some zany prank to unleash on the wired universe.

The First Google prank came around on April 1, 2000 when the newly arrived Internet Goliath offered up the MentalPlex, a process that would read our minds and seek out information for us.

Over subsequent years the smart alecks at Google suggested that jobs were waiting at a soon to open lunar outpost for the Google empire called the "Copernicus Centre", the only problem with that prank is that it came out at the same time as the announcement that G Mail had arrived, it seems at the time more people figured the lunar jobs story was more believable than the new mail service.

Another famous Google prank was the Google Gulp, which no doubt had 7-11 running to research to find a way to beat back the invasion of silicon soda.

Last year, Google played matchmaker to the computer generation with Google Romance, where the quest for love was just a simple search problem!

This years epic takes the computer geeks of the Silicon Valley back to the days of the ultimate in Fart jokes, with the TISP, the convergence of wireless technology and bodily fluids!

It's so simple, even a network executive can do it!

The Slate website has put together an interesting examination on what fame may come from a TV commercial turned into a TV series.

ad report card
Neanderthal TV
Can the Geico cavemen make it in prime time?
By Seth Stevenson
Posted Monday, March 19, 2007, at 2:17 PM ET


A few weeks ago, word arrived that the Geico cavemen—those Neanderthal chaps who appear in some of the car insurer's television ads—might get their own sitcom on ABC. It's early days, of course. (A spokesman for Geico's ad agency told me they're "exploring possibilities" but that "there's a lot of room between a pilot and a show.") Can the cavemen conquer prime time?

They first entered our consciousness in the autumn of 2004, in an ad that initially appears quite humdrum. "It's so easy to use Geico.com, a caveman could do it," recites a blow-dried actor smiling into the camera. "What?" we hear off-screen. The camera pans, breaking through the fourth wall and revealing that the boom operator on this film shoot is, in fact, a caveman (wearing a backward baseball cap, as all boom operators do). Huffily dropping his boom mic to the floor, he shouts, "Not cool!" and storms off the set.

Nice gag. But it's in the follow-up spot that this concept hit its stride: We see two cavemen being treated to an elegant dinner, at which Geico hopes to make amends for the previous slur. When the waiter asks for orders, the first caveman requests "the roast duck with the mango salsa." The second caveman folds his menu shut. "I don't have much of an appetite, thank you," he hisses, glaring at the squirming Geico apologist.

Two comedic elements here: 1) the lighthearted satire of interest-group pique, 2) Neanderthals as urbane sophisticates. An amusing dual premise, but the elevating genius is completely in the details. (That startling entree choice. The stylish sunglasses perched on the caveman's too-prominent brow. The stone-faced seething of the hunger-striker.)

Geico's ad budget is massive, and it funds multiple campaigns aimed at pretty much anyone who drives (meaning every sector, age 16 and up, of the American populace). Some of Geico's ads feature broad humor, appealing to large swaths of the viewing audience. But the cavemen spots felt a little sharper. Full of offbeat surprises.

When the cavemen reappeared for a second round of ads in 2006, the wry nuances became even more refined. In one dialogue-free spot, we see a caveman riding an airport people-mover. He glides past a Geico billboard with the "So easy a caveman could do it" slogan, and he sighs in disgust. This surface joke is fine. But what I adore here is the sparkling precision of the art direction. The soundtrack is bouncy synth-pop from the little-known indie band Röyksopp. The caveman (en route to or from a vacation) totes a wooden tennis racket in a canvas shoulder bag. The implication of these careful cultural signifiers: The caveman has grasped not just literacy and reason but also the affectations of the modern hipster aesthete. (That knowingly antiquated racket might easily have been stolen from a Wes Anderson set.)

At the campaign's ancillary Web site, CavemensCrib.com (it lets you poke around their apartment), we learn that the cavemen are into (among other things): blogging, Tolstoy, yoga, smoked Hungarian paprikash, and Paddy Chayefsky movies. They have poetry magnets on their fridge … in Esperanto.

The ad folks are clearly having a blast curating the cavemen's highbrow lifestyle. But the joke, unlike the cavemen, is not evolving. We get it: Cavemen are historically portrayed as brutish oafs, not au courant intellectuals. This limited approach is no problem (in fact, it's a plus) in a 30-second ad. But can it sustain multiple episodes of a TV show?

First, let's remind ourselves that super-high-concept sitcoms are nothing new. Third Rock From the Sun = "We're aliens and we can't tell anyone." Small Wonder = "Our daughter is a robot." These shows achieved relative success, so who's to say "We're cultivated cavemen" can't do the same?

There's even precedent for advertising icons succeeding on other platforms. The news stories about the cavemen's pilot all mention Baby Bob—the one-time dot-com spokesbaby who later had his own sitcom (and later still got back into ads). A friend also reminded me that Ernest, Jim Varney's redneck caricature ("KnowhutImean, Vern?") began as a pitchman before landing a kids' TV show (and then a string of hallucinogenically plotted films—see e.g., 1997's Ernest Goes to Africa).

As they compete for their spot on the fall schedule, the cavemen do have a couple of key points in their favor. First, they may have gotten their start as ad icons, but in their ad campaign's story line they actually detest Geico—which makes them slightly less tied to their identity as corporate shills. Second, judging by the stellar quality of the ads and the Web site, there's someone (or someones) with a wonderful comic sensibility behind all this stuff. It's a sensibility I'd be eager to spend more time with.

Of course, the cavemen will need to branch out from their eternally aggrieved-victims shtick. Perhaps they get a new roommate. Some missing-link type from a forgotten evolutionary eddy. He grunts and knuckle-walks and isn't into Rem Koolhaas at all. At first he messes with the cavemen's mojo, and they conspire to kick him out of their apartment. But in the end he teaches them (and us!) an important lesson about patience and understanding. Cue laugh track, roll credits, I'll need 23 more episodes and a Christmas special.

Seth Stevenson is a frequent contributor to Slate.

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2162149/

We'll be right back after this short commercial message, March 31

Revenge is best served with an ice cold beverage.

Giving as good as you get!

Tea leaves and crystal balls with Jack Layton

When you’re a leader of a national political party, you no doubt need to keep on the positives and see signs of growth in every corner of the country.

But it’s with interest that we read Jack Layton’s thoughts on the recent Quebec election and the harbinger it provides as to what is to come for Democratic socialism in the province.

The ascension of Mario Dumont to the top of the political pile in Quebec is seen by Mr. Layton as a sign that the province is ready for change and it’s a place that he feels his party may be able to step up into.

Which looks pretty darn impressive at first sight, but then you look at the results of last Monday’s election and you kind of wonder how Jack reads election results and polls.

Mario Dumont’s party the Action Democratique, is a centre right party, nowhere in its election campaign did the mind meld with Layton’s view of Canada and Quebec ever take place. In fact, horror of horrors, many suggest that Dumont’s mind set may put him closer to the Conservatives of Stephen Harper than the NDP of Layton.

If anything, the stunning rise of the ADQ is probably more similar to that of the old Union Nationale days, a party that appealed to the middle class, wasn’t too keen on taxation and was decidedly not particularly socialist in philosophy.

In Quebec on Monday, the closest kin to the NDP the Parti Quebecois suffered its worst political defeat since the 1970’s, its long sought after goal of yet another referendum quashed for now and the economic levers to implement socialist policies kept far away from Andre Boisclair’s hands.

Even the Liberals which while not quite cousins to the NDP, suffered a severe spanking at the hands of the voters who delivered a rather nasty verdict on the policies of Jean Charest, who mixes that old Liberal tactic of making sure enough money rolls in just in time for election day, with a bit of a right wing tilt to appeal to the business and middle class.

Even with all of that largess behind Charest barely could hold his own seat and saw his party cling to a thin surplus of votes to hold power in a minority government at Quebec's national assembly. Nowhere in the results of Monday, was there anything that resembled a shift to the left or any desire to claim the ground that Layton seems to think is now ripe for the taking.

Even the Bloc Quebecois which in recent history has been the one key roadblock to potential NDP success in the province is reported to be stumbling in polling numbers, possibly giving leader Gilles Duceppe cause to pack his parachute and try to land in Quebec City as the new leader of the now rebuilding PQ.

It could be that one snippet of sunshine that gives the NDP leader hope, perhaps he thinks that the results show that the sovereigntist block of votes may be set to scatter to the wind. A situation that perhaps, would give his would be candidates in Quebec a chance to collect left leaning voters looking for a new home.

Past history is not on his side, Quebec for the NDP has been nothing but a political graveyard through the years, with candidate after candidate finding little success and the party itself suffering from a particularly low profile, thanks mainly in the old days to the large hold the Liberals once held on the province and more recently to the reach and appeal of the Bloc philosophy.

Whenever Prime Minister Harper is forced to go to the Governor General to call another election, it would for now appear that his party may have the most to gain in Quebec. The Liberal’s received a rather nasty wake up call Monday, left as nothing but a party of the massive ridings of Montreal and Western Quebec suburbs of the Ottawa area in the nation’s capital.

If Quebec has taken a tilt to the centre or even further to the right, as seems to be the indication from the ballots on Monday, then it will be Harper who may benefit the most from the change in dynamic in the province.

Layton is probably correct in his observation that the results were a rejection of the province's two old parties. The people of Quebec were weary of the ancient battles and anxious for a new face, a new voice and new direction, but from all appearances that direction is not going down the same road as the NDP.

While Jack may think that he’s going to be in the thick of the pack whenever the federal election comes around, we suspect that he may be a little further away from a breakthrough than his latest declarations seem to suggest.

"We lost and we don’t know what comes next"

The long process that made up the process of negotiations towards the Lheidli T’enneh treaty vote, ended on Saturday with the treaty being defeated after two weeks of voting in Prince George, Prince Rupert and other northern BC locations.

To the memory of many of those involved in the negotiations, this marks the first time that a negative vote has been handed in regarding treaty negotiations.

The Opinion 250 website had the details of the vote, which turns down the offer of an estimated $13 million and 4,000 hectares of land in addition to rights on fisheries, governance and natural resources.

The developments leave the treaty process in a state of limbo, with all sides now having to consider their options and what course of action is to follow this weekend’s result.

Lheidli T'enneh Treaty Rejected
By 250 News
Saturday, March 31, 2007 11:27 AM

"We lost and we don’t know what comes next". Those are the comments of Rick Krehbiel, on the results of the Lheidli T’enneh treaty vote which took place over the past two weeks.
Krehbiel is the Director of Policy & Research and the lead negotiator on several aspects of this treaty process.

"This is the first treaty to ever be voted down to the best of my understanding" says Krehbiel.

"We now are going to have to sit down and talk to the Province and Canada to see what we can do next. We have spent $6 million dollars trying to negotiate the treaty and now we will have to step back to see where we go from here."

Last fall, Premier Campbell, Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice and other dignitaries were on hand to initial the treaty with Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dominick Frederick.

The voting took place over the past two weeks, and the final count was 123 against, 111 in favour. The Band had set an acceptance threshold of 70%. The voter turnout was a true account says Krehbiel with 234 of the 273 eligible voters casting ballots.

"There has been a great deal of work started on projects. That work is now in limbo" says Krehbiel. Some of that work includes the Master Agreement with the Regional District of Fraser Fort George which was waiting on property tax assessments before proceeding. There was also a great deal of discussion about services, and shared responsibilities with the City of Prince George.

No one knows what the next step will be or when it will be taken.

Krehbiel says the irony comes in the other ballot that was conducted at the same time as the treaty vote "The constitution for the new treaty government passed by a vote of 121 for, and 112 against, but that is meaningless when you have no treaty. We will definitely be sitting down with everyone in the next few days to look over this entire matter."

Peter Quaw, who recently ran (unsuccessfully) for the position of Chief, said at the initial signing that he, along with his supporters would vote against the treaty.

The Treaty would have given given the The Lheidli T’enneh about $13 million and 4,000 hectares of land in addition to rights on fisheries, governance and natural resources.

It’s a day for all the fools

April 1st, it’s the much anticipated day of foolery and pranks. Apparently a few days late for Podunk, as it would appear that this year we celebrated the day of fools last Wednesday afternoon.

Indeed, April Fools Day landing on a Sunday, just seems like such a waste of a good day for pranks. Many people will have barely rolled out of bed by the time the prankster’s deadline of noon has passed, daring anyone to become the fool by pranking after the noon hour.

It’s unfortunate in a way, from radio disc jockeys, to office and class clowns, April 1st is the day that sees almost as much real time research and preparation put into tomfoolery, as a final term paper in University might find.

Short of your priest or minister shocking the congregation witha proclomation that maybe religion isn’t the answer, and then laughingly declaring April Fools, there’s a pretty slim chance that today, you’ll be overly pranked.

Short of the young ones around the house trying to get the best of you in your sleep deprived state, you may find this April Fool’s Day to be a rather quiet one.

So while we try to cook up the ultimate in April Fool’s pranks for a new year, here’s a few of the best pranks in history and a few of the pranks that perhaps didn’t quite meet up to the standard of a good prank.

Trace the course of April Fools Day through history here, and check out this website dedicated to all things Foolish on April 1st, for after all if you’re prepared, perhaps the jokes won’t be on you!